Groups Says Ground Water Undrinkable

A public interest group€™s report says more than 70 billion gallons of California groundwater is undrinkable because of contamination by just two highly publicized pollutants.

According to Environment California, that€™s enough to supply 400,000 families for a year. And if usable, it would replace more than a third of the water California is losing because of its inability to cut back on its draw from the Colorado River.

The report catalogs estimates of contaminated water from two high-profile groundwater pollutants — MTBE, a gasoline additive that trims air pollution, and Perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel. Backed by the report, state Senator Nell Soto plans to introduce legislation next month to increase water protections and require polluters to replace lost water supplies.