[CPEO-MEF] Perchlorate shuts two MH city wells

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

California
Perchlorate shuts two MH city wells
Friday, March 07, 2003
By Carol Holzgrafe

The City of Morgan Hill received bad news this week when two municipal
wells tested above the state “action level” for perchlorate and were
shut down. The source of the contamination is unknown.

Water from Morgan Hill’s remaining public wells all test non-detect and
residents are receiving only water from those wells. In addition, the
county health officer, Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, has said that he does
not expect harm to come to people drinking water with levels below the
action level of 4 parts per billion.

“Morgan Hill city water meets or exceeds all state regulations for
safety,” said Jim Ashcraft, public works director.

“We don’t know if it’s Olin,” Mike DiMarco, spokesman for the Santa
Clara Valley Water District, said about the latest contamination. The
Olin plant is the acknowledged source of the perchlorate contaminating
hundreds of wells from Tennant Avenue south to Leavesley Road in Gilroy.
That source site is 3,000-feet from the Condit well and at least
7,000-feet from the Nordstrom well.

The Condit well results showed a perchlorate level of 5 parts per
billion in only one test; Nordstrom showed 6 ppb, also in only one test
of several. Results in all other tests were “non-detect”. The Nordstrom
well is located on the corner of Murphy and East Dunne avenues at
Nordstrom Park. The Condit well is on the corner of Barrett Avenue and
Condit Road, both east of Hwy. 101.

The decision to shut the two wells down Monday was Ashcraft’s.

“The wells showed non-detect in January (Jan. 15), tested positive on
Feb. 21 and non-detect again at the confirming test on Feb. 25,” he
said.

The Nordstrom well had previously tested 7 ppb in December 2000, 6.2 on
Jan. 18, 2001 and 6.0 on Jan. 22, 2001. Until this latest test,
Nordstrom has been testing non-detect.

All other currently operating city wells came back non-detect. Two of
the city’s wells are off line.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/newsview.asp?c=33590

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