March—April 2022 Newsletter
Earth Day in the Pacific Southwest
EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region celebrated Earth Day along with the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the 25th anniversary of the Recycle City website in April. Regional Administrator Martha Guzman joined the East Bay Environmental Justice Forum in Berkeley, California, to discuss environmental, economic and social justice issues with EPA’s community partners. EPA also participated in the California Earth Day Twitter Chat where water conservation was a major topic of discussion with California EPA and other organizations and individuals. Earth Day also marked the launch of the newly updated Recycle City, a popular educational resource for elementary and middle school students.
- Earth Day in the Pacific Southwest (video)
- Twitter: California Earth Day Chat
- Center for Creative Land Recycling: East Bay Environmental Justice Forum
- EPA: Recycle City
Protecting Communities in Hawaii
Regional Administrator Martha Guzman, Administrator Michael Regan, and Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe have all visited Hawaii recently to oversee the response to the drinking water emergency at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in O’ahu. EPA has completed its emergency response role in helping to restore safe drinking water to O’ahu residents and will continue to work with the Navy, Army, Hawaii Department of Health and others to monitor drinking water; EPA will continue its oversight role – including through independent inspections – as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility is closed down by the Department of Defense. While in Hawaii, Regional Administrator Guzman also met with farmers to discuss agriculture and food policy and with native Hawaiians who shared their perspectives on how traditional knowledge can help protect fragile ecosystems.
- Maui Now: DoD to Close Red Hill
- U.S. Pacific Fleet Press Release: Safe Drinking Water Restored
- EPA: Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility
- Twitter
- @EPAMichaelRegan: EPA, Navy, Army, Hawaii Experts Meeting on the Drinking Water Situation
- @EPAregion9: Martha Guzman at the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant
- @EPAregion9: Martha Guzman at a Learning Farm
Progress at Superfund Sites
Mercury from historic gold mining polluted the Carson River Mercury Site in northwestern Nevada. EPA recently completed a report about addressing that mercury contamination and is continuing to seek input on the issue from tribal members and local residents who live within the footprint of the site. In another Superfund milestone, the Beckman Instruments site in California was recently removed from the Superfund National Priorities list. The groundwater that was contaminated by the former electronics plant has been decontaminated and now meets all California and federal drinking water standards.
- KTVN-TV: High Levels of Mercury in Carson River Mean Toxic Fish
- EPA: Addressing Contamination at the Carson River Mercury Site (pdf)
- The Porterville Recorder: Beckman Site Removed from Superfund List
Protecting Drinking Water in California
EPA has issued emergency orders under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to four mobile home park water systems, requiring the mobile home park owners to comply with federal drinking water safety requirements and to identify and correct problems with their drinking water systems that present a danger to residents. The mobile home parks are all located on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians’ Reservation in California. None of the water systems were previously registered with EPA and will now be required to comply with SDWA regulations.