Short-Term Plan for Cleaning Up Water Released : Environment: Officials propose 12 treatment plants but admit the job is too big and too costly for any government agency.

Federal environmental officials on Tuesday released a $106-million, short-term solution to the groundwater pollution problem in the San Gabriel Valley, a decade after the widespread contamination was first discovered.

Under the plan, a dozen of the most tainted water wells will be cleaned up first and officials will undertake other efforts to contain the spread of contamination.

At the same time, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials acknowledged that no government agency can supervise and finance the cleanup of what has become one of the worst pollution problems in the West.

The job, they said, could take 50 years and cost $800 million to complete.

Roughly 30 square miles of the San Gabriel Valley’s water table has been contaminated with solvents and degreasing agents released by businesses and industry during the last 50 years. The pollution affects the water supply for 1 million residents who rely on wells for 90% of their water in an area stretching from Alhambra to Glendora.

Meanwhile, state water officials Tuesday recommended creation of a local super-agency to oversee cleanup of the site, one of 1,200 on a federal Superfund list of the worst pollution problems in the nation.

The federal and state plans were released at a press conference at Baldwin Park City Hall, atop one of the highest concentrations of contaminants. Nearly one out of every four of the region’s 400 wells are closed due to pollution.

John Wise, EPA regional deputy director, said much of the burden for cleaning up the site will rest with local, regional and state water agencies and local water suppliers.

“Complete cleanup is not considered technically feasible,” Wise said, because some of the pollutants have sunk to the bottom of soil layers and could remain embedded indefinitely.

For years, local environmentalists, water suppliers and elected officials have criticized the EPA, saying the agency has not made the San Gabriel Valley underground water pollution a priority after it was discovered in 1979.

As a first step, federal officials propose construction of treatment facilities at 12 of the most polluted wells, around Baldwin Park, Azusa and Irwindale. Then, they will try to stop the spread of the organic pollutants, including several considered to be cancer-causing agents. If the pollution is not halted, the areas most jeopardized are in La Puente and Whittier Narrows, where the Central Basin water supply serves another 1 million people.

But the EPA officials said their main long-term emphasis will be in tracking down those responsible for the pollution rather than cleaning it up.

A key issue among local officials is who will oversee the cleanup. A study released Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board suggests that the Main San Gabriel Watermaster, the agency that oversees pumping rights, might be able to expand its authority if it is given permission by the state courts.

Local water officials are in favor of taking on the responsibility and said they are best suited to do the cleanup. But Duarte Councilman John Van Doren and U.S. Rep. Esteban E. Torres (D-La Puente) are backing the formation of an entirely new water agency.

Under the $106-million plan, about half would come from state sources. David Cohen, of the state’s water quality division, said financing could also come from assessments to consumers, a proposal that has been criticized by some elected officials.

Money will also come from the federal government, industry, the state Health Department and the State Water Resources Control Board.

“This is a good start,” said Bill Van Buskirk, president of Superfund Working Information Group, an environmental activist organization. “There’s still a lot of questions to be answered. But at least we’ve finally got the EPA attention, state attention and local officials attention.”

Carol Montano, president of the East Valleys Organization, a citizens group, said she is skeptical about whether federal officials have done enough to research the issue. “Is the EPA just dumping this whole issue after five years of study? I feel like the enormity of the problem has frightened them away.”

Federal and state officials plan to hold local public hearings in the coming months.