TRABUCO CANYON : Water Officials Call for Dump Cleanup

Regional Water Quality Control Board officials joined local residents and water district representatives Thursday in calling for action to clean up an illegal garbage dump near Trabuco Creek.

The dump sits about a mile upstream from a pair of Trabuco Canyon Water District wells, and officials at the district worry that it could pose a threat to area drinking water. About 7,500 customers get their water from the district.

“Any time there’s debris lying on the ground, there is the potential for contamination,” said David Barker, a senior engineer at the quality control board. A board official visited the site recently and did not see evidence of toxic substances, but the pile of debris covers several hundred square yards and not all of the materials are visible.

Residents say they are concerned that people dumping garbage may be using the site to toss out motor oil, solvents or paints, any of which might leach into the water supply and contaminate it.

Barker called the risk relatively small, but added that the board hopes Orange County’s Environmental Management Agency will move to clean up the site.

“There is some follow-up that needs to be done out there,” Barker said.

An EMA official who has visited the site was unavailable for comment Thursday, but Lane Waldner, the agency’s supervisor of environmental studies, confirmed that the agency is investigating the problem.

If the county agency chooses not to take action, the state control board might step in, Barker said.

“It’s our feeling that both government agencies don’t need to be involved to get this cleaned up,” he said.

Property holders may be held responsible and forced to clean up the area themselves, he added.

The water district’s engineering committee will take up the issue of the waste dump next week, and the district’s full board is expected to consider it at its Jan. 17 meeting.