Rialto – Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) appeared with Senator Dianne Feinstein at a water well in Rialto today to highlight their efforts to clean up water sources contaminated by perchlorate.

 

“Cleaning up water sources in Rialto, Fontana and Colton contaminated by perchlorate has been one of my top priorities,” said Rep. Baca.

 

Rep. Baca introduced perchlorate cleanup legislation and gained passage of his bill H.R. 18 – the Southern California Groundwater Remediation Act – in the U.S. House of Representatives last year.  His bill authorizes $50 million for groundwater remediation in areas covered by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, including San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. The funds would be administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation and would help cities in these areas remove perchlorate from their water supplies.

 

Senator Feinstein recently introduced similar legislation in the Senate.  Her bill S. 2298 builds on Rep. Baca’s and expands its scope to include the cleanup of contaminated water sources statewide.

 

Rep. Baca said, “Senator Feinstein and I have worked to make sure that the drinking water in the Inland Empire is safe and clean – and that these communities are not overburdened with the cleanup costs.”

 

Perchlorate has been detected in 186 sources in the counties served by the Santa Ana watershed. In San Bernardino County it has jeopardized the water supplies of 500,000 residents. Consumption of perchlorate is linked to thyroid damage.

 

The chemical is a main ingredient in rocket fuel and has seeped into the water from former military sites, defense contractors and other industries. Noting that most perchlorate contamination resulted from national defense projects done for the federal government, Rep. Baca said, “It is appropriate for the federal government to be responsible for the cleanup and not stick local communities with the bill.”

 

Also participating in the program were San Bernardino County Supervisor Josie Gonzalez, Rialto Mayor Grace Vargas, Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi and Colton Mayor Deirdre Bennett.