A Bakersfield company that operates an oilfield wastewater dump in McKittrick has been ordered by the state to better track pollutants. Central Valley Water Control Board Supervising Engineer Dale Harvey says they’ve found more than a hundred chemicals near groundwater wells close to Valley Water Management’s site. “We want to make sure the discharge is not migrating into areas where it would adversely affect water quality, particularly the quality in water that is beneficially being reused.” Environmentalists wanted to close the business, but Harvey thinks the water can be treated.

Kelli Pierce/SuzG