U.S. Water News Online
HINKLEY, Calif. -- The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has stopped irrigating with chromium 6-tainted groundwater after trace amounts of the contaminant were detected in the air in the town made famous by the movie ``Erin Brockovich,'' officials said.
``It's a precautionary move. Whether there is any risk associated with it has to be the subject of additional tests,'' said William L. Rukeyser, a spokesman for the California Environmental Protection Agency. The California Air Resources Board and other agencies recently detected trace amounts of the element near an alfalfa field irrigated with polluted groundwater.
For the past eight years, PG&E has worked to decontaminate the groundwater by spraying alfalfa fields with the tainted water. The natural biological processes of the alfalfa transform the chromium 6 into chromium 3, an essential nutrient.
Jon Tremayne, a PG&E spokesman, said the levels of chromium 6 that were detected were ``extremely low.''
``The levels found in the sampling are equal to the background levels of chromium 6 that would be found anywhere in California,'' he said.
In fact, Tremayne added, the levels detected in the area have not changed during the eight years the remediation program has been in use. Nonetheless, PG&E halted irrigating the circular field after the local water quality control board said it had detected the substance.
``We will work with both the Air Resources Board and the local water board to identify the best next step, whether it's continuing with the remediation plan that began eight years ago or if it's something different,'' Tremayne said. ``Our goal is to get this cleaned up in a timely fashion.''
Hinkley rose to prominence thanks to ``Erin Brockovich,'' which was based on a 1996 case in which residents of the California desert town won a $333 million settlement from PG&E after the utility company's tanks leaked high concentrations of chromium 6 into the groundwater.
Julia Roberts won an Oscar for her portrayal of a law firm assistant whose curiosity about illnesses in Hinkley led to the settlement.
PG&E 's remediation plan, which included irrigating with contaminated water, has reduced the level of chromium 6 in the town's groundwater.
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