sr-040880-11c6!°
Santa Monica, California April 1, 1980
To: Mayor and City Council
From: City Staff
Subject: Santa Monica Well No. 3
Introduction
This report presents to the City Council a history of Santa Monica Well No. 3
(Olympic near Centinela) including the discovery of trichloroethylene (TCE)
in the well water. The report also presents alternatives for the future of
Well No. 3.
Background
A. History of Well No. 3
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Between 1965 and 1968, the City was engaged in a program of drilling test wells
to supplement the sparse data available to the City and to determine the best
locations for additional wells to reduce the City's dependence on imported water.
It was believed the City would be able to realize a substantial reduction in
the overall cost of water by drilling wells to recover local subsurface water,
thus reducing dependence and purchases from the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California.
In June, 1968, the City referred all of its accumulated data to Dr. Thomas L.
Bailey, Consulting Geologist, with the request that he evaluate the results of
the exploratory drilling program, prepare a comprehensive report on the geology
of the Santa Monica Basin, and make specific recommendations on locations of
the first wells to be drilled. Dr. Bailey submitted his first report to the
-1- I'
To: Mayor and City Council -2-
April 1, 1980
City in September, 1968, recommending the northeast corner of the City Yards
and the Center Parkway of Olympic Blvd. within a few hundred feet of Centinela
as the best sites for well locations. Dr. Bailey felt each of these sites
would probably produce 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) of potable fresh water.
Drilling was commenced at the Olympic site on September 13, 1969. At 2:30 p.m.,
the City Inspector at the well site noticed a strong odor similar to solvent
or paint thinner.. This began occurring at a drilling level of between 60 feet
and 80 feet. The Inspector spoke with Mr. Carroll, President of Montgomery
Engineers, Inc., who was the engineering consultant on this project. After
consulting with the contractor, it was recommended that drilling continue as
the well could be sealed if analysis proved it to be necessary. The odor
continued until 6 p.m., but was diminishing in intensity. Samples were taken
of the circulating water at the 90 to 100 foot level. The samples were mostly
gravel; however, each had a strong odor.
The State Health Department was contacted, and on September 15, 1969, sent
technicians and its mobile laboratory. The technicians inspected the well
in accordance with established procedures in effect at the time. Technology
available at that time could determine no abnormalities or contaminating
substances in the well-drilling operation or the produced water. As a pre-
caution, however, the State Health Department directed that the space outside
the well casing be sealed with concrete grout to a depth of 200 feet to provide
protection against possible contamination to the well water.
The well went into actual production in late 1969, producing 1,300 gallons
per minute. When the well was shut down on January 5, 1980, it was producing
To: Mayor and City Council -3-
April 1, 1980
12 % of Santa Monica's water and was considered the best producing city well.
B. Discovery of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in Nell No. 3
In November, 1979, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA} promulgated
regulations-establishing maximum contaminant levels for 114 substances
identified as priority organic pollutants. These levels were published im
the federal Register, dated November 29, T979. However, the EPA did not and
has not published regulations setting limits for trichloroethylene (TCE).
Federal authorities recommended each state establish a limit between 5 and
50 parts per billion (ppb}, thus leaving the adoption of the limit to the
state. The California Health Department adopted the lower level recommenda-
tion of 5 ppb, while other states such as New York elected to use 50 ppb.
In early January of this year, trichloroethylene was discovered in a water
well in the San Gabriel Valley by Aero-Jet General Corporation while they
were conducting an environmental impact study for expansion of one of their
facilities. Subsequent analysis by the State Health Department in search of
the source of the TCE contaminant revealed approximately 10 percent of the
wells in the San Gabriel Valley had TCE concentrations higher than the State
level of 5 ppb. Upon further examination, TCE has been found in over 50 wells
in the Los Angeles area, in various water basins.
Since the City of Santa Monica currently operates seven wells for the produc-
tion of drinking water, the Water Production staff decided it would be prudent
to have the wells analyzed, not only for TCE, but for all of the Environmental
Protection Agency's 114 priority organic pollutants.
To: Mayor and City Council -4- April 1, 1980
On January 15, 1980, samples were taken of the water in each of the seven
wells and sent to a State and Federally approved laboratory for analysis.
