COSTA MESA : Officials Investigate Discharge at Times

State and local officials Thursday investigated the improper discharge of water containing a non-hazardous chemical solution at The Times Orange County newspaper plant.

The spill occurred Monday when workers drained water that had been used to cool the computer room to make way for construction, according to a statement prepared by Times officials. The water contained a chemical to inhibit corrosion.

The workers, apparently under the mistaken belief that the chemical is harmless, allowed 500 to 1,000 gallons of the contaminated water to flow into storm drains behind the plant at 1375 Sunflower Ave.

The water contained a 700-parts-per-million concentration of the corrosion inhibitor, which is not considered hazardous under 1,000 parts per million.

A supervisor discovered the error later in the day but failed to report the incident to authorities until Wednesday, according to the report.

The chemical can cause skin irritation at full strength. Its manufacturer recommends that spills be contained and mopped up with absorbent materials or poured into drums.

Ernie Vitucci, general manager of The Times Orange County, said in a meeting with a state water quality inspector that workers responsible for the incident will be disciplined.

The incident was similar to a 1988 spill of water contaminated with heavy metals. The newspaper was fined $5,000 in that incident, said Bruce Paine, an inspector for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

And last month, state and county water quality inspectors were called to the plant by Times officials to investigate another accidental discharge. Water containing a relatively small amount of developing fluid, used to make newspaper printing plates, was flushed daily into the storm drain system for about a month.

Times officials said the December spill occurred because a pipe had been connected to a storm drain rather than the sewer. The newspaper has not been fined for that discharge.

Officials said they have not decided whether action will be taken against The Times for the latest incident.