Buck Wargo
GLENDALE -- A bill that would speed up the review of the health
effects of chromium 6 in drinking water barely made it to the desk of the
governor.
In a vote minutes before the close of the legislative session at
midnight Thursday, the Senate voted 23-11 to approve a bill authored by
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale) that would require the California
Department of Health Services complete the study by 2002, the legislator
said.
"We couldn't cut it any closer than we did," Schiff said. "I hope the
governor will sign it. I will try to chat with him about it and emphasize
the level of concern, and that there needs to be swift action."
Gov. Gray Davis has not taken a position, a spokesman said.
The last-minute vote is part of the growing concern about chromium 6
in the area's groundwater supply.
On Thursday, Glendale announced it will test drinking water that goes
into homes to determine levels of chromium 6. Don Froelich, the city's
water services administrator, said he expects the tests to show
undetectable levels of the contaminant, aknown carcinogen, both in the
existing water supply and in the San Fernando Valley Basin aquifer when
it is connected Sept. 25.
The state health department on Friday unveiled information on its Web
site to inform the public about chromium 6. It mentioned how the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency said it does not pose a cancer risk if
ingested.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote on Tuesday
whether to order immediate testing of drinking water for chromium 6.
It is unclear whether the proposed county vote is intended for
municipal water systems, but officials from Glendale and the state said
Friday the county has no say over testing of the city's drinking water.
Earlier in the week, state health officials said they were
fast-tracking regulations over the next couple of months to get cities to
monitor for chromium 6 -- something already started in Glendale.
State standards allow 50 parts per billion in drinking water for total
chromium, but in 1998 the California Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment recommended it be lowered to 2.5 parts per billion.
Scrutiny over the region's water began when the Los Angeles Times wrote
an article Aug. 24 that the health review on whether to lower than
standard could take up to five more years.
Glendale gets 8% of its water supply from the Verdugo Basin, whose
wells have registered about 6 to 7 parts per billion of total chromium.
