Study Finds Unreported Contamination

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Ugh!

Study finds unreported contamination
More than 90% of raw sewage spills in L.A. County since 2002 were neither officially recorded nor cleaned up, report says.
By Tony Barboza, Times Staff Writer
January 25, 2007


Los Angeles County public health officials failed to document more than 90% of raw sewage spills that have occurred since 2002, largely because city, county and state agencies did not report them, according to a study released Wednesday.

Most of the 208 potentially health-threatening sewage spills between January 2002 and July 2006 were neither officially recorded nor cleaned up, according to the 24-page report by the Los Angeles County auditor-controller.

The results point to a long-standing failure in communication among local wastewater managers, county public health officials and regional water quality officials, who are responsible for monitoring and reacting to water quality problems.

An earlier investigation, in response to a sewage spill in 2001, concluded that the county's notification policies were adequate and clearly defined. County officials are now questioning that finding.

"That no evidence exists as to whatever happened to 9.7 million gallons of raw sewage over a 55-month period is abhorrent," county Supervisor Don Knabe said in a news release. "That's the equivalent of nearly 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools and no one has any idea of what happened to the raw sewage."

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