Mobile home parks, winery told to reduce arsenic levels

5 county water systems found over new EPA limit for toxic chemical

Two Santa Rosa mobile home parks, a Healdsburg winery, a Sonoma wine and spirits distribution center, and a magnet manufacturer are among 11 California entities under federal orders to reduce the level of arsenic in their water supplies.

Arsenic, a naturally occurring mineral that commonly leaches into ground water, is a known carcinogen linked to heart and neurological conditions, as well as diabetes, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

But the levels that triggered violation notices locally are nothing to be alarmed about, said Joel Jones, manager of EPA's western region Drinking Water Enforcement Program.

"As far as people are concerned -- especially if they have young children or are pregnant, or have immune problems -- they might want to check with a medical professional," Jones said. "Generally speaking, an average healthy adult wouldn't see any short-term effects of the levels that we have seen in Sonoma County."

The five Sonoma County systems targeted by the EPA action include Lancelot Mobile Home Park, on Santa Rosa Avenue, which has about 75 year-round residents; Rancho de Sonoma mobile home park on Sonoma Highway, with about 130 residents; Groskopf Warehouse and Logistics, and Dowling Magnets, both in Sonoma; and J Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg.

Each was notified last summer that regular testing had turned up levels of arsenic that exceeded federal standards and was ordered to take corrective action.

Failure to comply could trigger fines of $32,500 a day, though Jones said all five Sonoma County systems were on track toward compliance.

Jones noted that others on the list of 11 included entire communities -- Delano, a city of 53,000 outside Bakersfield, for instance, as well as the nearby town of Arvin, population 16,000, and the small Kings County community of Armona.

The EPA announced the violations Tuesday as it took stock on the fiscal year completed Sept. 30, Jones said.

But the orders also reflect the federal agency's eagerness to enforce a relatively new federal standard that took effect in January 2006 and reduced the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion.

The EPA monitors 54,000 so-called "community water systems" -- those that serve 15 locations or 25 people year-round -- and another 20,000 water systems that serve 25 of the same people for six months a year -- places like schools, nursing homes and factories.

An estimated 5 percent will require corrective action to meet the new standard, EPA said.

Though poised to adopt a 10 parts per billion threshold before the end of the year, the California Department of Public Health has not yet adopted it, allowing U.S. EPA to step into what is normally state jurisdiction, officials said.

All but J Vineyards, which tested at 53 parts per billion on Jan. 12, 2006, would have been in compliance with the old standards.

Dowling Magnet's measurements ranged from 27 to 49 ppb between July 2007 and April of this year, the EPA said, while Groskopf and the two mobile home parks tested under 20 ppb during roughly the same period.

Groskopf Warehouse and Logistics General Manager Charlene Groskopf said the company her father founded already has invested more than $15,000 in a new filtering system designed to remove arsenic from the water.

But Groskopf said the company's 49 employees have always used bottled water for drinking -- that the well-water drawn from the ground goes for limited dish-washing and toilets.

Mark Marinozzi, vice president of marketing for J Vineyards, said he was puzzled by EPA's decision to announce the violations now, even after those involved have proved their interest in ensuring the standards are met.

"We're on track with that. We've been doing all this . . . and quite frankly we're scratching our heads as to why the EPA felt it necessary to put this release out," Marinozzi said.