Glendale gets major grant for chromium 6 removal efforts

Glendale Water & Power on Wednesday announced that it had received $400,000 to continue its work in testing two methods for stripping underground water of chromium 6.

The utility has been the lead agency in a coalition of stakeholders testing two high-tech methods for stripping underground contaminated with the cancer-causing element left behind largely by the San Fernando Road corridor’s former aerospace manufacturing industry.

The latest grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation. The more than $7-million pilot project is being funded primarily by California, with money also coming from industry polluters and other stakeholder agencies.

Glendale Water & Power officials say tap water is safe to drink and well below contaminant thresholds because local water is blended with clean imported water, which makes up the bulk of the city’s supply.