Agencies looking at size of chlorine spill

Susan McCormack

CRYSTAL COVE -- Regulatory agencies are still working to determine how

much chlorine an Irvine Co. contractor dumped into Los Trancos Creek,

which drains onto Crystal Cove State Park, without a key piece of

evidence: a sample of the discharged water.

Kurt Berchtold, an assistant executive officer with the Santa Ana

Regional Water Quality Control Board, on Wednesday confirmed that the

contractor, Griffith Co., had spilled chlorine into the creek. Berchtold

said the Irvine Co. had a permit for the waste discharge, which allowed

it to spill up to 0.1 milliliters of chlorine per liter of discharge into

the creek.

“If people could smell chlorine, it is unlikely it was in compliance with

that limit,” Berchtold said.

He said the Irvine Co. was responsible for making sure a sample of the

discharge was tested before it was flushed through the creek. He said he

is waiting for the Irvine Co. to provide him with those results to

determine if any action will be taken against the company.

“At this point, we’re unable to determine that any sampling was done in

that discharge,” he said. “If the [Irvine Co.] can’t produce any sampling

results, then that would be a violation of the permit.”

A violation could cost the company up to $10,000, Berchtold said, but

probably would not halt the construction of 800 homes planned for the

area.

Paul Kranhold, a spokesman for the Irvine Co., said a sample was taken.

“It’s just a matter of getting hold of that data,” Kranhold said, but did

not say who actually conducted the sampling or who has the results. “It’s

going to take several days.”

Berchtold said the water board is also following up with the contractor

to determine if the testing was done. He said this is the first time he

can recall that this type of incident, if indeed the chlorine exceeded

acceptable levels, had occurred.

“Obviously this project in this area is very sensitive and has very high

visibility,” he said. “We would expect that the Irvine Co. and their

contractor would be extra careful to avoid this.”

Berchtold said he was assured by Irvine Co. officials that they will

develop alternate plans for chlorine disposal to ensure the chemical does

not flow into the creeks leading to the cove.