Lockheed Will Purify Burbank Toxic Water

Lockheed Corp. on Thursday announced that it is using a $4-million treatment system to clean chemically tainted ground water beneath its Burbank plant.

The corporation decided to build the Aqua-Detox Ground Water Treatment Facility in response to an August, 1987, order by state water officials. The state Water Quality Control Board said the Lockheed plant had contributed to pollution of ground water that forced the closure of more than 30 municipal water wells in Burbank and North Hollywood.

The Aqua-Detox system, on a corner of the plant site near the corner of Buena Vista Street and Empire Avenue, is cleaning 1.5 million gallons of water a day, Lockheed officials said. The water is pure enough for drinking, company officials said, although Burbank has no immediate plans to add the water to its municipal supply.

Steam and Aeration

Topped by a 60-foot tower, the system utilizes steam and aeration to reduce contaminants to within health guidelines, Lockheed officials said.

E. Lloyd Graham, Lockheed’s executive vice president and general manager of operations, said the system is unique in that no contaminants are expelled into the atmosphere as waste. The contaminants are separated from the ground water and recycled, he said.

“With this system, the only product is clean water,” Graham said. He said the water contains no detectable pollutants and is cleaner than stipulated by state health guidelines.

The system has been in operation since mid-September, company officials said.

The water is being discharged into a storm drain and into the ocean, but Lockheed hopes to eventually pump the treated water into Burbank’s water supply.

Water beneath the Burbank plant contains PCE, or perchloroethylene, levels as high as 12,000 parts per billion, and TCE, or trichloroethylene, levels as high as 2,000 p.p.b., Lockheed consultants say. Both chemicals are used for removing grease from metal and for dry-cleaning, and are thought to cause cancer with chronic exposure. Under health guidelines, PCE and TCE levels in drinking water are not to exceed 4 p.p.b. and 5 p.p.b., respectively.

How System Works

Lockheed officials explained the system as follows:

Ground water is extracted from a 350-foot-deep well near the Lockheed plant and pumped to the top of the tower. The solvents are vaporized and separated from the water before the water reaches the bottom of the tower.

The vaporized solvents are condensed and pumped to a storage tank. They are then collected for recycling.

The system also treats and cleans soil gases, company officials said.

Fred Lantz, water system manager of the Burbank’s Public Service Department, said the city has discussed with Lockheed purchasing the recycled water.

Lantz said several conditions, including approval from the state Department of Health Services, must be met before the city can purchase the water.

Lockheed officials said they would like to sell the recycled water back to Burbank or another municipality. When the plant is operating at capacity, Lockheed pays Burbank $25,000 a month for water, including that it extracts from the ground, cleanses and drains into the ocean, company officials said.