IRVINE : City Likely Site for Water Testing Project
The city has been named the likely site of a test project that would use a harmless bacteria to remove a pollutant from ground water.
The Metropolitan Water District, Southern California’s major water supplier, and the Orange County Water District have agreed to spend $310,000 each on the project.
The plan calls for the bacteria to be added to tanks containing water with nitrates, the most common pollutant in Southern California ground water. The bacteria would convert the nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas.
The project will treat 100 gallons of water a minute, which will be used for irrigation, officials said.
Excessive nitrates in drinking water interfere with the blood’s ability to transport oxygen and can cause blue-baby syndrome, an illness that afflicts infants. It takes its name from the bluish tint of the faces of the oxygen-deprived babies.
Officials said nitrates seep into the ground water from three main sources: fertilizers, decaying cow manure and wastes from septic tanks in unsewered areas.
If the project is a success, it will be expanded to other cities in about two years, officials said.
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