Marine’s Response

I feel it necessary to respond to the Orange County Perspective editorial titled “El Toro Base Needs Cleanup Cash” (Feb. 24), referring to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.

While I agree that contaminated sites resulting from past disposal practices need investigation and cleanup, I take exception to two of the statements made concerning the trichloroethylene (TCE) ground-water contamination.

The editorial stated that TCE has been found “in a three-mile-long pool of water extending from (MCAS El Toro) to areas beneath part of Irvine.” This is someone’s conjecture. There is no scientific data that shows that the TCE ground-water contamination discovered on MCAS El Toro is connected to the contamination beneath the city of Irvine.

The air station just happens to be nearby, making it a convenient landholder to blame. The air station has agreed to conduct the necessary testing to determine whether the contamination on station is connected with that under Irvine.

The editorial also states that the Marine Corps has admitted the possibility of partial blame for the TCE contamination and that “while the acknowledgment was welcome, base officials ought to have faced up to this possibility sooner.” After data was collected by the air station and the Orange County Water District, the Marine Corps readily accepted responsibility for the contamination that was directly attributable to the station. There was no delay. Treatment efforts were implemented in July, 1989, to remove this contamination.

Because there is no data showing a connection between on-station and Irvine ground-water contamination, and because there are other possible sources, the station has no basis on which to accept responsibility for the contamination under the city of Irvine. If tests to be conducted show that the station is responsible for the contamination beneath Irvine, the Marine Corps will readily accept that.

The premature assignment of responsibility for TCE ground-water contamination beneath Irvine fosters erroneous perceptions of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and is not productive. Additional off-base testing by the Marine Corps will commence this summer to determine the extent of our responsibility for off-base contamination.

Your statement that “base officials ought to have faced up to this possibility sooner” and that “that might have speeded its designation for Superfund status” are without meaning.

Such statements do imply that the Marine Corps is reluctant to admit responsibility for ground-water contamination and has a cavalier attitude toward the long-range impact of such contamination. That is unfair and untrue.

The health and welfare of the communities that surround Marine Corps installations are subjects that deeply concern us and occupy a significant amount of time of base officials.

D.V. SHUTER

Brigadier General

U.S. Marine Corps

Commander