And the results are in...

By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer BARSTOW - Hope Lopez's test results surprised her, but she was prepared. Lopez, who lives on the 31000 block of Clayriver Road in the Soap Mine neighborhood, began drinking bottled water last year when tests showed she had nitrate levels of 6.8 milligrams per liter present in her water. After another round of testing done on May 10, Lopez found out her water's nitrate level jumped to 20 mg/L, twice the level considered safe for drinking water by health officials. "It scared the heck out of me, to tell you the truth," Lopez said. "That's quite a bit of a jump." According to recent tests conducted by Geo-Monitor, nitrate levels above the 10 mg/L safe level were found in 11 private wells in the Soap Mine area. Geo-Monitor tested 41 wells throughout the area and found that 20 had increased levels of nitrates from previous tests, 11 had lower levels and three stayed the same. Geo-Monitor also tested six wells for the first time. Of all the wells tested, Lopez's showed the most significant increase in nitrate levels from testing done in May 2006. Lopez said she called Barstow City Council members Joe Gomez and Tim Silva on Monday and expressed her concern. Gomez, in an April City Council meeting, suggested that the city provide bottle water to Soap Mine residents with nitrate levels above 9 mg/L. He brought the issue up at Monday's Council meeting and asked the city again to look into the cost of providing bottled water. Gomez said he was concerned about the health of residents exposed to the nitrate pollution, especially women in the area who may be pregnant. As nitrates work into an infant's body, they can block the blood from properly carrying oxygen, potentially a fatal situation if untreated. "To me, that's a big concern," he said. "That's why I really want to push this item." According to John Rader, a spokesman for the city, the city hopes to provide the council with information about the cost of providing bottled water at the June 4 City Council meeting. Until then, Rader said, the city has not determined whether to provide bottled water to any area residents. That decision will be made by the council after receiving the information. The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board has also asked the city to provide additional information about nitrate pollution in the area. The city received a letter from Lahontan on May 18 requesting further investigation into the nitrate pollution in a response to a report submitted by the city. Doug Smith, a senior engineering geologist with Lahontan, said the city did not adequately describe the extent of its contamination in the area and did not provide accurate background levels of nitrates in the area. "It didn't comprehensively address the entirety of the nitrate problem," Smith said. Smith said the city needs to better identify the extent of the pollution caused by spraying of wastewater on fields in the area. Smith said that Lahontan knows for a fact that the city contaminated the area and that the city needs to determine how deep the contamination goes and how far it has spread. "We aren't requiring the city investigate other sources," Smith said. "This document says, 'You need to define your problem better.' We really want the city to focus on the city's plume." In part, Lahontan wants the city to begin developing a remedial plan to remove the nitrates present in the Soap Mine area. An old order from Lahontan required the city to provide a remedial plan by June 15. This has been extended to June 30. Rader said that city is working with DPRA, the environmental consulting firm which prepared the first report for Lahontan, to comply with Lahontan's requests for additional information and remedial plans.