Baristo Neighborhood Organization

Howdy folks.  My name is Tom, & I'm from Muscatine, Iowa, it's on the border of Illinois, where the Mississippi River runs East and West.  I worked at the Muscatine Water Pollution Control Plant (Wastewater Plant), for 30 years, retiring in 06.  Our sewer system is well over 100 years old, and is a "combined" sewer system (wastewater AND stormwater).  Because of the age of the sewer systems, during "dry" weather, we treat approximately 5 million gallons of water a day.  During a rain event, the total can easily be upward toward 20 million a day.  I don't know how it is in your area, but, our "stormwater" will someday, be diverted from the treatment plant, and go directly into the Mississippi River.  Since the river is just a much slower version of the treatment plant, and, the Mississippi River flows at something like X billion gallons a minute past Muscatine, stormwater would have no effect on the water quality of the river.  In a lot of Communities, the idea is to build a giganic holding pond to store the rainwater and then as (I believe) was discussed before, treat it, and then put it back into your system, whether that system is used for irrigation, or it is further processed to be used for drinking water.  Since I am not familiar with your location in California, I don't have a clue as to what your needs are.  I DO know (in our case), that when you have 4 times the "normal" flow, equipment wears out more quickly, and wastewater doesn't get treated to the standard that it should be and is, at 5 million gallons per day (mgd).  I wish you folks luck, and, if you're wondering on how to vote on your proposition, call an "Operator" at one of your treatment plants some evening (when the front office has left), maybe they'll tell you the good and/or bad about the prop.  That way, you can make an educated decision on how to vote.  Again, best of luck to you.  If you would like further conversation, I can be emailed at:  roh2o@machlink.com     Feel free to contact me anytime.  Thanks for letting me join your forum.  Tom.

Mervin Evans for Mayor
PO BOX 71351  Los Angeles,  CA  90071     323 877 4093

Press  Release

Evans Calls  Sewage Water to Tap Water  “Un-Wise Public Policy

Los Angeles,  CA  )  Mervin Evans the First Black Candidate in the Race for Mayor has asked the Mayor to reconsider the use of Sewage  Water.

Letter  to Mayor

Mayor  Antonio  Villaraigosa

Sir

Any use of   Sewage Water to be treated at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys and then pumped to spreading fields near Hansen Dam, where, over five years, it would filter through sandy soil and gravel into underground reservoirs,  other than industrial applications is an un-wise public policy !

Asking the Black Community to accept anything other than First Use water sources is an insult.  Conservation,  better resource management are a must.

The California Water Board and California health officials have not established safe standards  for Sewage Water-Re-Use.  Contaminants in the sewage water supply  include pharmaceuticals, antibiotics and an array of what are called endocrine disrupters, which have been found to affect development in fish.  People put Cat Litter, trash, many chemical products that are not testable or traceable in the sewer system.

Why put the Black Community at a un-known major health risk.  You are running a major risk of  harming the current Ground Water supply system this city depends on.  Your current course of action is  an un-wise public policy with un-known risk factors that you can not correct or repair.

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This is not a race issue, this is an environmental issue.