Water Quality Protection Project

The $10-million project, federally funded by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), was constructed to prevent the contaminant plume from San Gabriel Valley from spreading into the Central Basin's local groundwater supply.

In the early '80s, contaminants were detected in the San Gabriel Valley groundwater supply, and based on the contamination level, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the area as a superfund site (a highly contaminated area). The contaminant plume continued to travel south, passing through the Whittier Narrows into the Central Basin area and toward the Montebello Forebay, threatening the local groundwater supplies.

The plan consists of two wells located in northern Pico Rivera, which pump the contaminated water to a treatment plant in Whittier. The water is then purified using a granular-activated carbon system and distributed to Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs and Whittier for residential use.

In October 2004, Central Basin received its domestic drinking water permit from the California Department of Health Services to distribute the water to the residents of Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs and Whittier. The water was integrated back into the drinking water system beginning in December.