Runkle Canyon Chromium
EnviroReporter.com analysis – June 2008
MARCH 2008 ROCK SAMPLE WITH WHITE EVAPORATE
A mysterious white evaporate or precipitate was found in Runkle Canyon by Rev. John Southwick and Frank Serafine on March 26, 2008 and given the next night to Norm Riley, Rocketdyne cleanup Project Manager for Cal-EPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) which subsequently tested the stuff. More of this evaporate was collected June 10, 2008 and a sample was sent out for additional analysis of the chromium valence ratio and additional tests to “fingerprint” the material, if possible. Those results won’t be available until early July 2008.
The heavy metal numbers derived from just this one sample are revealing and suggest additional sampling and testing should occur including analysis of other potential chemicals of concern. In the DTSC report, it states that “Jose indicates white precipitate is an evaporative salt,” in comments made two weeks before the test results came back.
Southwick, DTSC's Norman Riley and "Fearless Frank" Serafine confer March 19, 2008.
That very well may be true. But the test results, and the actual look of the white precipitate, indicate that this may be a widespread distribution of heavy metal contamination that could threaten the groundwater supply of Simi Valley. The data also suggests that there may be threats to human and animal health due to chromium exposure from this evaporate/precipitate. Comments made by a DTSC official in June also suggest that this same “evaporative salt” is also surfacing in Dayton Canyon, which is miles away from Runkle Canyon in the western San Fernando Valley.
The following is derived from the “Rock with White Precipitate” analysis by DTSC dated April 30, 2008. All units are in milligrams per kilogram, or “mg/kg,” and “ND” signifies “non-detect”:
Rock with White Precipitate (MRD0679-01) Other (W) Sampled: 03/27/08 00:00 Received: 04/14/08 13:50
Silver ND
Antimony ND
Sodium 18000
Arsenic ND
Barium 23
Beryllium ND
Calcium 19000
Cadmium ND
Cobalt 8.9
Copper 28
Chromium 1300
Iron 12000
Lead ND
Manganese 220
Molybdenum 19
Nickel 620
Potassium 1100
Selenium ND
Thallium ND
Vanadium 20
Zinc 17
Sample’s results versus California background concentrations in soil
The DTSC results were compared to data found in a report called “Background Concentrations of Trace and Major Elements in California Soils.” This March 1996 Kearney Foundation of Soil Science special report was authored by personnel from the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, and DTSC.
