EPA grants $15.7 million to address forever chemicals (PFAS) in Southern California water

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new investments in Southern California to address water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The funding totals $15.7 million and will be split among 7 different projects. This is in addition to EPA's previously announced investment of $77.257 million to address PFAS across California.

Photo Credit: Kings County.Gov (Fair use)

PFAS are commonly referred to as "forever chemicals" and are found in numerous common items. They have been known to cause cancer and fertility issues. They are sometimes found in stain resistant furniture, carpets, textiles, cosmetics, food packaging, cookware, and many other items. 

As stated by Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Michael Martucci, "EPA is laser focused on ensuring that every American has safe drinking water, and we’re proud to be providing the resources to make good on that commitment here in California. This federal investment will be key to our local partners’ efforts to tackle the threat of PFAS across Southern California."

The Southern California projects receiving federal funding are:

• $2,500,0000 to La Habra Heights County Water District to construct a PFAS remediation and treatment system at five groundwater wells.
• $1,750,000 to the Orange County Water District to install an innovative ion exchange treatment system at Santa Ana’s Wells 27 and 28, to ensure treated groundwater can be safely served to residents.
• $959,752 to the City of Riverside to modify the Palmyrita Water Treatment Plant for PFAS removal and to improve drinking water infrastructure.
• $2,100,000 to the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency to construct a new treatment facility to remove PFAS contaminants from groundwater at the existing S7 well.
• $959,752 to the Santa Margarita Water District to fund a preliminary design report for the new Ranch Water Filtration Plant and support the district’s effort to provide potable reused water.
• $959,752 to the City of South Gate to treat four wells affected by PFAS contamination that supply more than 50% of the City’s total water demand.
• $6,452,972 to the Western Municipal Water District to fund rehabbing, repairing, and replacing aging sewer lines to prevent the infiltration of PFAS-contaminated groundwater into March Air Reserve Base’s sewer system.

All evacuation orders lifted in Garden Grove, CA for the GKN Aerospace toxic chemical incident

This evening the Orange County Fire Authority announced that all evacuation orders related to the Garden Grove hazardous materials incident have been lifted.

Unified Command (Fire, Law, EPA, and County Health) have confirmed there is:

No chemical leak

No threat of explosion

No threat of fire

No risk to the public

The OCFA released this revised map:

Map Details:

Green shaded area on the map = Repopulation area

Red line = Road closure (Western between Chapman & Garden Grove Blvd.)

Red circle = An exclusion zone to allow hazardous materials teams to continue monitoring the tanks out of an abundance of caution (no residents affected).

The OCFA also announced earlier today that the tank temperature had stabilized at 92° F and that they had secured all of the other nearby tanks.

No further details are available at this time.

Have any of you been physically affected by methyl methacrylate monomer before?

 Just a little sidebar about the hazardous chemical tank incident in Garden Grove, CA.

The chemical of concern is methyl methacrylate monomer. When it polymerizes and turns into a solid, it gives off a lot of heat because the polymerization is an endothermic reaction.

Methyl Methacrylate molecule, Photo Credit: Jynto

Anyway, a long time ago (1973-74), I used to work for a carbide tool manufacturer in Latrobe, PA, called Kennametal. They were famous for making tire studs for winter tires, welding rods, and carbide tool bits.

We were experimenting with different mixing agents for the carbide powders used in the processes, including methyl methacrylate monomer.

One day I went home after work and suddenly started getting horrible hives. They were huge and covered my arms, legs, and other parts of my body. We weren't sure what caused it, but, the only thing different from what I usually did there was that I was in the lab when they were experimenting with methyl methacrylate. I remember the strong odor of it. My doctor suspected that was the cause. It took a week or two for all the hives to disappear.

A few months later I resigned and went to grad school to study environmental science. One day I was walking up the stairwell in one of the chemical lab buildings. The floor tiles were being replaced and I smelled a familiar odor. When I got to my apartment, I broke out in hives again, just like before. I later found out that methyl methacrylate was one of the chemicals being used to secure the floor tiles to the stairway!

In all of the reporting being done about this incident in Garden Grove, I don't recall anyone discussing this effect of the chemical on some people.

Have any of you had a similar experience? Let us know in the comments below.

Was the company responsible for the hazardous chemical incident in Garden Grove in compliance with hazardous chemical storage requirements?

By now, most of you have heard of the ongoing emergency in Garden Grove, CA, revolving around a disastrous failure of a storage tank containing methyl methacrylate. Fears of a massive spill and/or explosion have resulted in the evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes since last Friday.

Photo Credit. GKN Aerospace logo (fair use)

Emergency response authorities such as the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) have done a great job in keeping the public informed of the current status of the emergency response. We have discussed the incident in previous articles in this blog.

However, one thing we have not personally seen, but, perhaps our readers have, is whether anyone has addressed the following:

Did GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, the owner of the tank in question, follow/comply with required federal/state/and/or local requirements and procedures for the storage of hazardous chemicals, including the existence of an emergency response plan if required?

In all of the news reporting that we have seen (including our own) nobody has addressed this fundamental issue.

• What federal, state, and/or local regulations for the storage of methyl methacrylate, if any, applied to this facility?
• Was an emergency response plan required and in place, and if so, did GKN follow it? 
• If GKN did follow it, what went wrong in this particular situation that required outside agencies to be called in to take over the response?

It should be noted that in January of last year, GKN settled alleged violations of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) rules and regulations to the tune of over $900,000. The Orange County Register recently reported on this in more detail. 

To be perfectly clear, we are making no accusations of wrong-doing on the part of anyone. We just would like someone to address whether the company was in compliance with existing regulations and emergency plans or not. 

And, if they were in compliance, was this particular situation, involving a tank of methyl methacrylate monomer that apparently started to polymerize and uncontrollably heat up while a control valve failed, addressed in existing plans or was it simply an unforeseen circumstance?

Please let us know in the comments below if you have any information regarding the above questions, or, if you have any other comments.