State Panel Plans Further Study of Agua Dulce Water

Agua Dulce residents told state water-quality officials Monday that septic tanks have been unfairly blamed for contaminating their community’s ground water and urged the officials to study the town’s water supply carefully before recommending solutions to the problem.

Members of the Agua Dulce Water Committee, testifying before the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, also charged that reports of nitrate contamination in the town’s well water were exaggerated. They said it was unclear whether the nitrates were coming from septic tanks or from other sources.

Residents said installing sewers would promote unwanted development in the rural community of 2,500 residents, east of Santa Clarita.

Board members agreed that more study is needed before they make a decision.

They appeared surprised when Kenneth D. Schmidt, a hydrologist hired by the residents, said nitrate levels were decreasing in Agua Dulce, not rising as the board’s staff reported.

But Anne Saffell, an environmental specialist with the control board, said many wells in Agua Dulce have nitrate levels above the state safety guideline of 45 parts per million.

On average, Agua Dulce wells have about 30 p.p.m. of nitrates, Saffell said. Some wells have recorded levels as high as 190 p.p.m., she said.

Such concentrations of nitrates can cause the “blue-baby syndrome” in infants under 6 months old, an impairment of the blood’s oxygen-carrying ability that causes death in about 5% of cases, she said.

More than 100 Agua Dulce residents drove more than 30 miles for the 3 1/2-hour hearing.