'Erin Brockovich Pollutant' Chromium-6 Returns To California

New data shows that the pollutant made famous by environmentalist Erin Brockovich appears to be tainting water in a California district and posing a potential threat to customer safety.

A recent study indicates water in the Rio Linda Elverta Community Water District is contaminated by the carcinogen chromium-6. “Officials at the Rio Linda Elverta Community Water District know it’s there and know that the levels exceed the new state standards,” Fox 40 extrapolated from the research.

The study found that over half the district’s wells are contaminated by chromium-6 at levels ranging from 11 to 16 ppb. The district serves over 10,000 customers, the report said.

The research indicated a potential source of the problem. “In Rio Linda, the same study suggests the chromium 6 levels are not naturally present and instead came from construction work done over 30 years ago at the former McClellan Air Force Base,” the report said.

California enacted the nation's most stringent chromium-6 regulations last year, setting "a limit of 10 parts per billion in public drinking water supplies (equivalent to 10 drops of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool). This means it will be five times greater than a non-enforceable public health goal set earlier by the state EPA," Neon Tommy, the publication of the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, reported.

Various policy changes in California have placed a greater focus on chromium-6. “A new state law requiring water districts to test its water reveals that some of the water in the Rio Linda Elverta Community Water District is contaminated with a chemical called chromium 6, a known carcinogen,” Fox 40 reported.

Other areas of California are also struggling with chromium-6. “On the western side of the Sacramento Valley, several wells in Davis, Woodland and Dixon have recorded high levels of chromium 6,” The Sacramento Bee reported.

The EPA is not as stringent on chromium-6 as California is. “The EPA currently regulates chromium 6 as part of the total chromium drinking water standard. New health effects information has become available since the original standard was set, and EPA is reviewing this information to determine whether there are new health risks that need to be address,” the agency says.

For similar stories, visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.