Testing of water that leaked from toxic dump will now take 10 days, Riverside County says
Environmental testing of potentially contaminated rainwater that flooded mobile home parks in Thermal will take up to 10 days, county officials said Thursday — far longer than the initial estimate of two days.
Riverside County declared a local emergency this week after discovering that flash flooding from last week's storm had caused water from a toxic dump site to flood into three nearby mobile home parks.
County crews surveying damage over the Labor Day weekend, after nearly 3" of rain fell Friday, Sept. 1, in some eastern parts of the Coachella Valley, found a protective berm around the long-closed "Lawson dump" had been breached, as had a covering over it, County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen wrote in the emergency declaration.
On Saturday, Sept. 2, the county issued an evacuation warning for the San Jose Mobile Home Park, Vargas Mobile Home Park and Gamez Mobile Home Park. A shelter was set up for residents at the Galilee Center in Mecca, but officials there and community groups said that as of early this week, few if any residents had left their homes.
County officials are urging area residents to avoid contact with rainwater and runoff until further notice, and to contact their doctor or visit a local health clinic if they're not feeling well.
The county's environmental health department gathered rainwater samples on Tuesday to test for any toxic materials, and initially said results were expected within two days.
But in a press release on Thursday, county officials said environmental testing results are now expected to take up to 10 days because "the specialized testing required will extend the timeframe for the results."
“The county has committed significant resources to the community of Thermal to recover from this terrible flooding,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez in the press release. “The community and the county alike want answers to what is in the water. After contacting multiple laboratories, 10 days is the fastest turnaround time for this specific testing. In the meantime, I urge all residents in the area to follow safety precautions.”
Vehicle access was restored to the parks on Wednesday.
Three road closures were still in effect:
Fillmore Street in Thermal, bridge closure at 52nd Ave.
Johnson Street in Oasis, from Avenue 81 to Avenue 82
Van Buren Street in Vista Santa Rosa, from Avenue 66 to Avenue 62
Dump had known issues with toxins since the 1990s
The dump, which was owned by Kim Lawson and has been closed since 2007, has a history of environmental issues going back decades.
The EPA says that in 1999 it issued a notice of violation to the operators of the dump that was ignored. Three years later, the EPA found elevated levels of dioxin, which is a highly toxic chemical that is known to cause cancer, reproductive issues and other problems.
Later that year, the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians began monitoring the air along the tribe’s border with the dump and found readings showing the presence of particulates in concentrations above “levels considered safe to human health and the environment.” In 2003, the EPA ordered the dump’s owners to stop burning solid waste at the site after it says it ignored a similar order from the tribe.
In 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that the dump had been closed after the EPA found arsenic, asbestos, dioxin and other chemicals that resulted from the burning of paint cans and wood treated with hazardous chemicals. That same year, a Riverside County judge fined the dump and ordered him to pay $46.9 million to clean up the site.
The Times also reported that fires continued to be an issue at the dump in 2007 even after it was closed, with many of them believed to have started from “spontaneous combustion” while others were labeled “suspicious.”
Previous reporting from staff writers Tom Coulter, Ema Sasic, and Paul Albani-Burgio was used in this story.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Testing delayed for water from toxic dump leak, Riverside County says
