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NOTICE: Under the City Council’s Zero Tolerance Policy, the City will not blend any detectable levels of perchlorate into its water system and your water is safe. To learn more about the City Council’s Zero Tolerance Policy, click here. |
Perchlorate Information
The City will continue to provide the citizens of Rialto with clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. It will also pursue parties that are responsible for the perchlorate pollution to pay for the clean up of the Rialto-Colton Groundwater Basin. It will repay Rialto’s ratepayers for the costs incurred in forcing the polluters to clean it up.
Henry Garcia, City Administrator
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Judge dismissed perhclorate actions at request of Colton, Rialto, San Bernardino County governments
• June 18, 2008To read the article, please click here.
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San Bernardino County Sun "NEW"
• August 2, 2007For more information, please read the following articles: $18 Million Down the Drain? (7/9/07) , Request for Three Corrections to 7/9/07 article, Rialto banking on wrong strategy (Article, 7/16/07) , It's time for Rialto to call the EPA (Article, 7/16/07) , City of Rialto demonstrates backbone (Op Ed, 7/26/07), Stand up to polluters (Op Ed, 7/26/07) , No end in sight (Op Ed, 7/27/07) , Rialto takes perchlorate stand (Article, 7/28/07), Why Rialto stands up for citizen's health (Op Ed, 7/29/07)
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GOOD NEWS FOR RIALTO-RECENT U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING IN UNITED STATES V. ATLANTIC RESEARCH CORP.
• July 18, 2007In 2005, the federal district court judge that formerly oversaw Rialto's lawsuit against approximately 40 suspected polluters ruled that if Rialto was proven to be even slightly responsible for any contamination in the Rialto-Colton Basin, it would be unable to recover any of the costs it incurred from the suspected polluters. Rialto appealed the district court's ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case was stayed pending the outcome of the United States Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Atlantic Research Corp.
On June 11, 2007, the United States Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Atlantic Research Corp. that a responsible party that voluntarily cleans up a contaminated site may seek contribution for its costs from other responsible parties under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), even if it has not already been sued by the EPA or another polluter.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Atlantic Research Corp. fully supports Rialto’s position. Rialto will take appropriate steps to seek to reverse the district court's ruling and reinstate Rialto's claims for contribution against the polluters. Although Rialto believes it will ultimately be found not responsible for any of the perchlorate or TCE contaminating the Rialto-Colton Basin, in light of Atlantic Research Corp., even if it is found responsible for a small percentage of the contamination, it will still be able to recover a proportionate share of its clean up costs from the polluters.
You can download the decision of the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Atlantic Research Corps. here.
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Update on SWRCB Hearing on Goodrich/Black & Decker Site "NEW"
• July 18, 2007Rebuttal Briefs and Policy Statement Letters have been submitted to the SWRCB and have been posted and be found along with Opening Briefs and SWRCB Notices at http://www.rialtoca.gov/perchlorate/water_2834.php If you want to learn more about the SWRCB hearing you can visit the SWRCB website at www.swrcb.ca.gov/wqpetitions/a1824rialto.html or you can visit the RWQCB website at www.waterboards.ca.gov/santaana/html/perchlorate.html
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Draft Community Involvement Plan
• May 9, 2007Rialto's Draft Community Involvement Plan ("CIP") to address Perchlorate Contamination in the City of Rialto's Drinking Water Supply is still available for your comments. You may obtain a copy of the CIP at the City Clerk's Office at 290 W. Rialto Ave., Rialto, CA 92376. Or you may download the CIP here. All written comments on the Draft CIP should be sent to: Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk (Rialto's Community Involvement Coordinator), City of Rialto, 290 W. Rialto Avenue, Rialto, CA 92376. For additional information, please contact Ms. McGee at (909) 820-2519.
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Study Shows Perchlorate Levels of 24.5 PPB should be re-evaluated. "NEW"
• March 26, 2007On December 11, 2006 the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences issued its report titled “The Evaluation of the U.S. EPA’s Preliminary Remediation Goal for Perchlorate in Groundwater: Focus on Exposure to Nursing Infants.” The report concludes that the unborn child may be particularly vulnerable to perchlorate toxicity and that the U.S. EPA Preliminary Remediation Goal of 24.5 ppb should be evaluated in light of these exposures. You can find the report here.
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State urged to adopt tougher perchlorate standard in water
• October 30, 2006For more information read LA Times Article. To read the City of Rialto’s comments on the Department of Health Services’ proposed limits for perchlorate in drinking water supplies click here.
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Centers for Disease Control Study Shows Perchlorate more dangerous for women than at first thought.
• October 5, 2006For more information read the LA Times article, the Sacramento Bee story, or download the full report.