Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Times I Civic Publications, Inc. I 33
32 I Community Profiles 2024
Massive Cleanup Requires Teamwork San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority Demonstrates Cooperative Success
solvents and other contaminants. More than 30 years later, the water treatment continues with 32 active facilities as well as remediation of emerging contaminants such as forever chemicals known as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In 2022, the State Legislature extended the life of WQA to July 1, 2050. from migrating into the Central Basin, a primary drinking water source to approximately 1.6M residents. It’s crucial that we have an agency that coordinates the whole cleanup effort,” said State Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio (48th District), who authored the bill (AB 2163) extending the sunset date. “This work allows local water producers to provide safe and reliable water to our community.” See WQA Pg 34 “We are the stopgap preventing contamination
By Elizabeth Smilor Special Sections Writer
ollaborative leadership, along with innovative engineering, has resulted in the treatment of more than 2 million acre-feet of water in the San Gabriel Groundwater Basin. This cleanup is coordinated by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority (WQA), which was established by the California Legislature in 1993 after the U.S. EPA designated several Superfund sites in the Basin. “Without the WQA, this cleanup wouldn’t have come this far,” said retiring Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, whose 31st District covers much of the San Gabriel Valley from Monrovia to La Verne to La Puente. “They’ve helped tremendously in remediating the San Gabriel Basin that provides 90 percent of water to 1.4 million people, of which more than 400,000 are in disadvantaged communities. Clean water is important for them.” The WQA was created to address what was thought to be a short-term cleanup of groundwater contaminated by the improper disposal of industrial
“Both the changing climate and the emergence of new groundwater
“I knew she was a fighter for her constituents, but it wasn’t until I went to Congress and joined her that I really got to see what a fighter she is. Thank goodness she’s the lead on water because together we were able to secure $20 million in the last two years to help with that cleanup effort -- Thanks to Grace.” U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu
contaminants illustrate the continued need for the WQA for a resilient and sustainable future.”
Randy Schoellerman Executive Director, WQA
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