New pollution tests show a new pulse of toxic
perchlorate pollution threatens to spread to Rialto drinking water wells without action to halt the
spread of contamination.
“Polluters responsible for the contamination Rialto’s
drinking water supplies should immediately step up to the plate and clean up
the mess they’ve made,” stated Sujatha Jahagirdar,
Clean Water Advocate for Environment California Research & Policy Center
and author of a white paper that analyzed recent pollution testing results.
Perchlorate pollution leaked by the defense industry
and other users pollutes drinking water supplies for millions across the
country. Rialto is at the epicenter of this contamination crisis,
with some of the highest levels of contamination in the country.
According to state and federal officials, a rocket
fuel manufacturing and processing facility operated by Goodrich Corporation in
the late 1950’s and early 1960’s is a major source of this contamination. Depositions given by former employees, recount
the disposal of thousands of pounds of waste rocket fuel from the manufacturing
process in a large unlined pit behind the Goodrich facility.
Levels of perchlorate pollution in well PW-2, located
close to the historic ‘burn pit’ used by Goodrich spiked sharply in 2006 – from
an April 2005 concentration of 53 ppb (parts per billion) to an April 2006
concentration of 10,000 ppb.
Despite the discovery of contamination in Rialto nearly ten years ago, Goodrich Corporation has not
instituted a clean up plan. While this
delay continues, the contamination continues to spread. At low concentrations in drinking water
perchlorate can lead to health effects such as Attention Deficit Disorder,
learning disabilities and decreased IQ in children.
Prompted by the recent discovery of spiking
contamination levels and continued discharger recalcitrance, the City
of Rialto last night passed a strongly-worded resolution that
calls for immediate action by Goodrich Corporation and other parties
responsible for contaminating the city’s aquifer to clean up their
contamination.
“The spread of contamination and last night’s call
from the Rialto City Council send a clear message to Goodrich Corporation and
other perchlorate polluters across the country,” stated Davin Diaz, Campaign Director of the Center for Community Action
and Environmental Justice. “Goodrich Corporation must step forward to restore
this aquifer to health.”
