Groundwater in Imperial County is somewhat unremarkable, and that’s a good thing, said Michael Wright, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
The federal agency, in coordination with the state’s Water Quality Control Board, has finished tests of the desert Southwest of California, and preliminary results were presented at a meeting Thursday.
The latest study of the groundwater, and one of the last to finish a statewide project, covered the Mojave and Colorado deserts, including Imperial County, Wright said. Sampling took place in 2008, 2009 and early 2010, and results are now being analyzed.
The preliminary report shows that throughout both desert areas the groundwater doesn’t exceed state and federal levels for organic compounds, like pesticides, he said. Some areas were above thresholds for inorganic chemicals, like fluoride and uranium, but those are in areas that people know about and are treating for.
There was nothing out of the ordinary for Imperial County’s groundwater, he said.
“The big thing about this is — and people need to know this — this program is about sampling untreated groundwater,” he said.
The groundwater tested is not the kind that goes directly to consumers, he said. It’s processed before consumers get it.
Full reports from throughout the state can be found both at the U.S. Geological survey Web site http://ca.water.usgs.gov/gama/ and at the state water boards site http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/gama
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
The federal agency, in coordination with the state’s Water Quality Control Board, has finished tests of the desert Southwest of California, and preliminary results were presented at a meeting Thursday.
The latest study of the groundwater, and one of the last to finish a statewide project, covered the Mojave and Colorado deserts, including Imperial County, Wright said. Sampling took place in 2008, 2009 and early 2010, and results are now being analyzed.
The preliminary report shows that throughout both desert areas the groundwater doesn’t exceed state and federal levels for organic compounds, like pesticides, he said. Some areas were above thresholds for inorganic chemicals, like fluoride and uranium, but those are in areas that people know about and are treating for.
There was nothing out of the ordinary for Imperial County’s groundwater, he said.
“The big thing about this is — and people need to know this — this program is about sampling untreated groundwater,” he said.
The groundwater tested is not the kind that goes directly to consumers, he said. It’s processed before consumers get it.
Full reports from throughout the state can be found both at the U.S. Geological survey Web site http://ca.water.usgs.gov/gama/ and at the state water boards site http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/gama
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
