[CPEO-MEF] Testing set for water in Valley

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

California
L.A. DAILY NEWS
Testing set for water in Valley
Chatsworth, West Hills wells to be checked for perchlorate
By Rachel Uranga
Staff Writer

In response to residents' fear that the floor of the west San Fernando
Valley could be contaminated with perchlorate -- a chemical linked to
thyroid dysfunction -- scientists at the California Department of Toxic
Substances Control will test wells in Chatsworth and the West Hills
area, officials said Wednesday.

Next month, officials will test 20 groundwater-monitoring wells at DeVry
West Hills, former site of Hughes Missile System Co.'s research and
manufacturing plant. The testing will be broadened as access is gained
to other monitoring sites.

"I don't think anyone should be nervous. I would ask them to be
patient," said DTSC spokesman Ron Baker. "Using the scientific method,
it will take us a while to figure out what's going on. ..."

The testing comes in response to complaints from activists who say
perchlorate at the Santa Susana Field Lab -- which sits atop a hill
dividing the San Fernando Valley from Simi Valley -- could have trickled
down and permeated soils near their West Hills and Chatsworth homes.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~1346345,00.html

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