San Francisco Bay Area, California 408 227-5767
October 31, 2007
- Founded June 2004 by Denise Johnson-Kula and joined by 11 individuals to discuss and take action on adverse health effects from Chloramine which was added to the Hetch Hetchy water distribution system by the SFPUC in February 2004.
- Documentations of individuals affected by chloramine. Ongoing.
- In December 2004, CCAC alerted national, city, county and state governments and national agencies, scientists, environmentalists. Filed complaints with the SFPUC, cities and counties, water companies and utility departments.
- In December 2004, CCAC officers were appointed.
- Chloramine Research position paper written, covering concerns, effects from chloramine, existing research studies cited.
- January 14, 2005, 12 plaintiffs filed injunctions against the San Francisco Public Utilities (SFPUC) at San Francisco City Hall.
- Chloramine Fact Sheet written. CCAC Flier written and distributed to the general public.
- CCAC Website homepage started. E-mail site for symptoms documentation established.
- May 10, 2005 First slate of CCAC officers elected.
- May 18, 2005, Mission Statement developed and written.
- May 30, 2005, CCAC non-profit organization status granted.
- CCAC participation at City Councils, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, San Mateo Homeowners' Association, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the North Coast County Water District (NCCWD), the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), and the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).
- Meetings with Lawmakers, Assemblyman Gene Mullin and assistant, Ben Fuschs: Senator Jackie Speier and assistants, Brooke Joseph, Margo Rosen and Leah Triesch: Sidewalk Office Hour chat with Senator Simitian and assistants, Sarah Rosendahl and Hema Mohan, also a later meeting with assistants to discuss a public forum between the SFPUC and CCAC; Mayor Wykoff, Mayor of Foster City; Nate Pinkston, assistant to Assemblyman Ira Ruskin; David Owen, assistant to Aaron Peskin, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Senator Leland Yee; Art Jensen, BAWSCA Gen. Mgr. Sidewalk Office Hours with Assemblyman Ira Ruskin. Ongoing.
- June 30, 2005, Petition to Mayor Gavin Newsom to resolve administrative remedy/exhaustion issue with the SFPUC.
- July 12, 2005, CCAC meeting with Pacificans to help form CCAC's 1st satellite group chaired by CCAC Vice-President, Linda Corwin.
- July 14, 2005, TV Interview of CCAC President, Denise Johnson-Kula, and Vice-President, Linda Corwin, by Sharron Walker of Channel 26, Pacifica Currents, "Chloramine Concerns."
- July 14, 2005, CCAC incorporated as a non-profit organization.
- Flier Campaign: Door to door distribution of fliers to inform the public about chloramine. Ongoing.
- August 22, 2005, public forum at the Westside Democratic Club Meeting in San Francisco; panelists CCAC President, Denise Johnson-Kula and SFPUC representative, Maureen Barry.
- August 30, 2005, meeting with Senator Simitian's assistants, Sarah Rosendahl and Hema Mohan to raise awareness of chloramine issue and for a possible facilitation of a Public Forum by Senator Joe Simitian between CCAC and the SPUC.
- Informational Meetings: 1) September 6, 2005 in Menlo Park Library, "Is your tap water safe?" Channel 26 TV Interview showing, "Toxic showers and baths, " Q & A. 2) October 4, 2005, Mountain View Library, Mountain View. 3) July 12, Pacifica CCAC, 2005, 4) repeated on September 13, 2005, and 5) November 9, 2005 in Pacifica. 6) November 10, 2005, Stonestown, SF. 7) February 16, 2006, Smart Life Forum presentation by Denise in Palo Alto. 8) March 9, 2006 19th Avenue Homeowner's Association in San Mateo. 9) Peninsula Macrobiotic Community meeting, April 24, 2006, Palo Alto. 10) Sunnyvale Informational Meeting, May 23, 2006.
- October 17, 2005 Meeting with Assemblyman Ira Ruskin's assistant, Nate Pinkston, to discuss chloramine issue and to raise awareness. Ira Ruskin is the committee chairman on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials.
- October 19, 2005, CCAC attendance at NCCWD Water Board Meeting in Pacifica where Directors drafted a letter to Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) asking them to pursue plans to have the health effects of chloramine studied. Letter 10/31/05 sent to BAWSCA and to all water agencies.
- BAWSCA Meetings: November 17, 2005 BAWSCA endorses NCCWD's request for health studies on chloramine and sends out letters of inquiries to significant government agencies to search for any health studies conducted, "past, ongoing, or anticipated studies on potential health effects" of chloramine. Ira Ruskin attended this meeting and met with CCAC group briefly and told CCAC that he is taking the Chloramine issue seriously. January 19, 2006 follow-up BAWSCA meeting attended by CCAC. BAWSCA Meeting March 16, 2006 confirms that NO studies were done on the dermal or respiratory effects of chloramine. Ongoing.
