[CPEO-MEF] Spring Valley (DC) perchlorate

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Groundwater Toxin Found At Site Near Aqueduct
EPA, Army Corps Debate '03 Tests; Inaction Criticized

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post
October 27, 2004

Random tests performed in summer 2003 found unsafe amounts of a chemical 
toxin a few hundred yards from Washington's drinking water supply, a 
discovery that has set off a tense, largely behind-the-scenes debate 
over what steps are necessary to protect the water and the public.

The high concentrations of perchlorate, a toxin typically found in 
chemical weapons and explosives, were detected by chance in June and 
September 2003 as part of a long-term study and cleanup of chemical 
contamination in the surrounding Spring Valley neighborhood. A 
researcher with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the 
chemical in groundwater near the Washington Aqueduct reservoir at levels 
80 times the amount EPA considers a risk to humans.

For the past year, the results were known only to a relatively small 
group of scientists, government officials and neighborhood activists. 
Officials at the aqueduct said there is no cause for alarm because 
significant amounts of perchlorate have not been detected in the 
drinking water. The aqueduct has conducted tests several times this year 
that can detect perchlorate at concentrations as low as 4 parts per billion.

…

for the entire article, see
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A404-2004Oct26.html

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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