The laboratory, West Coast Technical Services (WCTS) located in Cerritos,
was chosen by the City because it used a gas chromatograph/masspectrometer
(GS/MS) to identify organic constituents in the samples. WCTS, in addition,
provided accurate results at the lowest cost to the City with the fastest
turn-around time. On January 24, 1980, the results of the analysis were
received. The analysis indicated Santa Monica Well No. 3 had concentrations
of approximately 44 ppb of TCE. Well No. 2 had concentrations of 2 ppb.
Well No. 3 was then closed by the staff and the State Health Department was
notified by telephone of the City's actions. Just prior to .shutdown, recheck
samples were taken from Well No. 3 and from Various stations through which
water flows to the treatment plant and to the consumer.
On January 25, 1980, the State Health Department sampled Santa Monica Well
No. 3 after five minutes of operation. During this sampling, no water was
permitted into the water system from the well. On January 28, 1980, the State
Health Department reported finding 7.8 ppb TCE in their sample from Santa
Monica Well No. 3. Because the State Health Department's result differed so
greatly from the result reported by WCTS, the Water Production staff requested
the State to resample the well over a one-hour period so as to more closely
match the conditions under which the City's samples were taken. On January 29,
1980, the State resampled Santa Monica Well No. 3 while it was pumping to waste
at start up and after 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 minutes of operation. The State
recheck sample results were available on January 31, 1980, and showed the
following results:
To: Mayor and City Council -5- April 1, 1980
Time (Minutes
0
5
10
15
30
nn^ rrc
5.5
7.0
8.8
7.4
7.9
60
7.9
On February 1, 1980, the City received results of the recheck samples of
Well No. 3 which were sent to WCTS. The results confirmed the level of
35 ppb of TCE at the well head. The City chose to proceed on the basis
that WCTS' results were more accurate than the State's because their test
apparatus (GC/MS) is qualitatively more accurate.
The Water Production staff conducted a survey of businesses in the immediate
vicinity of Santa Monica No. 3 for possible sources of TCE. It was found
the business sites in the immediate vicinity of Santa Monica Well No. 3 are
distributors only. No manufacturing or disposal is currently done. One
company handles products containing TCE, as a distributor, but what is received
is not opened on the premises.
Staff has concluded the most probable cause of the contamination is from an
injection well in the area which at one time was being used for disposal of
chemical wastes. Since that business has been closed for the past 25 years,
it is now impossible to discover the parameters of the contamination without
taking borings of the area to discover the depth and extent of the under-
ground movement of the waste.
To: Mayor and City Council -6-
April 1, 1980
C. Treatment
It has been found that aeration in the water treatment process increases
the dissolved oxygen content of water for the purpose of oxidizing undesired
contaminants or for removing undissolved gases and volatile organic com-
pounds such as TCE. Removal or reduction of volatile organics is achieved
by the effect of air passing through the water. Staff investigated aeration
and blending alternatives in the course of preparing a report for State
review.
In late February 1980, the City prepared the "Report. on Trichloroethylene"
for State Health Department consideration which presented a proposal for
re-opening Santa Monica Well No. 3. The report proposed a monitoring system
for organic pollutants in addition to the current monitoring of bacterio-
logical and inorganic constituents. The TCE monitoring was to be performed
bi-monthly for the first three months of operation, monthly for the second
three months of operation, and quarterly thereafter. The monitoring sites
would be Santa Monica Wells No. 2 and No. 3, the effluent from Arcadia
Reservoir (after treatment) and sampler stations in the 250 foot zone
(consumer product).
The State Health Department, in its letter of March 3, 1980, concluded from
the City's report that
"Water from Santa Monica Well No. 3 will be blended with other
well waters in your system which have a low or nil concentration
of TCE, that the water will be aerated at your treatment plant
to further reduce the TCE concentration, and that the concen-
tration of TCE in the water delivered to your consumers would
be well below 5 ppb."
To: Mayor and City Council -7-
April 1, 1980
In addition, the Health Department modified slightly the City's monitoring
schedule by proposing that Santa Monica We11s No. 2 and No. 3 should be
sampled daily for the first two weeks of operation and weekly for the
following two weeks. The Arcadia reservoir effluent should be sampled daily
for the first week of operation and weekly for the subsequent three weeks.
