L.A. FARES ONLY 'FAIR' IN WATER-QUALITY STUDY.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Los Angeles' drinking water is fairly safe, although there are spot contamination problems that need to be addressed, according to a report being released today by an environmental watchdog group.

The report by the Natural Resources Defense Council gave the water provided by the city's Department of Water and Power a rating of ``fair,'' while also calling attention to a billion-dollar backlog of water treatment and delivery system improvements throughout California.

In particular, researchers cited high levels of rocket-fuel chemicals, radioactive gas and nitrates in San Fernando Valley groundwater wells, as well as contamination concerns with the Colorado River, open reservoirs and other sources of surface water.

``We're not telling people to panic,'' said Erik Olson, author of the report. ``Most people aren't aware of the degree to which there are problems with the water quality.

``Like a lot of problems that are out of sight and out of mind, if we don't make investments now, the problems will get out of control.''

City officials said the water is safe and Los Angeles residents shouldn't worry.

The report is being issued a week before voters will be asked to approve a $3.44 billion statewide bond issue to improve water quality.

Among the findings in Los Angeles:

--There are elevated levels of byproducts from chlorine, which is used to disinfect surface water and can create chemicals that are believed to increase the risk of cancer.

--Radon - a cancer-causing radioactive gas - was detected in groundwater. Wells in the San Fernando Valley have posted radon levels at 250 picocuries per liter, just under the proposed national maximum level of 300 pCi/L. That level posed a cancer risk of nearly one in 5,000 people.

--In some areas, including wells in the Valley, the water system showed levels of perchlorate much higher than the proposed national safe level. Perchlorate is an unregulated chemical in rocket fuel that can damage the nerve system and the thyroid gland.

--Limits for nitrates, a product of human and animal waste and fertilizer, were exceeded in some Valley wells, which could be fatal to babies who drink a lot of the nitrates.

But Jerry Gewe, Department of Water and Power assistant general manager for water, said Angelenos shouldn't worry about the quality of the water coming out of their faucets.

``Customers don't drink water from an individual well in a system as complex as ours,'' Gewe said. ``By mixing water, what comes out of the tap is well within the standards.''

The city - which gets its water from the Colorado River, the State Water Project and local groundwater supplies - is also addressing most of the contamination problems listed in the report, he said.

For instance, the DWP is spending $500,000 to deal with the chlorine byproducts. The utility also plans to close or cap open reservoirs to limit contamination.

Similarly, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a water wholesaler that supplies DWP and agencies serving most Ventura County residents, is opening more ozone treatment plants to further filter out contaminants, spokesman Adan Ortega said.

The report praises the DWP for mailing customers easy-to-read, informative water-quality updates, including a special warning to people with weak immune systems who are especially susceptible to elevated levels of contaminants.

Most people don't necessarily need to buy bottled water or filters, Olson said. Pregnant women are often warned to talk with their doctors before drinking tap water, and parents might be cautioned about letting infants drink it.

The California report is part of a nationwide look at water quality and the estimated $500 billion needed to upgrade water-treatment and delivery systems.

Results - rating water quality ``fair'' in Los Angeles and San Diego and ``poor'' in San Francisco and Fresno - are being released in advance of Election Day on Tuesday, when California voters will be asked to approve Proposition 50, a $3.44 billion bond issue to fund specific water-quality and wetlands projects.

The Natural Resources Defense Council will release a nationwide report soon, but published the California results early to call attention to what it says are flaws in the state's water infrastructure.

``People will have a chance to sort of make a down payment on these very troubling problems that are developing,'' Olson said. ``You've got to fix the tap water, make it taste good and make it safe, so people don't have to feel they have to buy bottled water or filters.''

The bond proposal includes $20 million to clean up the Colorado River, $20 million to protect the Los Angeles River watershed and $100 million statewide for desalination and chemical treatment plants.