L.A. Officials Say Glendale Wells High in Contaminants
Los Angeles city officials Monday reported that they have found “relatively high levels of contaminants” in a Glendale water well field near Griffith Park where six out of nine wells have been shut down.
Mike Hopkins, Glendale water services administrator, said results of tests conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power “confirmed what we already knew or suspected.”
The exact levels of contaminants are not expected to be released until early December after DWP findings are confirmed by results from an independent laboratory, Hopkins said.
The Glendale water wells are among dozens in the San Fernando Valley basin that have been shut down after traces of solvents--principally trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE)--were discovered in 1979. The contaminants are suspected to cause cancer after long-term, regular exposure.
More than $12 million in federal Superfund money is committed to projects to clean up the contaminants, including a treatment plant built in North Hollywood and a second planned in Burbank.
Officials of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency may authorize a third treatment system for Glendale if further tests warrant it, Hopkins said. Those tests could take up to two years before a determination is made.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
