This may not be what you want to hear, but it’s probably something we need to know!

(Los Alamitos, 2/4/2013)  by Highlands Guy:  So, for the last two weeks I have noted some facts related to the toxic waste that has been present in our local environment that came to light via Federal government mandated testing.  (“Beware:  What’s Under There and Should I Fear It?”)

Unfortunately, the more I look into it, the more questions  pop up that I can’t get out of my mind. So, I’ll give it one more shot to see if I can come to some conclusion, and move on to more uplifting topics. But, we’ll see where the evidence leads.

The amount of data available from the State of California is daunting. I think I’ll have to try to understand it in bite sized chucks. One of the more interesting components of the State monitoring system is the delineation of the many ‘Monitoring Wells,’ around the city. The indicator dots on the site map were really small, and my eyesight has gone south a few years back. The bottom line is I stopped counting at 86.

I chose one of the sites at random and drilled down a little deeper and came upon the stuff for which they are monitoring.   Just the fact that there is time and energy and money being spent looking for these chemicals does not sit well with me. In any case here’s the list from just one of the sites, the Shell Station at 10961 Los Alamitos Blvd.

ACETONE
BROMODICHLOROMETHANE
BROMOBENZENE
BROMOCHLOROMETHANE
BROMOMETHANE
N-BUTYLBENZENE
SEC-BUTYLBENZENE
TERT-BUTYLBENZENE
BENZENE
TOLUENE
METHANE
CHLOROBENZENE
2-CHLOROTOLUENE
4-CHLOROTOLUENE
CHLOROETHANE
CHLOROMETHANE
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
4-ISOPROPYLTOLUENE
DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE
1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE
DIBROMOMETHANE
1,1-DICHLOROETHANE
1,2-DICHLOROETHANE
1,2-DICHLOROBENZENE
1,3-DICHLOROBENZENE
1,4-DICHLOROBENZENE
1,1-DICHLOROETHENE
CIS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE
TRANS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE
1,1-DICHLOROPROPENE
CIS-1,3-DICHLOROPROPENE
TRANS-1,3-DICHLOROPROPENE
1,2-DICHLOROPROPANE
1,3-DICHLOROPROPANE
2,2-DICHLOROPROPANE
DI-ISOPROPYL ETHER (DIPE)
1,2-DIBROMOETHANE
ETHYL TERT-BUTYL ETHER (ETBE)
ETHANOL (ETOH)
TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE
DICHLORODIFLUOROMETHANE
FERROUS IRON
GASOLINE RANGE ORGANICS (C4-C12)
HEXACHLOROBUTADIENE
2-HEXANONE
ISOPROPYLBENZENE
2-BUTANONE
4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE
METHYL-TERT-BUTYL ETHER (MTBE)
METHYLENE CHLORIDE
NAPHTHALENE
NITRATE
N-PROPYLBENZENE
1,1,2,2-TETRACHLOROETHANE
TETRACHLOROETHENE (PCE)
SULFATE
STYRENE
TERT-AMYL METHYL ETHER (TAME)
TERT-BUTYL ALCOHOL (TBA)
BROMOFORM
1,1,1,2-TETRACHLOROETHANE
1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE
1,1,2-TRICHLOROETHANE
1,2,3-TRICHLOROBENZENE
1,2,4-TRICHLOROBENZENE
TRICHLOROETHENE (TCE)
CHLOROFORM
1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE
1,2,4-TRIMETHYLBENZENE
1,3,5-TRIMETHYLBENZENE
VINYL CHLORIDE
XYLENES

Under our schools!

Another set of documents included in the state website were focused on a small parcel between McAuliffe and LAE. It was called a site screening assessment, dated Aug 2, 2010. The action was initiated because the site was identified as the location for an Oral, Deaf, and Hard of Hearing Program building. What they found were pesticides and arsenic, which they speculate were dumped by businesses on the site from 1930 through 1950.

The assessment noted that the concern was that there was groundwater used for drinking within 15 miles. The proposed fix was to excavate 3,560 cubic yards of soil. The action was cancelled when LAUSD called off the building of the special education program facility. Sec.1.2 in an April 2004 memo noted “Potential risks to human health were found to be above acceptable levels due to the presence of elevated concentrations of arsenic in the soil.”

Data on the same site noted in 2010 that the city of Los Alamitos was going to gather more data on water users. My conclusion is that the problems with the site were not addressed because the building project was not completed.

Please be aware that I have only noted a fraction of the data (out of 65 pages) related to this one site. And this is only one of the many areas within the city where the State of California has voiced concerns. Like last week, I come away from the research with more questions and no idea where this may lead.

“God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.”
- John Muir. (1838-1914) Naturalist, author, founder of the Sierra Club, “Father of the National Parks.”

…And that’s just the way I see it.