- December 2, 2005 CCAC Meeting with Senator Leland Yee and his assistant, David Burruto, to discuss the chloramine issue and to raise awareness.
- December 8, 2005 CCAC invited by the Urban Creek Council to participate in the EBMUD meeting to discuss the chloramine issue. The Urban Creek Council discussed problems encountered with chloraminated water runoff from broken water mains flowing into creeks killing fish and destroying creek habitats. Questioned treatment, practices.
- January 18, 2006 Meeting with David Owen, assistant to Aaron Peskin, SF President of the Board of Supervisors, to discuss the chloramine issue and to raise awareness.
- February 23, 2006 Assemblyman Ira Ruskin introduces bill AB 2402 that addresses the chloramine issue--preliminary legislation and investigation into chloramine with first hearing in April. CCAC President Denise Johnson-Kula in contact with Peter Hartnet, Ruskin's legislative assistant, on the development of the bill.
- March 13, 2006 Meeting with Art Jensen, General Manager of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency BAWSCA to discuss the chloramine issues and to urge the agency to facilitate the study of health effects of chloramine.
- March 16, 2006 Based on the written replies from government agencies BAWSCA confirms that No studies on the skin or respiratory effects of chloramine were done.
- March 22, 2006 First issue of CCAC newsletter, "Chloramine News" sent out to chloramine contacts.
- April-May 2006 Contacts with environmental organizations begun for support of the bill AB 2402: The Sierra Club, The Pacific Institute of California, Clean Water Action, CALPIRG, American Lung Association, East Bay Lung Association, Breathe California. California Thoracic Society, Biological Diversity. Ongoing.
- Health and Safety Fair, May 6, 2006 in Sunnyvale. Information Booth.
- First Fund-Raising letter sent out, May 31, 2006.
- CCAC invited for follow-up presentation to the August 22, 2005 debate, at the West Side Democratic Club in San Francisco, June 26, 2006.
- CCAC invited to speak on chloramine at the Police Community Relations Forum at the Taraval Station Community Room in San Francisco, July 18, 2006.
- KTVU Channel 2 airs television spot on chloramine in a segment on the 10 O' Clock (PM) News, on July 23, 2006. The segment featured individuals affected by chloramine, and information about environmental damage from chloramine through water main breaks.
- CCAC and San Francisco residents affected by chloramine speak at SFPUC water board meeting on July 25, 2006 at 1:30 PM in Room 400, City Hall in San Francisco. Water Board President Richard Sklar promises to investigate the issue of lack of health studies on chloramine.
- CCAC meets with Andrew DeGraça, Director of the Water Quality Bureau, and June Weintraub, epidemiologist with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), on October 31, 2006. CCAC showed documentation on over 400 people affected by chloramine on the SFPUC water system, and requested that the SFDPH look into having health studies done.
- CCAC members and others attend November 14, 2006 SFPUC meeting on chloramine. Andrew DeGraça and June Weintraub made a presentation on chloramine to the SFPUC commissioners, but did not mention the lack of skin, respiratory, and digestive studies on chloramine (the original purpose of the meeting, as planned during the July 25 SFPUC meeting). Fifteen members of the public addressed the board, many expressing anger that the issue was ignored.
- CCAC meets with California State Assembly member Ira Ruskin and his staff to plan his new bill on chloramine, on January 26, 2007.
- On February 21, 2007, CCAC representatives met with Palo Alto City Council Members Peter Drekmeier and Bern Beecham to discuss the Palo Alto City Council's possible support of Ira Ruskin's bill.
- On March 1, 2007, CCAC gives presentation on chloramine to local Sunnyvale neighborhood group.
- On May 29, 2007, CCAC met with representatives from California State Assembly Members Fiona Ma and Mark Leno (representing San Francisco) to discuss support for Ira Ruskin's bill. Several local San Francisco residents affected by chloramine also attended.
- On June 12, 2007, CCAC gives presentation to the Technology and Society Committee in Mountain View. The audience, composed of engineers and other workers in Silicon Valley, was very interested and had many questions. The presentation was originally scheduled at a restaurant which was closed for renovation, but the presentation went on anyway on the sidewalk because the interest was so great.
- On July 3, 2007, CCAC met with the staff of Federal Representative Anna Eshoo to discuss a waiver to discontinue the use of chloramine and return to the use of chloramine until health studies are done. Her staff initiated a congressional research service investigation which confirmed the lack of health studies. They set up a September 5 meeting between CCAC president Denise Johnson-Kula and the California State EPA on the matter of the waiver.
- CCAC gave a presentation on chloramine to U.S. Representative Tom Lantos and his staff on August 30, 2007. CCAC also met with the staffs of Representative Zoe Lofgren on September 11, Representative Ellen Tauscher on September 17, Representative Pete Stark on September 19, and Representative Mike Honda on September 24.