The Hanford Sentinel from Hanford, California • 1

Girls Laton 47, Riverdale 45 Edison 85 North 57 Avenal 56, Immanuel 44 Lemoore 61 Hanford 55 See Sports The Hanford Sentinel WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 5, CENTS 1986 HANFORD, CALIFORNIA Toxic study begins By NANCY TURNER Sentinel Staff Writer Engineers contracted by Kings County this week will begin investigating a Superfund target in the county. Kings County Supervisors Tuesday agreed to hire geotechnical firm BSK and Associates of Fresno to study the old county landfill dump site on Houston Avenue to determine if phenol contamination exists. The state Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) and the state Department of Social Services (DHS) have concluded the dump site is a source of phenol contamination in the groundwater. The source. they say, comes from refinery sludge dumped by Beacon Oil Co.

30 years ago. The state agencies have classified phenol as toxic and a corrosive. Phenol is used widely as a disinfectant in the petroleum, leather. paper, soap. toy, canning, dye and agriculture industries.

The substance is also used in explosives, paint, paint remover, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Beacon Oil Co. used portions of the site as open pits for disposal of refinery sludge from 1955 to 1964. The county used the remainder of the site for solid waste landfill. The site was filled to capacity and closed in the mid-1960s.

"The exact source of contamination has yet to be proved," said county engineer Eric Froberg. "The state without benefit of a trial just concluded through paperwork that Beacon is The DHS identified the site last year as a state Superfund target area, listing it number 47 of 205 sites statewide. The list is not based on the most dangerous dump site. but on the state's ability to pay for the site's cleanup. The study will cost $21.000.

and BSK has 90 days to complete the investigation, said Director of Public Works Raymond Nielsen. Estimates last autumn placed the cost between $13.000 and $16,000. If the results of the investigation do not turn up a groundwater contamination problem in the immediate area of the dumpsite, the state may require only that the site groundwater be monitored regularly in case of future contamination. The Houston Avenue site investigation will be conducted in three stages, Nielsen told supervisors. In the first phase.

BSK and Associates will conduct an exploratory study to assess the problem size. The second phase encompasses plans to curb the problem, as well as to establish an estimated cost and choose someone to perform the testing and possible cleanup. In the third phase, ongoing monitoring or cleanup will be conducted. This week engineers will attempt to locate three sludge pits Beacon said it used at the site, and drill two 50-foot wells at each pit. Groundwater under the site migrates at a rate of three inches a day or 100 feet a year, said Froberg.

Engineers will drill wells above and below the direction of the flow at each pit to determine the phenol content in soil and water. "The water flow is slower than most people think, but over 15 or 20 years, why it can get a good distance," Froberg said. Officials of the state water board in 1979 interviewed residents living near the landfill area who use or once used domestic water wells to discover potential contamination problems, said Nielsen. As a result of the interviews, and sampling of wells, the Houston Avenue site was placed on the Superfund list. The old site is located near Avenue, adjacent to the County Road Yard.

All residents living near the site have received piped city water for the past six years. March begins climb a MARCH 1 Participants in the Great Peace March cross the LA County line Tuesday. 'Better world' his goal "He's against nuclear war and against nuclear weapons. He wants to make the world better for his children." says Steven Rivera's mother, Charlotte Vryhof. The Hanford woman was explaining why Rivera, 22, a student at Mesa College in San Diego, has quit his job as a restaurant manager and sold all he had to join the Great Peace March across America.

"He gave it all up to take to the road," says Vryhof. The march organized by PROPeace (People Reaching Out for Peace) is the brainchild of Index By RUTH GOMES Sentinel Staff Writer David Mixner, founder and director of the organization which has operated out of offices in West Los Angeles. The plan is for the marchers to walk a distance of 3,235 miles across the country, averaging 16 miles. a day, six days a week through 15 states, arriving in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15.

The vision of Mixner is that through their contacts with citizens across the country with a grassroots movement they can "create a climate where we make it impossible for leaders of the world to do anything but start taking down these The project has fallen short of its goal of $21 million and 5,000 marchers who would commit 10 months of their lives and raise a dollar a mile 1 Classified 3-B TOMORROW'S FORECAST Comics 2-B Community 1-B Entertainment 15 Farm 8 FOG Movies 15 Opinion 6 Only in Kings County Public Notices 3-B MARY BORBA talking on Sports 12 the Weather phone to someone under 9 the bed. Computers confuse Hanford Council By JIM GRAHAM Sentinel Staff Writer Hanford's City Council took a hour lesson on computers Tuesday afternoon before rejecting all bids for a system to modernize city operations. "I for one am no less confused than when we started." Mayor Joe Crain Jr. said before he and the rest of the council told city staff to ask for new bids for the computer system. The city went out to bid with the intention of buying mostly IBM equipment, but a clause in the bid specifications allowed the bidders to substitute computers compatible with IBM and IBM computers that almost exactly duplicate IBM computers.

The issue became more confused when the computer company recommended by city staff, Entre Computer Center, split into two companies. John Eddy, a private consultant hired by the city, said his greatest concern was that if the city chose anything other than IBM equipment, it could run into problems when tied into the county government's computer network. UPI Wirephoto UPI Wirephoto the caravan. The activity to plan approximately 12,000 the weekend on was determinatheir commitment enterprise. Not was difficulty in permits and up other particionward and anway.

