Buena Park : City Debating Solutions to Toxic Water Problem

City officials said Wednesday that they have asked a contractor who lined a 30-year-old water storage tank with a sealant that later released toxins into the city’s water supply to recommend ways to correct the situation.

The city is debating whether it would be more efficient to replace the tank or to have the contractor, How E. Baker of El Monte, line it with another sealant, City Engineer Don Jensen said.

How E. Baker representatives could not be reached for comment.

County health officials, who discovered the contamination when the water was tested for perchloroethylene (PCE) levels March 12, said residents of southern Buena Park may have been exposed to PCE-contaminated water for a total of 28 days over the last four years. They said no health problems are expected to result from the exposure.

Water from the 10,000-gallon storage tank, which is connected to an underground well, was used “as a backup” during the summer when water demand was at its peak, Jensen said. That tank, on Beatrice Circle, and another lined by the same company have been taken out of service, he said. Water from the second tank has not been used in the last four years.

Because the water sat idle in the tank most of the year, exceptionally high concentrations of PCE, apparently from a sealant applied four years ago to extend the life of the tank, leaked into the water, said Robert E. Merryman, county director of environmental health.

Tests showed the water to contain 42.1 parts per billion of PCE, Merryman said; the maximum level recommended by the state is 4 ppb.