FULLERTON : Cal State Geologists Hired in Water Study

Two Cal State Fullerton geologists have been awarded more than $200,000 in contracts to study water systems and resources in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The studies by Prem K. Saint and John H. Foster will be used by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to revise its water plan for the two-county region. The pair recently prepared a similar plan for the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The contracts call for Saint and Foster to map all bodies of water in the Los Angeles-Ventura region and show their ecological characteristics and quality, beneficial uses and historical information. A second aspect of the project is to evaluate the quality of water in all underground basins and the extent of pollution in them.

Various Cal State Fullerton faculty members will assist in the studies, including botanist Ted L. Hanes and geography professor William J. Lloyd. Students also will be part of the study team, Saint said.

“Our campus has developed a strong interdisciplinary team to carry out these projects for state agencies,” Saint said. “The work on these projects will train students for research and generate reports that will affect water quality management in Southern California for several years.”