BERMITE CLEANUP NEARS WATER AGENCY WILL SHARE COST WITH U.S. ARMY CORPS.

Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The Castaic Lake Water Agency will spend $4.8 million to help develop a plan to clean up the pollution that is contaminating the Saugus Aquifer.

The agency's board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to enter into a cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to map the plume of the perchlorate in the area's groundwater, securing federal money allocated for the cleanup.

CLWA will use cash from its reserve fund to pay its portion of the $9.6 million study but hopes Remediation Financial Inc., the owner of the Bermite munitions factory property, will pay for nearly $3 million of the agency's share. However, if RFI backs out, the CLWA will be responsible for the entire amount.

``It's unfortunate we have to solve the problem, and we hope to recover our expenses,'' said Peter Kavounas, CLWA board vice president. ``We want (RFI) to participate with us on that money. We're cleaning up someone else's mess. It would be great if they would pitch in.''

RFI hasn't signed the agreement but is working with the water agency and the Army Corps. The company, planning a housing development there, has said it's out of cash and unable to continue work on the site unless the city allows it to begin building homes as sections of the 1,000-acre property are cleaned.

Gary Brown, director of development at RFI, said the company hopes to work with the agency.

Before a cleanup can begin, officials must determine how far the pollution has spread underneath the Bermite site in the heart of Santa Clarita.

To do that, monitoring wells will be drilled throughout the property. Two are expected to be in place by the end of September and the remainder by the end of the year. Study of the contamination will be completed by the end of 2003.

In 1997, perchlorate, a byproduct of rocket fuel that has been linked to thyroid disease, was discovered in four municipal wells - two of which CLWA acquired with its purchase of the Santa Clarita Water Co.

State officials said more than 275 chemicals were used at the munitions factory over five decades, and about 40 have been found in the property's soil and groundwater.

The initial phase of the cleanup, which will be done by the Corps of Engineers is estimated to cost $4.6 million. The total cost for the project is unknown, but it could be as high as $35 million.

``We're looking at the Castaic Lake Water Agency as an agency for the overall water supply for the valley,'' Kavounas said. ``The groundwater is a vital element in the supply. If the groundwater suffers, we all do.''

Instead of giving the Army Corps cash, CLWA will pay its consultants to work on the study, Kavounas said. So far, the agency has spent $500,000 on consultant work that is not included in the cost-sharing agreement.

U.S. Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, representatives said that money will also be repaid.

McKeon is seeking $17.5 million in federal funding to clean up the perchlorate, since the Department of Defense was the agency that used the site before it was purchased by Whittaker-Bermite. So far, McKeon has gained appropriations on $10.5 million.

``He's been the most aggressive out of anyone in the valley on moving forward in the cleanup,'' said Scott Wilk, a McKeon spokesman.

``He is pleased with the unanimous vote to move forward.''

The agency hopes to recover the costs of the study through litigation, officials said. CLWA has filed suit against Whittaker-Bermite and RFI to clean up the groundwater.

``We are going after every money of our taxpayers,'' Kavounas said. ``We want to address and deal with it and put it behind us.''