CITATION ORDERED IN WATER MISHAP; AGENCY VIOLATED HEALTH REGULATIONS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

The Castaic Lake Water Agency will be cited for violating state health regulations after a leaking tank of concentrated hydrogen peroxide was dumped into wastewater, then recirculated into the city's drinking water supply.

The agency, which manages state water distributed in the Santa Clarita Valley, stands accused of failing to provide potable water after the Oct. 8 incident and of waiting a week to report the mishap to the state Department of Health Services.

No fine will be levied, but the state will order a third-party review of the incident and require the agency to monitor levels of hydrogen peroxide in its water, Vera Melnyk-Vecchio of the department's drinking water field operations branch said Wednesday.

The citation has been prepared and is being reviewed by Health Department supervisors and lawyers, Melnyk-Vecchio said. It likely will be issued next month, she said.

Agency General Manager Robert Sagehorn was out of town Wednesday and unavailable for comment. Steve McLean, the agency's operations engineer and second in command, declined comment on the pending citation until it is issued.

The Health Department allowed the agency to reopen its Rio Vista water treatment plant Tuesday, two months after it was shut down following complaints of foul-smelling, odd-tasting water, Melnyk-Vecchio said.

On Oct. 8, workers at the Saugus water plant discovered the leaking tank of hydrogen peroxide - a 50 percent solution compared to the 2 percent drugstore variety. The leak was mopped up by crews dressed in protective garb, and the remainder of the chemical was dumped into a wastewater vat so the tank could be repaired.

Assuming the chemical had dissipated, Steve McLean, the agency's operations engineer, ordered the wastewater returned to the distribution system - normal practice after contaminants separate in a settling pond, agency officials said at the time.

But a week later, the Valencia and Santa Clarita water companies, which receive Castaic water, received complaints from customers. Company officials notified the agency, which notified the state of the mishap Oct. 15, records show. The next day the state asked for an incident report, which came 11 days later.

Since that time, the water agency board formed a special subcommittee to investigate the incident. An independent auditor, Boyle Engineering of Fresno, was hired to review Castaic's internal procedures. That move will satisfy the Health Department's demand for a third-party review, Melnyk-Vecchio said.

Melnyk-Vecchio said it was unknown whether the hydrogen peroxide posed a health hazard because the amount of chemical in the water was not monitored. What department officials do know, she said, is that the concentration exceeded National Science Foundation recommendations. It also reacted with debris in the settling ponds, stirring up sediment in the water, she said.

One possible hazard might have been that the clean water could have been depurified because hydrogen peroxide can nullify chlorine added in the water treatment process if it is not mixed with ozone, Melnyk-Vecchio said.

Hydrogen peroxide is used by Castaic on rare occasions when algae in the Castaic Lake reservoir creates a musty smell and odor, agency officials said. The agency had not been required to monitor its use, McLean said.

CHRONOLOGY

The following is a chronology of events following a hydrogen peroxide leak at the Castaic Lake Water Agency's Rio Vista treatment plant in Saugus:

Oct. 8 - Work crews notice the chemical leaking from a storage tank.

Oct. 9 - The leak is cleaned up; the contents of the tank are dumped into a wastewater basin.

Oct. 12 - The wastewater is dumped into water to be treated for distribution.

Oct. 14 - A handful of residents complains about water quality.

Oct. 15 - The Castaic Lake Water Agency voluntarily closes Rio Vista and notifies the state Department of Health Services.

Oct. 16 - The Health Department demands a formal incident report.

Oct. 23 - The report is received.

Oct. 28 - In confidential memo, Operations Manager Steve McLean urges his management team to find out who has leaked news to the press.

Nov. 3 - At the suggestion of some team members, McLean backs down.

Nov. 16 - The agency board appoints a special committee to investigate.

Nov. 20 - The committee agrees to hire an outside auditor to investigate agency operations.

Dec. 15 - Health officials allow partial reopening of Rio Vista.

Dec. 16 - The Health Department confirms a citation will be issued for failure to report the incident and for piping substandard water to customers.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO (Color in SAC Edition only) Water flows through the Rio Vista treatment plant Wednesday after the Saugus facility was placed back in operation. The site was shut down two months ago.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News

BOX: (Ran in SAC Edition only) CHRONOLOGY (See text)