BERMITE SETTLEMENT IMMINENT?Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Four local water agencies will meet today to consider settling a lawsuit that seeks to force the cleanup of the defunct Bermite munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. factory, sources said Tuesday. The suit, filed by the Castaic Lake Water Agency and three water retailers, sought to force Whittaker Corp., the former owner of the shuttered factory, to rid the area's groundwater of pollution that has shut down five drinking-water wells. ``I suspect that the purpose of the special meeting is to discuss a settlement,'' said Newhall County Water District Director Lynne Plambeck. Other officials involved in the case said a settlement is near. Along with the CLWA CLWA Chip-Level Weibull Analysis CLWA Children living with AIDS (Lancaster, OH) and the Newhall district, the Valencia Water Co. and the Santa Clarita Water Co. filed suit against Simi Valley-based Whittaker Corp. in 2000. Neither Eric Lardiere, general counsel for Whittaker, nor Mary Lou Cotton, assistant to CLWA General Manager Dan Masnada, would comment on any proposed settlement or discuss the details of the settlement negotiations, which started in March. Plambeck said she was dismayed that a confidentiality agreement has kept the details of the settlement talks from being discussed with directors of the Newhall district. Negotiations were primarily conducted by Masnada and Ken Peterson, general manager of the Newhall district. Resolution of the lawsuit could spur the cleanup of the rocket-fuel byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. that is believed to be spreading through Santa Clarita's underground aquifers. The water agencies are eager to put the closed wells back in service through a wellhead well·head n. 1. The source of a well or stream. 2. A principal source; a fountainhead. 3. The structure built over a well. wellhead Noun 1. treatment system that will remove perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. from the water, perhaps through an ion exchange ion exchange n. A reversible chemical reaction occurring between an insoluble solid and a solution during which ions may be interchanged, used in the separation of radioactive isotopes. system. Perchlorate is a chemical that can damage the thyroid gland and is risky for pregnant women, whose fetuses can be affected. Failure to settle the lawsuit could scuttle North Carolina-based Cherokee Investment Partners' plan to purchase the property, officials said. Officials at Cherokee, the nation's largest remediation firm, have expressed interest in developing the site with a mix of homes, businesses and industry. But they say they are unwilling to take on the burden of lawsuits in addition to the risk of the cleanup and development of the property itself. The Santa Clarita City Council believes that the city's best chance of stemming the pollution of the Saugus Aquifer hinges on a quick sale of the site to a company such as Cherokee with the resources and motivation to clean and develop the site. Whittaker and other companies built and tested weapons for the U.S. military for decades on the hilly property, leaving it contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with dozens of poisonous chemicals and unexploded ordnance waste. The munitions factory was shut down in 1987. Heather MacDonald, (661) 257-5257 heather.macdonald(at)dailynews.com |
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