Photo Information

Richard Gallegos (Left) , utilities supervisor poses for a photo with utilities systems repairers and operators, Thomas Maes, Donato Powell, and Paul Borruel, aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., July 10.

Photo by Laurie Pearson

Drinking water exceeds standards

11 Jul 2019 | Laurie Pearson Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

With various contaminations to water supplies in the High Desert over the last several years, the water aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. exceeds standards and continues to be safe for consumption.

   “We work hard to stay proactive, testing for things before it is even mandated, and testing more stringently than is required,” said James Fejeran, Compliance Branch chief. “If we see something coming down the pipeline that will require testing in the future, our Water Program team starts the testing process ahead of time and ensures that, by the time it is regulated, we are already on board and ahead of things.”

   One example of these proactive efforts is with regard to Perfluorooctanoic acid and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. These PFOA and PFOS compounds are man-made chemicals commonly used in things such as flame resistant fabrics, older non-stick coatings in cookware, and even fire retardants.

   “Of course, people didn’t realize, as they were developing these chemical compounds, the detrimental effects they might have on the environment, or on people exposed to the chemicals,” said Mark Ulibarri, plant and facilities manager.
   Ulibarri is also the former Water Program manager with Environmental Division, and currently acts as a consultant with the program, with 22 years of experience in working with various aspects of water for the base.

   “We got word that the state was going to start mandating testing for PFOA and PFOS compounds, so we started conducting the testing right away, rather than waiting for the mandates to be sent down to us,” Ulibarri said. “Even things like lead and copper receive stringent and diligent attention.”

   “State may require that we test for certain compounds every three years, but once we get word that we need to test for it, the program coordinators test ahead of schedule, then test monthly for a while, then annually once they’ve reached a consistent threshold,” Ulibarri said. “Then, even though it is only required every three years, they continue to test annually, just to be safe.”

   Another example of some proactive work is in regard to lead testing for the base water systems. The Environmental Division got word that there would be additional testing of water systems to see if the service lines, running from the mains to the actual buildings, were still made of lead.

   “We get ahead of the process and had a contractor come out,” Ulibarri said. “They identified 188 service lines on base, and found that none of those lines contain lead.”

   In 2010, their proactive efforts also helped to identify contamination of Perchlorate in the water, not just for the base, but for the Barstow population as a whole.

   “We were engaged in normal testing procedures when we got a positive test for Perchlorate,” Ulibarri said.

   Perchlorate is commonly used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants, munitions, fireworks, airbag initiators for vehicles, matches, and signal flares. It is naturally occurring in some fertilizers.

   “It turns out that there was a man on Soapmine Road here in Barstow who used to develop fireworks,” Ulibarri said. “Perchlorate is used in the process of making those fireworks, and he had barrels full of the stuff just sitting around the property. After he passed away, the barrels remained on the property, and over time, they deteriorated, leaking Perchlorate into the water table.”

   Once they alerted authorities about the Perchlorate readings, an investigation was conducted and clean-up began. For the next several months, Golden State Water Company and the City of Barstow provided bottled water to the base.

   “There is a regulation in place so that, if the water testing ever indicates that the water is unsafe, then we can provide bottled water to base occupants,” Ulibarri explained. “Once the water passes the stringent testing, however, that option goes away and people can either use the base water or provide their own bottled water if they prefer the taste.”

   Taste is a deceptive indicator of water pollutants and contamination, however. Just because water from a tap may taste funky, does not mean that it is contaminated. Likewise, water that tastes and looks fine may not be okay to consume.

   “Some contaminants, like Giardia, can’t be seen with the naked eye,” said Evette Sisneros, Utility Program supervisor and acting Water Program manager. “Much of what people smell and don’t like about tap water is stuff like chlorine, or certain minerals. However, that tap water, sourced from the local water company, meets higher standards than most bottled waters that people tend to prefer.”

   The water on base is sourced from the local water company, just like residents and businesses in the city of Barstow and surrounding areas. The employees working within the Water Program for the base take pride in ensuring water safety for people on base, but also in the local community.

   “If we hadn’t caught the Perchlorate contamination when we did, who knows when it would have been caught and what kind of damage it might have caused,” Ulibarri said. “We took the initiative and then took action to protect people from that contamination.”

   There are five systems in place on base.

   “There is the NEBO drinking water system, the NEBO domestic wastewater plant, the Yermo drinking water system and Yermo domestic wastewater plant, and then the Yermo industrial wastewater treatment and recycling facility,” Sisneros said. “The IWTRF facility is strictly for Marine Depot Maintenance Command. It recycles the water from Production Plant Barstow, and recycles it out to the test track’s test pond.”

   “That test pond holds 10 million gallons of water,” Ulibarri pointed out. “They conduct splashdown tests on amphibious equipment in the pond, after rebuilding the equipment, to ensure that the equipment meets specifications for use in water. They also have the future capability to use the recycled water in their steam racks, too.”

   People raise concerns, on occasion about incidents such as the Chromium 6 contamination which was revealed in Hinkley in the 1990s, and related in the movie, “Erin Brockovich.”

   “During the 1950s and 60s, Pacific Gas and Electric used Hexavalent Chromium, or Chromium 6, to fight corrosion in cooling tower water,” Ulibarri explained. “The wastewater from the cooling towers was dumped into unlined ponds at the site. Some of the wastewater went down into the groundwater, resulting in pollution.”

   Contamination plumes reach downward much as a plume of smoke might reach upward and expand. However, once detected, clean-up processes begin, and the entities stop contributing to it, allowing for the water to reach healthy levels once again.

   “Part of the problem for the town of Hinkley was that most people were on well systems,” Ulibarri said. “People often think that water coming straight out of the ground is safer and healthier because it’s coming through all that rock and gravel to filter it out. Sometimes that is the case, but in the case of  contamination, such as Chromium 6, in Hinkley, it also means the water wasn’t being tested properly, so no one realized they were being exposed to the toxic chemicals.”

   Today the base Water Program not only meets, but exceeds standards set by regulatory agencies to include federal, state, and local authorities.

   “We ensure that we anticipate new things we need to test for, we test more strictly and more often than required in order to ensure that the water we are consuming here is safe for base employees and families here at MCLB Barstow,” Ulibarri said.

   “He believes in this process so much that he only drinks water out of the taps and fountains here on base,” Fejeran said. “Mark carries an empty cup with him wherever he goes, and if he goes into a building, he will fill it up at the water fountain and drink it.”

   “I stand by my product!” said Ulibarri. “I know that the testing we have in place ensures safe water for us to consume. I prove that every day by living by what I provide with regard to the water. People might not like the flavor, but that’s easily fixed with a simple filter. The water is safe.”


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