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A federal public health agency has concluded that drinking water in the former Fort Ord area posed no health risk from 1985 to 1994. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reviewed historical water data from that period and found that, although some contaminants were detected, levels were below health concern thresholds for both cancer and noncancer health effects.
The evaluation covered exposure through everyday household water use (drinking, showering, washing, and cooking) for both residents of the former Fort Ord area and soldiers-in-training stationed at the base. Although nine contaminants required additional evaluation, ATSDR concluded that none reached levels of health concern. The study covers 1985–1994, the period for which drinking water sampling data are available.
"We have always believed in the safety of the water we deliver, and this independent federal review — using the latest scientific tools — backs that up," said Remleh Scherzinger, General Manager of Marina Coast Water District. "We welcome this kind of review. Our ratepayers deserve to know their water is safe, and they deserve the confidence that comes from outside experts agreeing with us. It is also important for customers to know that our drinking water is drawn from different aquifers, separate from and significantly deeper than the shallow groundwater the Army is cleaning. The shallow groundwater has never been utilized as a drinking water source."
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