Orange County Announces $169-Million Water Cleanup

Orange County water officials on Thursday announced a historic $169-million deal with the U.S. Navy and the Irvine Ranch Water District to remove ground water contaminants, including a hazardous chemical from the former El Toro Marine base that threatens local drinking water supplies.

After seven years of contentious negotiations with the Navy and the U.S. Justice Department, the Orange County Water District board of directors on Wednesday approved a settlement that calls for the Navy to pay $27.5 million through 2045 to remove a subterranean plume of trichloroethylene, or TCE, that was discovered migrating from the base in 1985.

TCE, a cancer-causing compound that is the most commonly found chemical at Superfund sites, was widely used as an aircraft engine cleaner at El Toro and other military bases.

Water district officials said Thursday that the Navy also would retain liability for any base-related pollutants discovered in the future.

“It was a difficult chore to try to get the Department of the Navy and the Department of Justice to admit they were responsible for this,” said Bill Mills, general manager of the water district, which manages the ground water basin below the northern part of the county. “The agreement, we believe, is fully protective of everyone.”

An environmental official with the Navy in San Diego declined to comment on the settlement and referred all questions to the U.S. Department of Justice. Attempts to reach the attorney negotiating the agreement were unsuccessful Thursday.

The Irvine Ranch Water District announced it would pay $109.5 million for a 40-year project aimed at reducing salt and nitrate contamination in ground water near the base. Those minerals are believed to have entered the ground water naturally and from farming and ranching in the area.

Ratepayers will not be affected, because the purified water will replace costly imported drinking water from Northern California and the Colorado River, Irvine Ranch Water District officials said.

The Metropolitan Water District has awarded $32 million in grant funds to help pay for the $141.5-million treatment project.

“This entire area was unusable for years because of high salts, high nitrates and more recently volatile organic compounds,” Mills said. “This will be a benefit for generations to come.”

The Irvine Ranch Water District’s board of directors is expected to vote Monday on the agreement. The Justice Department, Department of the Navy and the EPA also must approve.

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Cleaning Up

County water officials and the U.S. Navy have agreed to clean up underground contamination near Irvine. The two projects will remove a cancer-causing compound and salt from contaminated water. The process is separate from an on-base clean-up project.

Source: Irvine Regional Water District, Orange County Water District