The State Health Department concluded its letter by stating:
"It appears that with your blending and aeration scheme
you will be able to meet the SNARL (Suggested No Adverse
Response Level) of 5 ppb while Santa Monica Well No. 3
is in operation. We have no objection to your returning
Santa Monica Well No. 3 to service provided that your
monitoring program is revised to comply with the modifications
stipulated in this letter."
During the treatment process which the water from Well No. 3 undergoes, the
35-44 ppb level of TCE is reduced to 10 ppb as a result of blending the water
with the City's other well waters which contain no detectable TCE and with
Santa Monica Well No. 2 which contains 2 ppb of TCE. The level of TCE is
then further reduced to Z ppb as a result of the several stages of aeration
the water passes through before it arrives at the Arcadia reservoir located
near Wilshire and Bundy. By the time water reaches the 250 foot pressure
zone from the reservoir, it contains only 1 ppb of TCE. This level was
verified by tests taken immediately prior to shutdown of Odell No. 3. Analysis
clearly shows the level of TCE is reduced to levels well below the action.
level of 5 ppb.
To: Mayor and City Council -8- April 1, 1980
D. Recognition of Trihalomethanes (THM)
Since the widespread recognition of TCE in the two Santa Monica Wells by the
general public, MWD officials have discovered small amounts of trihalomethanes
(THM) in their water. These common compounds, including chloroform which is
the only compound in this group identified as a carcinogen, form in the water
supplies when chlorine is added in the treatment process. The organic
compounds result from the interaction of natural organics found in water,
such as the decomposition of grass and weeds with chlorine-based disinfectants.
The more protracted the contact time between these agents, the higher the
THM level in the water. MWD water imported from Northern California is
particularly subject to collecting natural organics due to its passage through
the Delta area of the Sacramento River. The maximum contaminant level of THM
allowable in water at this time (as set forth by the EPA) is 100 ppb. This
standard may be reduced by EPA from 100 ppb as more is discovered about the
effects of THM on life. The EPA has recommended to water producers that if
they plan to build plants to reduce THM they should plan to reduce it to
a level of 15 ppb.
Monitoring systems must be in effect for both MWD and Santa Monica's water
systems by November 29, 1980. The system must meet the maximum contaminant
level by November 29, 1981.
Santa Monica must wait until MWD has finalized its plans to reduce THM before
we can plan our own systems. The reduction of THM is a regional problem which
undoubtedly will be handled by MWD. The solution to this regional problem
To: Mayor and City Council -9-
April 1, 1980
could 6e quite some time in coming and will obviously face various unavoid-
able delays.
The conclusion of this aspect of the water supply situation as it applies to
Santa Monica (and other cities which use both imported MWD water and pumped
local water) is that if locally produced water is curtailed because of TCE
or other reasons, it necessitates the use of additional amounts of imported
water. This results in introducing additional amounts of THM into the system.
In the present case, the amount of imported water is increased from approxi-
mately 55% to approximately 67% by not using Well No. 3. With Well No. 3 in
use, the expected THM levels would be approximately 22% less.
Alternatives
1. Granulated Activated Carbon Filtration
This alternative would require building a new treatment plant to provide
a granulated activated carbon system to supplement the existing sand and
resin filtration system. The major drawbacks to this system are the
multi-million dollar expense to build a filtration plant, the cost of
purchasing carbon, and the cost and large amounts of energy used to
reactivate the carbon which must be done at 700 degrees F. The technology
of the design and operation of such plants is far from being perfected.
So far as we have been able to determine, no such. plant exists for drinking
water in the western United States.
2. Monitor Industries Using TCE
This would involve using a staff member or an outside chemist to monitor
the local industries' use or disposal of TCE so the same problem does not
arise. in the future. Cost: $5,000/year assuming 100 locations.
To: Mayor and City Council -10-
3. Discovery of the Contamination Source
April 1, 1980
The City can hire consulting engineers to take borings of the soil
(with property owners' approval) to determine the depth and extent of
the suspected chemical contamination. It is possible tests will indi-
cate that the dump site can be excavated and cleaned up or sealed to
prevent further contamination of the aquifer. The cost of this work
is estimated to be $50,000. (The staff has a proposal to do the soil
boring for $41,000 and the testing should be approximately $9,000).
