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State Accredited Bacteriological Testing with a Reputable Lab in El Centro!

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Babcock Laboratories, Inc is counting the days until the launch of our local lab in El Centro. As soon as formal notification is received, the El Centro Microbiology Lab and Service Center will expand Babcock’s offerings to include testing for bacteria in drinking water and wastewater performed in the Imperial Valley.

We are thrilled at the opportunity to add to our local service capabilities and enhance our long-standing relationships with the people of the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Our new microbiology lab meets the strict and rigorous standards set forth by the State of California's Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). This stringent accreditation process…

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Portantino Leads Effort to Manage CECs in CA

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Over the last decade, advancements in analytical testing technologies have revealed new categories of previously undetectable substances now dubbed as CECs—Constituents of Emerging Concern. This ever broadening group of chemicals and microorganisms pose unprecedented technical, legal, and financial challenges; but arguably, the biggest hurdle is the lack of available information about the persistence, prevalence, or toxicity of many substances referred to as CECs. In an effort to fill those data gaps, Senator Portantino introduced Senate Bill Number 230 (SB 230) to California’s State legislature this year. The bill, which seems to enjoy wide support from water agencies, would mark the first state-wide effort to address CECs as a category.

While information has grown over the past few years, most research has focused on high-profile chemicals or chemical families. This is partially because CECs are such an immense and diverse category; any new or newly detected and unregulated substance found in California’s waters is considered a CEC. This broad definition encompasses thousands of …

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Congress and States Take Action Against PFAS

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Amid nationwide pressure to end the toxic legacy of these “forever chemicals,” a new tide of state and federal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) legislation is inundating the country. Last month, Michigan Representatives Debbie Dingell and Fred Upton, along with 25 other members of Congress, introduced a bold new PFAS Action Act to the House of Representatives. The proposed bill includes some far-reaching provisions like establishing certain PFAS as “hazardous substances” under the Superfund law--an action that remains highly controversial.

This year alone, over 180 bills concerned with PFAS will be under consideration in 27 states. Many of these laws aim to establish safe drinking water levels, phase out PFAS based firefighting foams, allocate money towards research and remediation of PFAS, and address PFAS in consumer products, particularly in food packaging. Outside California, states that have recently passed laws concerning PFAS include…

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Are the Tides Turning for the Dying Salton Sea?

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It looks like something from the beginning of a science fiction novel—dilapidated and decaying architecture protrudes from red-stained shores, swirling clouds of toxic dust whip over the desolate landscape, and a horrible smell like rotting eggs wafts from the surface of the listless water. But this isn’t a colony on Mars or an apocalyptic future Earth; this is the present-day Salton Sea in Imperial County, California.

For decades, the State of California has failed to address this accidental lake turned environmental catastrophe. The once thriving Salton Sea now faces a host of issues with receding shores, contaminated water, and an exposed playa (or lakebed) that forms massive, toxic dust storms. Although California took responsibility for maintaining the Salton Sea in the early 2000s, the state has yet to allocate the money and workforce needed to fix this brewing disaster. But after years of red tape and unfulfilled promises, the tides may be turning for the Salton Sea. In November of 2020….

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PFAS Remediation - Time To Clean Up Our Act

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With our world waking up to the realization some everyday products contain forever chemicals known as PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, scientists and engineers are working to find the most cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally responsible way to remediate them. The financial and technical challenges of remediating PFAS are cause for serious concern. With over 2,300 contaminated sites across the United States to clean-up, we need an efficient method for removing these toxic chemicals from our water, soil, and biota. But remediation efforts currently face two enormous hurdles: who will pay, and how will we clean up the environmental mess we are just beginning to uncover?

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SWB Shows Renewed Focus on Constituents of Emerging Concern

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Man-made chemicals are everywhere in our modern world—in pharmaceuticals, health care products, pesticides, and cookware. But a vast array of the same chemicals present in our household goods also contaminate our environment and aquatic ecosystems. These Constituents of Emerging Concern, or CECs, are gaining notoriety as potential hazards to marine environments, aquatic wildlife, and human health. In response to rapid advancements in testing and a growing body of literature surrounding emerging contaminants, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) was asked by the State Water Board (SWB) in April 2020, to reconvene the CEC Ecosystem Panel. The panel, tasked with updating previous recommendations for monitoring CECs, is on track to produce a new report by…