Study Outlines Plan for Water, Rain or Shine : Resources: The idea is to store winter water in existing aquifers, then pump it out when needed in the dry season.

A preliminary water study indicates that San Gabriel Valley agencies could save the region millions of dollars’ worth of water by expanding the basin’s underground storage capabilities.

The savings could be used to help finance the cleanup of the valley’s contaminated wells--among the worst in the state, according to the study. It was started two years ago by the Metropolitan Water District and San Gabriel Valley water officials.

The report suggests that agencies could triple the amount of water stored in the region’s aquifers (underground layers of porous rock and sand) to the benefit of water suppliers and users not only in the valley, but throughout Southern California.

Here is how the plan would work: During the winter rainy season, when water is cheaper, officials would pump excess water from California and the West into the aquifer. When drought conditions arose or demands increased, the water could be redistributed throughout the vast water network of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

This approach “would be very valuable to Metropolitan” and, at today’s water rates, would amount to $15 million dollars’ worth of water a year, the study said. And the savings--an indeterminate amount at this point--could help clean up ground-water pollution in the basin, the study suggested. Federal water experts estimate the overall cleanup costs at $800 million.

Water officials said, however, that another detailed study of the finances will have to be undertaken to determine whether savings generated from the expanded storage in the basin could offset the expense of installing the required water-treatment facilities.

In addition, the study found that expanding the basin’s water storage capacity could have negative consequences. Increasing the amount of water stored in the basin and then extracting it would significantly alter the four large plumes of pollution there, it found. By moving around the pollution, more wells could be contaminated.

Kris Helm, Metropolitan’s ground-water resources specialist who oversaw the study, emphasized the preliminary nature of the findings, but said he is cautiously optimistic. “It would be to the benefit of all our service area. And the operation could have tremendous benefit to the San Gabriel Valley.”

Local officials were also enthusiastic. “It’s an exciting idea. It could help solve both pollution problems and water supply problems,” said Robert G. Berlien, general manager of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.

For a decade, local, state and federal water officials have puzzled over how to remedy extensive ground-water pollution, discovered more than 10 years ago. In 1984 the entire San Gabriel Valley basin was declared a federal Superfund site. So far, only minimal cleanup has taken place. Federal environmental officials say they hope to release a cleanup plan within the next few months.

Critics of federal efforts say a plan should have been developed long ago, since 1 million people rely on water from the basin, which stretches from Alhambra to Glendora.

Two key contamination problems exist in the region. The major one involves pollution from solvents and degreasing agents that industries and manufacturers released into the ground water during the three decades after World War II.

The second problem centers on contamination from nitrates, originating mostly from agricultural activities in the eastern edge of the basin.

The MWD study of expanded water storage capabilities was launched by water officials seeking insurance against water shortages in the semi-desert of the Los Angeles area.

At present Metropolitan supplies only about 10% of the water used in the San Gabriel basin. The rest comes from wells, one-fourth of which have been closed because of pollution.

Al Wittig, a board member of the Upper San Gabriel water district, voiced a common theme among water officials when he gave his support for the study. “We’re going to have to find innovative ways to make do with what (water resources) we have.”

Wittig said he is concerned about whether adding more water to the basin would affect the bottoms of landfills, potentially causing leaks and more pollution problems.

“There are a whole number of unanswered questions,” he said. “But to me, it is a challenging opportunity we ought to continue to look into.”

Local water officials are expected to review the study at Wednesday’s meeting of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.