Buck Wargo
CITY HALL -- Glendale is looking at ways to reduce the level of
chromium 6 in drinking water and show the public its supply coming out of
the faucet is safe.
In an interview Thursday, City Manager Jim Starbird said he wants to
alleviate public concerns and ensure that Glendale's drinking supply will
be safe when ground water from the contaminated San Fernando Basin
aquifer is used by the city Sept. 25 for the first time in decades. The
city announced it will hire a consultant to review potentially costly
options, and test drinking water at sampling stations in front of homes.
Starbird's comments came as state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale)
announced Thursday he will hold hearings in Burbank in mid-October on the
health effects of chromium 6 contamination of drinking water.
David Spath, chief of the drinking water division for the California
Department of Health Services, said it is up to Glendale to further
reduce chromium levels. Residents have nothing to worry about with their
drinking water because the most reliable evidence of chromium 6 causing
cancer is when it is inhaled and not ingested in drinking water.
"They shouldn't be anxious and be so concerned that they stop drinking
the water," Spath said.
A report is being prepared by Glendale Water & Power on what it will
take to reduce the level of chromium 6, caused by decades of
contamination by industry in the San Fernando Valley.
"I have asked for a report on what it will take to ensure there is
enough blending with outside water that the chromium 6 will not be
detectable to the consumer," Starbird said. "I don't know what the
implications are, but the council might want to do that to assure the
public. From my perspective, public safety is first and public perception
for the safety of our water is of primary importance."
Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver said he didn't think the hearing was
necessary. He thanked Schiff for pushing the health department but said
the professionals should be left to do their job.
"Adam is a good friend, but I think this more scare tactics than
anything," Weaver said.
Schiff said the hearings are not intended to frighten anyone and that
he is not being political.
"I think there is a great need to keep the pressure on the agencies to
do a quick and thorough review," Schiff said. The hearing is not intended
to frighten anyone but to give the public information."
