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‘Forever Chemicals’ in Orange County Drinking Water to Force Widespread Well Closures

/in , /by /Los Angeles Daily Newsby Martin Wisckol

The Orange County Water District, which serves 2.5 million county residents, expects to see nearly a third of the 200 groundwater wells in its service area shut down by year’s end because of the presence of toxic PFAS, a chemical family linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, low birth weight and other health problems.

Nine of those wells have already been closed and 32 more are expected to be closed in coming weeks as state regulators continue to lower acceptable thresholds for the toxins, according to district officials. As many as 31 additional wells could be shut down after testing is expanded later this year.

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1920s: Crouch Well, Emerald Hills Country Club

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The area which constitutes Emerald Hills in San Diego County was once a Kumeyaay Indian burial site. The modern neighborhood is named for the Emerald Hills Country Club and Golf Course, established in the area in 1929 by Art Cloninger, a well-known restauranteur of the era. The hilly area had a magnificent view of the downtown San Diego area and San Diego Bay.

In the 1920s, all water was still procured locally in San Diego County. To develop his golf course, a well was dug on the property, known as the Crouch Well.

The club was sold in 1939 to build a transmitter site for new radio stations KFSD-AM/FM. Due to the proximity to the Chollas Naval Towers, the KFSD towers were not built until 1948. During World War II, the golf course remained in operation. After the radio transmitter facility was built, Emerald Hills was lowered from an 18 hole course to a nine-hole course. The remaining golf course was sold to developers to be used for homes in 1958, and the community is still named for the golf course, Emerald Hills.