Los Angeles to Drain out two Reservoirs Due to Cancer threat
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The cause behind contamination of water can be the reaction between sunlight and chlorine, which is a rare case, utility officials added.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power plans to drain 600 million gallons from the reservoirs, the Elysian and the
High levels of the carcinogen bromate were found in early October by a commercial customer who ran a laboratory test, officials said. The utility confirmed the finding, immediately removed the reservoirs from service and notified the Department of Public Health.
“The formation of bromate from the chemical reaction in the reservoirs was unusual and unexpected,” said Lea Brooks, spokeswoman for the state’s Public Health Department. And, chemical is dangerous only after long-term consumption, officials emphasized.
The two reservoirs supply the water for about one-third of 1 percent of the city’s annual consumption, or about the amount the entire city consumes in a day, Mr. Ramallo said. Some water from the reservoirs may be used for irrigation or firefighting, but none will be used for human consumption. The rest will be dumped into the