The State : TCE Found in Ground Water

Record high levels of the toxic solvent TCE have been found in water under McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento, base officials said. The pollution was discovered in water under three storage ponds that are being phased out of the base’s industrial waste water treatment process. The pollution is more than 13,000 times what is allowed by state law, officials said. The contamination will be prevented from reaching drinking water supplies by four extraction wells and a new ground water treatment plant, a base spokesman said. Contamination by TCE, which is used to clean tools and other equipment, is believed to stem from careless disposal practices dating to World War II at McClellan, home of the Sacramento Air Logistics Center, environmental officials said.