L.A. Tests Find No Radioactive Pollution in City Water Wells

Radioactivity levels in water from city wells in the San Fernando Valley were five times below state drinking water standards in recent tests, indicating there has been no radioactive pollution of the water supply, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said Wednesday.

Reports of contamination at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, run by the Rocketdyne division of Rockwell International in eastern Ventura County, prompted Mayor Tom Bradley to ask the DWP to investigate possible pollution in the northwest San Fernando Valley.

With the Rocketdyne lab more than 15 miles from the nearest city water well in North Hollywood, it would take “many hundreds of years” for contaminants from the lab to reach the wells, said Bruce Kuebler, DWP engineer in charge of water quality.

In disclosing the recent test results, DWP spokesman Ed Freudenberg said water officials “are obviously concerned that people will think there’s a connection between a potential problem out in the Santa Susana area and . . . our water supply.”

Bradley asked the DWP to conduct an investigation of ground water in the Chatsworth area in response to news accounts of a U.S. Department of Energy report on contamination at the Rocketdyne lab. Water officials said they will provide their report to the mayor by May 24.

Kuebler said the DWP is testing all its wells for radioactivity on a quarterly basis this year, in compliance with state drinking water regulations. “If any changes in the very low natural radioactivity levels occur, we certainly would be aware of those changes,” he said.

About 15% of the Los Angeles water supply is drawn from wells in North Hollywood and near Griffith Park.