Is the water in Hinkley CA still contaminated?

Is the water in Hinkley CA still contaminated?

8, 2010 -- Water quality regulators revealed last week that higher-than-normal levels of hexavalent chromium have been detected over the past year in San Bernardino County groundwater, despite a standing order for Pacific Gas and Electric to clean up the area. ...

Is the water in Hinkley safe?

HINKLEY — Twenty-one years after Erin Brockovich discovered the city's water contained high levels of hexavalent chromium (chromium-6), the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board has told Hinkley residents their once-toxic water is now safe to drink.

Is Hinkley a ghost town?

In early 2016, The New York Times described Hinkley as having been slowly turned into a ghost town due to the contamination of the area. The United States does not define a census-designated place called Hinkley, but it does define a ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), 92347.

Is Hinkley CA abandoned?

Now the town of Hinkley, California - a Mojave Desert community famous for being 'saved' by Erin Brockovich and then immortalized in Steven Soderberg's Oscar-winning film - has been all-but deserted.

Is Hinkley California Safe?

The rate of crime in Hinkley is 32.81 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. People who live in Hinkley generally consider the west part of the city to be the safest.

How true is the movie Erin Brockovich?

Accuracy. On her website, Brockovich says the film is "probably 98% accurate". While the general facts of the story are accurate, there are some minor discrepancies between actual events and the movie, as well as a number of controversial and disputed issues more fundamental to the case.

What is Hinkley CA famous for?

Now the town of Hinkley, California - a Mojave Desert community famous for being 'saved' by Erin Brockovich and then immortalized in Steven Soderberg's Oscar-winning film - has been all-but deserted.

Is the water in Hinkley really contaminated with chromium?

• Before I went to Hinkley, I did, of course, watch the movie once again. As it turns out, Erin Brockovich is accurate in many respects. Water that is heavily contaminated with chromium-6 turns bright yellow. Public utility testing shows more than 70 million Americans drink tap water tainted by chromium-6. Photo by Cameron Hickey.

What was the settlement for the Hinkley groundwater contamination?

• In 1993, legal clerk Erin Brockovich began an investigation into the health impacts of the contamination. A class-action lawsuit over the contamination was settled in 1996 for $333 million, the largest settlement of a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

Is it safe to drink water from Hinkley well?

• But at nearly 13 parts per billion, the water there is still considered safe according to the 22-year-old EPA standard (100 ppb). It is, however, more than 600 times greater than the public health goal established by the California Environmental Protection Agency in the wake of the Hinkley well poisoning scandal.

Why did people leave the town of Hinkley?

• Hinkley was a small farming community in the 1990s when residents learned that groundwater was polluted with chromium 6, a cancer-causing heavy metal. It had seeped into the water after being dumped into unlined ponds at the utility company’s compressor station in the 1950s and ‘60s. Since then, hundreds of residents have left.