[CPEO-MEF] Bioremediation at Henderson, NV perchlorate site

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Company uses bacteria to break down chemical found in Colorado River

By Henry Brean
San Diego Union-Tribune (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
September 8, 2004

LAS VEGAS – A single-cell organism with an appetite for perchlorate has joined
the fight to clean up decades worth of contamination that has found its way
into the Colorado River from a Henderson chemical plant.

The cutting-edge process was launched in May by Oklahoma City-based Kerr-McGee
Chemical and environmental management firm Veolia Water. It is being used to
clean about 1,000 gallons of contaminated water per minute, replacing a
less-efficient process known as ion exchange.

"We've turned off the ion exchange and we're using bugs," said Patrick Corbett,
director of environmental affairs for Kerr-McGee.

If ingested, perchlorate can inhibit the ability of the thyroid gland to
produce hormones that control growth and metabolism. No safe drinking water
standard exists for the chemical, but the Environmental Protection 

Agency is developing one with assistance from the National Academy of Sciences.

"We do see this as a very important issue," said Todd Croft, who is supervising
the perchlorate cleanup for the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection.
"Nobody wants to have a contaminant in their water. Even though this is an
unregulated chemical, it doesn't belong there."

…

for the entire article, see

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040908-0202-nv-perchloratefighter.html

--

Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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