The State - News from Jan. 15, 1989

Data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation show that the selenium-tainted Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge may remain dangerous for migratory birds for years to come, according to federal biologists. In a 1988 monitoring report, the agency said birds at the western Merced County site still have high enough levels of the trace element to trigger mutations, and food chain items still contain selenium levels far in excess of the recommended safety limit of 3 parts per million. In addition, two of 11 coyotes from the site showed signs of poisoning. The Kesterson Reservoir served as an evaporation pond for drainage water from the 5,900-acre Westlands Water District from 1978 until 1986, when drain water flows were halted because of the elevated levels of selenium.