Cleanup Of Polluted Wells Could Be Key To Water Recycling

VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A Southland lawmaker and utility officials held a "water summit" Friday to encourage voters to approve a $7.5 billion bond measure on the ballot in November.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports officials say cleaning up polluted wells in the San Fernando Valley could be key to help keep the water flowing into the region.

Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, D- Sherman Oaks, and representatives from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power held a community meeting at Los Angeles Valley College to outline plans for water projects that would be funded upon voter approval of Proposition 1.

Nazarian said the bond measure passed by the California Assembly on Wednesday would help pay for new water storage, storm water capturing, recycling, and the clean-up of contaminated groundwater supplies.

But Nazarian added it's critical that Angelenos began planning for such projects before the water tap goes dry.

"We need to be thinking about these major investments today so that time doesn't come," he said.

Part of that effort will involve more investment in local groundwater wells, particularly those located in the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin, according to officials.

But with only 30 reliable wells out of over 100 wells located in the basin, DWP's Evelyn Cortez-Davis said more must be done to clean them up.

"There's nitrate contamination, there's chromium," Cortez-Davis said.

In the past, the region had as much as about one-third of its water supply come from groundwater but that is down to about 11 percent, according to Cortez-Davis.

Some residents such as Carlos Fererra of the Greater Valley Glen Council, however, want more clarification from officials on how exactly the bond money would be used.

"We see a lot of money being wasted," said Ferrera.