Fountain Valley : Meeting Today on Status of Stringfellow Cleanup

State health officials will discuss the status of their investigation of the Stringfellow Acid Pits near Riverside at a public meeting today at 7 p.m.

The pits, which are covered with a clay cap to prevent overflows into the surrounding community, are being studied by the state Department of Health Services to determine what cleanup method to use in the federal Superfund project, said Penny Newman, chairwoman of a group of area residents.

Treated ground water has been pumped through Orange County sewer lines since December, 1985, in a program designed to prevent further spread of contaminants into underground water reserves that supply about 40,000 people.

Newman said about 936,000 gallons have flowed through the county so far this month. The water is treated before pumping and treated once more in Huntington Beach before being discharged into the ocean about four miles offshore.

Officials of the Department of Health Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be on hand at the meeting, which will be held at the Fountain Valley Recreation and Cultural Center at 16400 Brookhurst St. The meeting is open to the public. Information on the cleanup effort is available at Fountain Valley City Hall or the city library.

State officials have scheduled another meeting for residents near Stringfellow on Saturday at Glen Avon Elementary School. Representatives of six firms will be on hand to discuss their methods and answer questions. For more information on that meeting, call the group at (714) 681-4321.