4. Re-Open the 6Je11 and Monitor Pumping
The City could re-open Santa Monica Well No. 3 and perform the monitoring
tests required by the State. If monitoring indicates the need, more
aeration could be added to the treatment procedure. This alternative
would be the least costly to the City, could be effective immediately,
and is accepted by both the EPA and the State Health Department. The
cost would be $5,720 for the first year and $2,100 for each year there-
after for monitoring the TCE in locally produced water.
5. Seal the We11/Purchase Metropolitan Water District (MWD) Water
The City can continue its present policy of closing Santa Monica Well
No. 3. The result is an expense of $400 a day through the purchase of
additional imported MWD water to replace water lost from sealing Well
No. 3. The major drawback to this alternative is that the City has
no control over the MWD water it receives and must rely on the MWD to
monitor the water and report results in a timely fashion. In addition,
To: Mayor and City Council -11- April 1, 1980
THM is present in MIJD water as discussed above. The cost to purchase
the additional MWD water will be approximately $146,000 a year.
6
Drill a New Well and Close Well No. 3 Permanently
The City recently received bids for drilling three new wells. The bids
are based on unit costs per foot of depth. Anew well complete with
equipment and connections to the transmission pipeline will cost from
$180,000 to $250,000, depending on the location of the new well.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt Alternatives 2, 3, and 4, and
Staff be directed to call for pnaposals to accomplish Alternative No. 3.
Further, the City Attorney be directed to determine if the costs associated
with Alternative No. 3 can be recovered from the property owner of the land
from which the contamination came and/or the person or firm which dumped or
caused the contaminant to be dumped.
It is further recommended that the Council appropriate $5,000 from Water
Funds for professional services and authorize Ecological Systems, Inc.,
Santa Monica, to do certain work to accomplish Alternative No. 2.
Prepared by: Stan Scholl
Marsha Hafkemeyer
Ed Lash
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Attachment: Letter from State Health Dept.
>TATf. OF CALIFORNIA-HEALTH AND WELFARE AGENCY EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor
eDEPARTMEiVT OP HEALTH SERVICES - Sanitary Engineering Section
1449 WEST TEMPLE STREET, Room 202 .' '~
P.O. BOX 30327 TERMINAL ANNEX - r'
LOS ANGELES, CA 90030
Telephone: (213) 620-2980
March 5, 1980
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, California 80401
Attention: Mr. E. K. Lash
Enterprises Manager
Re: System No. 19-146
Report on Trichloroethylene
Gentlemen:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your "Report on Trichloroethylene"
which was prepared in conjunction with your request to operate
Santa Monica Well No. 3 which was shown to produce a water with a
trichloroethylene (`.PCE) concentration greater than the suggested
adverse response level (SNARL) of 5 ppb. We have revierored this
report and have concluded from it that water from Santa Monica
We11 No. 3 will be blended with other well waters in your system
which have a low or nil concentration of TCE, that the water will
be aerated at your treatment plant to further reduce the TCE
concentration and that the concentration of ^1CE in tine water delivered
to your consumers will be well below 5 ppb.
In order to facilitate the operations of your treatment plant we suggest
that the monitoring program on Page 9 of the report be modified. As
presently proposed, Santa Monica Wells Nos. 2 and 3 and the Arcadia
Reservoir- effluent will be sampled twice monthly for the first 3
months. of operation, once monthly for the second three months and
quarterly thereafter. To ascertain if the TCE concentration varies
greatly in the two wells they should be sampled daily for the first
two weeks of operation and weekly for the following two weeks. Your
proposed monitoring schedule should then be followed. The reservoir
effluent should be sampled daily for the first week of operation of
Santa Monica Well No. 3 and weekly for the subsequent three weeks.
Thereafter, your proposed monitoring program should be followed.
~2-
It appears that with your blending and aeration scheme you will be
able to meet the SNARL of 5 ppb while Santa Monica 47e11 No. 3 is
in operation. We have no objection to your returning Santa Monica
We11 No. 3 to service provided that your monitoring program is revised
to ::omply caith the modifications stipulated in this letter. Should
any of your effluent monitoring results exceed 5 ppb or should there
be any appreciable uporard change in the results of your well sampling,
you shall immediately notify this office.
S ncerely,
Wi1`l~i`~am~^ . MacPherson
District anitary Engineer
cc: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services