San Fernando Valley contained an area of contaminated groundwater that
spanned approximately 6,680 acres near the California cities of Los Angeles and
Glendale. It is part of the San Fernando Valley groundwater basin, an aquifer that
had provided drinking water to more than 800,000 people before it was discovered
to be contaminated. In 1980, concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including tricholoroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), were found to be above federal maximum contaminant levels as well as state action levels in several of the production wells. To address the public health threat, Glendale and Los Angeles faced the choice of either shutting down their wells and providing alternate sources of drinking water, or blending contaminated well water with water from clean sources.
Working closely with the potentially responsible party (PRP) group, the city of Glendale, state and federal regulators, and other key stakeholders, CDM designed and delivered a unique groundwater treatment and reuse system that not only remediates the affected aquifer, but provides safe and reliable drinking water for the area’s residents and businesses. In addition, the constructed system saved $10 million over the original U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate.
The Glendale treatment system represents the first step in restoring the quality of the contaminated groundwater at this site in the San Fernando Valley. By reusing the water for drinking water, this project also provides multiple benefits to the community:
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Restoration of the local water supply
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Reduced reliance on imported water, with associated cost savings
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Control of the migration of groundwater contamination
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Mass removals of contaminants from the groundwater, leading to eventual cleaning of the groundwater basin.
CDM served as consultant, engineer, and contractor, and operator for this $19 million project.