Masry to Propose Regular Water Tests for Chromium 6

Thousand Oaks City Councilman Ed Masry, the trial lawyer made famous by a hit movie centered around the effects of chromium 6, will ask Tuesday that regular tests be conducted to determine the chemical’s presence in the city’s drinking water supply.

Officials at Calleguas Municipal Water District--which provides imported water to Thousand Oaks--have confirmed that only trace levels of the chemical can be found in the area’s water supply.

But Masry said weekly testing is important to ensure that those levels don’t increase to possibly dangerous concentrations as they have in the San Fernando Valley. Any deviation from current levels should result in immediate public notification, Masry said.

Chromium 6, a toxic byproduct of chromium, is a suspected cause of cancer and other illnesses. In 1996, Masry won a $333-million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric for chromium 6 water contamination in Hinkley, Calif., a case dramatized in the film “Erin Brockovich.”

Masry will also ask the city to study the cost of a chromium 6 removal system to eliminate all traces of the chemical from local drinking water.

Don Kendall, general manager of Calleguas, said he favors Masry’s proposal.

“I think because of other cities’ experiences with chromium, there’s heightened awareness about it,” he said. “In the interest of providing more information, we’re supportive of that.”