Washington, DC – Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto), who has been a leader in Congress on perchlorate cleanup, today celebrated Congressional passage of funding for cleaning up groundwater contaminated by perchlorate.

Rep. Baca said, "This is great news for the residents of Rialto, Fontana and Colton especially. I have been working hard to make sure federal funding is provided to clean up our drinking water. The health hazard was created by former military sites as part of national defense so the federal government should help pay the costs and not leave our local communities to foot the entire bill."

The House of Representatives had previously passed Rep. Baca’s legislation, the Southern California Groundwater Remediation Act (H.R. 18), to help areas covered by the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, including San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties, but the Senate had not yet done so. Rep. Baca worked with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to gain support, and she included a version of his bill in S. 203, the National Heritage Areas Act, comprehensive legislation that passed the Senate last week and won House approval today.

S. 203 authorizes $25 million for groundwater remediation by providing grants to local water authorities both in the Inland Empire and in Santa Clara County.

Perchlorate, a rocket fuel additive, is a volatile organic compound that has been found to be harmful to humans as it interferes with thyroid function. According to experts, 90% of the perchlorate found in water comes from a federal source, primarily from former military sites and other Department of Defense installations.

Perchlorate affects the safety of drinking water and also contaminates the food supply. It has been detected in lettuce in Southern California. And perchlorate has even been found in milk from dairies near contaminated water sources.

Cities and counties across the country are closing their groundwater wells due to perchlorate contamination. Throughout the state of California, hundreds of wells are impacted, including 78 in the 43rd Congressional District, an Inland Empire area represented by Rep. Baca.

Rep. Baca has secured an additional $2.5 million in the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill for perchlorate cleanup in areas such as Rialto, Colton and Fontana.  Furthermore, the House passed Rep. Baca's amendment to the the Defense Authorization bill to require the Department of Defense to study perchlorate contamination at formerly utilized defense sites.