Atlas of Contaminated Sites

Notable case, Hinkley, San Bernardino County, California, United States

Hinkley groundwater contamination

Between 1952 and 1966 Pacific Gas & Electric's gas compressor station discharged about 370 million gallons of water containing hexavalent chromium into unlined ponds. It is the case made known by Erin Brockovich.

PhytoremediationMicrobial bioremediation

Status
Remediation under way
Activity
1952–1966
Media
groundwater
Kind of site
gas compressor station
  1. Area. Groundwater plume: about 2 miles by 1 originally, 6 by 2 in 2013, 8 by about 2 in 2015 (Wikipedia).
  2. People affected. More than 600 residents were party to the 1996 settlement (Wikipedia).

Contaminants

Metals

Status

Remediation under way

By 2013 PG&E had spent more than $750 million and a further 40 years were estimated to finish the cleanup. This figure has not been updated from an official source.

Story

At Hinkley, in the Mojave Desert, PG&E discharged the compressor station's water containing hexavalent chromium into unlined ponds, from which the chromium reached the groundwater. The company told the regional water board only in 1987.

In 1996 the lawsuit brought by more than 600 residents ended in a $333 million settlement. According to Wikipedia, the cleanup combines ethanol injection into the aquifer, barriers and the growing of alfalfa. Despite this the plume had lengthened to about 8 miles by 2015, and the town has largely emptied.

Timeline

  1. 1952Discharges of water containing hexavalent chromium begin.
  2. 1966Use of hexavalent chromium ends.
  3. 1987PG&E reports the contamination to the regional water board.
  4. 1996$333 million settlement with more than 600 residents.
  5. 2014California sets a 10 ppb limit for hexavalent chromium in drinking water.
  6. 2015The plume reaches about 8 miles in length.

Remediation

  1. —containmentBarriers to contain the plume.

Plants and fungi at this site

Microbial bioremediationField scale

Ethanol injection into the aquifer, an in-situ bioremediation technique. Wikipedia lists it among the methods used by PG&E without dates, mechanism or results; to be checked against the regional water board's documents (Lahontan Water Board).

From the literature

Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.

Plants

Sources

  1. Hinkley groundwater contamination, Wikipedia, 2026

Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.