A few hardy that "come committed and will with the group. CLAREMONT (UPI) Nearly 1.000 participants in a cross-continental anti-nuclear peace march headed into their first steep terrain after spending the night camped on a college football field. Organizers said there were some water shortages Tuesday but nothing serious. and the number of marchers had held steady at 975 after the group lost about 200 people in the first two days. "There were some complaints about water (shortages) today, but nothing serious." said Joe Borden.

a march organizer. The trekkers pitched their colorful tents under the lights at the Chaffey College football stadium. The lights were doused about 10 p.m., as the weary marchers bundled into their sleeping bags, Today's route takes the group into its first steep terrain when the marchers head up Cajon Pass on their way to Devore site of the US music festivals in the foothills where the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains divide. Organizers also said Tuesday they had negotiated the final terms of a $1 million insurance policy that will allow them to camp at night on public sites. Lacking liability insurance, the marchers were forced to spend Monday night in six Claremont churches and 125 homes of sympathetic residents because they were refused a permit to camp at a nearby high school.

The anti-nuclear activists say they hope their walk from Los Angeles to Washington will draw attention to the need for nuclear disarmament. $3,235 apiece to finance march has been a massive logistically. But when the participants moved out during the symbolic journey, there still tion that they would carry out despite problems plaguing the the least of the obstacles obtaining liability insurance, changes in basic plans. The leaders expected to pick pants as the march moved ticipated drop-outs along the individuals announced, however, hell or high water," they are make it all the way, alone or Senate stalls farm bill WASHINGTON (UPI) Senate Republican overcome any obstacles by having the Senate send a leader Robert Dole, aware that the financial clock is run- package to the House. ning out on farm subsidies, says he will try again to get a Meanwhile, officials predicted the Commodity Credit vote on his farm bill package that has been twice blocked which acts as the Agriculture Department's bank, by Democrats.

would run out of farm subsidies today while a $5 billion "Hopefully, we can still resolve this," Dole said, but appropriations measure is backed up behind considerahe won't say it's trouble-free on either side of tion of the farm bill package. the Capitol." Harkin said he wanted to force the administration to Dole said he would attempt again today to get a Senate offer farmers one-half of crop price support loans this vote on his farm package blocked Tuesday by Democrats spring. Those loans are offered in the fall, with crops as led by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Democrats also stopped collateral, to give farmers time to market their crops.

passage last Friday. Farmers will already receive some advance subsidies Dole. said not acting "is a pretty high price to this spring. But Harkin said the loans, at just 7.75 percent pay for a little political gain for Mr. Melcher (Sen.

John interest, compared to 13 percent to 14 percent interest on Melcher, D-Mont.) and Mr. Harkin, particularly Mr. bank loans, would help farmers survive another tough spring lending season. A year ago, advance price support The House also was expected to act today on part of the loans were included in a farm debt relief measure vetoed package, but leaders i in both chambers say they want to by President Reagan. The County already uses its computers to store the city's payroll and financial records, Reynolds said.

County officials have also promised to train city employees and are working on a maintenance agreement in the event a city computer breaks down, he said. The county would not sign a maintenance agreement if the city chose anything other than IBM computers, Reynolds said. "We felt it (IBM) is the standard of the industry and that it is reliable." he said. Steve Robinson, representing Cortech, a local computer consulting firm. said IBM clones and compatibles were just as reliable and that his company had had no problems running IBM computer programs on any of the computers he included in Cortech's bid.

"We can't find any place where it fails." Robinson said. Since the city went to bid, the price of computers has fallen, Eddy said, and by rebidding the contract the city could save some money. The council directed Reynolds to write a new bid, specifying IBM equipment and to rebid the contract. Lemoore staff responds to Town Hall meet queries LEMOORE Lemoore City Council members heard a report Tuesday night on the staff's response to concerns raised at the recent Town Hall meeting, ranging from unsightly areas to potential hazards on certain streets. Briefly, this was the staff's report: Unsightliness of the water tower and maintenance of the old corporation yard.

The city crews will be clearing up materials stored in the yard, making more effort to keep weeds and grass under control and looking into possible slatting of the chain link fence as a vision barrier. Removal of the tank is not so easily solved. The city on four occasions has sold the tank, only to have the buyer forfeit payment and abandon the task because removal is too costly. General alley cleanup. The public works department has established once a week street sweeping of downtown alleys and will respond to complaints and requests for cleanup in residential tages.

alleys. When the availability of jail Two-lane to four-lane transition inmates picks up, the city will at Hanford-Armona Road west of renew a program of periodic alley 18th Avenue. An edge line has been cleanup throughout the city. painted along the two-lane portion of lanes and no parking north the road west of the widened area at of the Southern Pacific Railroad on McDonald's restaurant and the Lemoore Avenue. Should the council extended line becomes a broken decide to establish bike lanes along white lane line approaching the Lemoore Avenue requiring prohibi- intersection.

tion of parking, the staff suggested Unsightliness of an old dairy on changing the current no-parking 19th Avenue. The county has been from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. prohibition to contacted and has indicated efforts no parking at any time. The council will be made to clean up the area as also should consider whether provided in county regulations.

signing would be adequate or Traffic hazards on 18th Avenue whether it will be necessary to paint from old traffic lines which remain red approximately 4,500 feet of cur- visible. Reflectors are being bing. installed to delineate the new road Storm drainage at Club Drive lanes. The best solution would be a and Murphy Drive. Both pumps at chip seal or slurry seal, both of this lift station have been repaired which are expensive $16,000 and during the past year and trash $23,000, respectively.

Some attempt screens over the pump pit revam- may be made to sandblast the old ped. No extensive flooding has been lines over limited portions of the noted in this area this season except area. from problems caused by power out- By Ruth Gomes.