Water Cleanup Plan Unveiled for San Gabriel

With color-coded charts, sophisticated maps, slide shows and exhibits resembling a school science project, federal and state environmental officials Tuesday unveiled their $106-million water pollution cleanup plan to a skeptical San Gabriel Valley audience.

“San Gabriel is a top priority,” said Tom Kremer, an official with the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco. He spoke to 60 people at the first of two workshops in El Monte to explain the proposed cleanup of underground water pollution that has spread across much of the San Gabriel Valley.

But despite the federal and state officials’ lengthy presentations and assurances of concern, some in the audience were not persuaded. “I feel like the carpetbaggers are here,” said Geoff Nunn, president of the Whittier-based California Domestic Water Co. “They’re just tickling the public fancy. Promises, promises, promises and nothing delivered.”

“This meeting is an exercise in futility,” said Don Mauri, a Hacienda Heights resident and South El Monte business owner.

“We really want to know what you think,” said David Cohen of the state Water Resources Control Board. He urged those in the audience who had strong feelings to make their comments in writing by the July 20 deadline, when state and federal officials will assess public reaction to the short-term cleanup announced last month.

Kremer acknowledged that the problem with toxic pollution in the San Gabriel Valley, as well throughout America, “is bigger than people realized” a decade ago.

EPA officials consider the San Gabriel Valley situation to be one of the worst in the West. So far, the 45 valley water suppliers have continued providing their 1 million customers with water that meets all state and federal quality standards. To do so, though, becomes increasingly expensive.

“This problem took 40 to 50 years to get to this stage, and it’s going to take a long time to solve it,” said Neil Ziemba, the EPA’s project manager for the San Gabriel Valley, which six years ago was placed on the federal Superfund list of the nation’s 1,200 worst pollution problems.