POLLOCK WELLFIELD
San Fernando Valley (Area 4) is an area of contaminated groundwater covering approximately 5,860 acres near the Pollock Well Field in the City of Los Angeles. This area is part of the San Fernando Valley Groundwater basin, an aquifer which, prior to the discovery of contamination, had provided drinking water to over 800,000 residents of the Cities of Los Angeles, Glendale, and Burbank, and the La Crescenta Water District. Approximately three million people reside within three miles of this site. In 1980, concentrations of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), were found to be above Federal Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) and State Action Levels (SALs) in a number of city production wells. Those solvents were widely used in a number of industries including aerospace and defense manufacturing, machinery degreasing, dry-cleaning, and metal plating. Some contaminants currently affecting the basin's water supply can be traced as far back as the 1940s, when chemical wastes disposal went unregulated throughout the Valley. In response to the public health threat, the cities were forced either to shut down their wells and provide alternate sources of drinking water or blend contaminated well water with water from clean sources. Results of a groundwater monitoring program conducted from 1981 to 1987 revealed over 50 percent of the water supply wells in the eastern portion of the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin were contaminated. Contamination in Area 4 has required treatment to allow use of this valuable drinking water source.
27,119 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
N/A |
Average Income |
9,349 |
Occupied homes |
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