Rep. Cox (R-Ca) vows cleanup @ El Toro

[zweifel@nexus.chapman.edu]

From: Don Zweifel <zweifel@nexus.chapman.edu>
Subject: Rep. Cox (R-Ca) vows cleanup @ El Toro

To all interested parties on the Net:

Exerpts from L.A. Times article dated 22 Aug. 1996 with comment.

Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach, Ca.) said Wednesday that he intends
to hold the military to its promise to clean up toxic contamination at
MCAS El Toro which could eventually pose a threat to drinking water
(within Orange County's principle aquifer). 

"They contaminated the water basin and they should pay," said Cox, adding
that he'll seek legislation to force the federal gov't to pay cleanup
costs unless an agreement is reached quickly,

"They made the commitment to the cleanup, now they're reversing their
stand on this," he reported.

"The DON and the local water districts had planned to co-finance a $34
million ground-water treatment plant, AKA the `Irvine Desalter
Project' that would function to remediate water contamination on-site and
off-site" (the plume extends over three miles down-gradient and is
migrating westwardly towards potable areas within the gndwater basin) 
water district officials said.

But earlier this month Fed officials told the water districts that they
were considering a variety of options one of which was to do nothing
except possibly monitoring the TCE and benzene plume and allowing natural
attenuation to eventually do what they are unwilling to do in the short
term. 

According to a base spokesperson, "We're not turning our backs on
Orange County and we definitely don't want to leave any contamination
behind. At this point we're just reviewing our options." (ummph!)

USEPA's Bonnie Arthur said that her agency, last Dec. asked the DON to
give higher priority to highly contaminated water and soil on-site via
point-source contamination cleanup thereby hopefully preventing further
hydraulicing of the plume.

The dispute comes as the county weighs the proposal to turn the 4,700
acre air station into an international commercial airport by 2005.

"There is no immediate threat to human health due to off-site pollution,"
the DON spokesperson said. However officials at the Orange County Water
District (OCWD) and the Irvine Ranch Water District are'nt so sure because
plume migration is a fait accompli.

"The plume is moving," said William R. Mills, general mgr of the OCWD,
which manages the entire Orange County gndwater basin. 

Mills and others said they're concerned that the plume might ultimately
contaminate potable wells since they are located only five miles
down-gradient from the spreading plume.

County officials said they felt, "We were in agreement with the DON over
co-financing the Irvine Desalter project late last year." Then the EPA
decided that natural bio-degradation should be considered and sent the
DON's South-west Engineering Division back to the drawing board,
supposedly because of the "high costs."

"We're getting the feeling... that no-action as an alternative is becoming
an acceptable alternative," said Ronald E. Young, general mgr of the IRWD,
"And it's not." If built, the plant is expected to purify the contaminated
gndwater of TDSs, nitrates and other carcinogenic substances. 

US Rep. Cox and water officials stated that a large portion of the plant's
cost will be offset by water sales.

 End
 
 Don Zweifel
 Subcommittee chair, Operable Unit #1
 MCAS, El Toro RAB
P.S.:

Is the USEPA correct in
their suppositions?
Do you believe the DON is culpable
or should they be exonerated as being
squeaky clean in all this? 


P.P.S.: Please answer via the 
Net so that everyone can participate.