SPIN CYCLE
“The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system, both in adults and children,” says the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The city, however, seems confident the site is safe.
“There is not a public health threat from limited, incidental water exposure based on the limited results and, assuming that if there were further analysis of the site that supported the findings of the limited testing, then we would conclude there is not a health threat,” Assistant City Manager Laura Behjan said Aug. 17. “In general, if these results are representative of metals throughout the site, then incidental exposure should not present a risk.”
Tetra Tech’s report recommends that more testing be done to determine the source of the pollutants, even though it doesn’t mention the 2,850-acre gorilla uphill from Runkle Canyon that has an 11-acre drainage leading down into the otherwise pristine gorge — Rocketdyne, site of numerous chemical and radiological accidents and spills, including at least two partial nuclear reactor meltdowns. Behjan says the next step is to give the developer the results and allow them to decide if there should be further testing.
On July 10, anticipating the city’s reaction to whatever test results they got back from Tetra Tech, the Rev. Southwick filed a complaint with the California EPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) seeking the department’s relief. He has since submitted the same grievance to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board which regulates surface water in Runkle Canyon.
“We are seeking DTSC’s help because the city has been uncooperative and hostile to the citizens and has discounted our concerns about pollution problems every step of the way in this process,” Southwick wrote. “We do not feel they have the expertise, or willingness, to correctly address these pollution concerns and/or our findings. We are also concerned that the city does not want any outside help from the appropriate government agencies because it stands to lose millions of dollars if this land isn’t developed as it already has been approved to be. Indeed, the city manager said that he didn’t want the DTSC involved when we were on the July 2nd sampling excursion. Please help us!”
Judging from Monday night’s city council meeting, there won’t be much help coming from Simi Valley. When Behjan presented the lab report to the council, she repeatedly said that the water is not a “source” for Simi Valley when even the city’s Tetra Tech says it is. “The Basin Plan indicates that the beneficial uses for the surface water of the Site area watershed are Municipal and Domestic Supply,” the report says. “Potential human consumption of surface water is reasonably possible under the Municipal and Domestic Supply, Water Contact Recreation, and Non-contact Water Recreation beneficial use scenarios.”
Even more bizarre was Councilman Becerra demanding the results of the Radiation Rangers’ tests from the split samples collected July 2. Soon the mayor, city manager and council were chiming in about the citizens’ results, intimating that they weren’t being forthright. The problem was that the Rangers didn’t do any sampling or testing July 2 because they had already tested May 18 which prompted the city’s July 2 testing in the first place. The mayor, city manager and a councilmember were present at the city sampling and they at least appeared to be paying attention to what they themselves had organized. Perhaps, if nothing else, outside government agencies will bring a measure of reality back to Simi Valley.
READ a related transcript of of the Simi Valley City Council August 20, 2007.
