WATER QUALITY ENGINEER RETIRES.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff WriterVICTORVILLE - Hisam Baqai, who headed the state office overseeing water quality in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , is retiring after a 32-year career. Baqai, the supervising engineer of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Board's Victorville office for the past 18 years, wrapped up his career with the state Friday. A replacement has not yet been named. ``I want to take some time and be with my family and travel,'' Baqai said. Among the highlights of his career, Baqai said, is addressing the nitrate nitrate, chemical compound containing the nitrate (NO3) radical. Nitrates are salts or esters of nitric acid, HNO3, formed by replacing the hydrogen with a metal (e.g., sodium or potassium) or a radical (e.g., ammonium or ethyl). contamination in an underground plume east of Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. In April, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board directed Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Sanitation District 20 to begin ``in the shortest possible time'' treating groundwater tainted taint v. taint·ed, taint·ing, taints v.tr. 1. To affect with or as if with a disease. 2. To affect with decay or putrefaction; spoil. See Synonyms at contaminate. 3. by nitrates to the state drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. standard of less than 10 milligrams per liter. The plume, in underground water east of Air Force Plant 42, has nitrate concentrations as high as 14 milligrams per liter. No drinking-water wells draw from that area, officials said. Nitrates are a nutrient for plants but can cause a condition known as ``blue baby'' syndrome among infants. Nitrates have leached into the underground water table from Sanitation District 20's practice of spreading treated sewage effluent effluent waste from an abattoir carried away in liquid form. Disposal is a major problem because of the need to avoid pollution of waterways. See aerobic effluent treatment, anaerobic effluent treatment. on barren land to soak into the ground. Originally from Pakistan, where he had earned an engineering degree, Baqai started his career 33 years ago as a consultant. He joined Lahontan's Victorville office in December 1987. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com |
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