Pacific Gas & Electric covered up groundwater contamination that poisoned Hinkley, California residents

Hinkley: When a Utility Giant Poisoned a Town and Called It Safe

For decades, residents of Hinkley, California had no idea what was happening beneath their feet. PG&E's compressor station, operating since the 1950s, was systematically contaminating the groundwater with chromium-6—a toxic chemical the company used as a rust inhibitor. While families drank, cooked with, and bathed in poisoned water, the utility quietly assured them that everything was fine.

The claim emerged from residents who noticed an alarming cluster of illnesses in their small desert community. Cancer rates were abnormally high. People reported serious health problems that seemed to follow no obvious pattern except geography—they lived near the PG&E facility. Some residents began asking questions about what might be in their water. Their suspicions pointed directly at the utility company that had operated the compressor station for years without meaningful public disclosure about its chemical practices.

PG&E's response was dismissive and reassuring in equal measure. The company initially downplayed concerns about chromium-6, suggesting that if it was present, the levels were insignificant. More troublingly, the utility suggested the chemical was actually beneficial—some promotional materials even implied chromium-6 had health benefits. This messaging directly contradicted what independent researchers and toxicologists understood about the chemical's carcinogenic properties. The company had invested in a narrative of safety precisely because admitting the truth would expose them to liability.

But the evidence was unmistakable once investigators looked closely. Testing of groundwater samples revealed chromium-6 contamination at concentrations far exceeding safe levels established by environmental regulators. The contamination spread across a significant area, affecting numerous residential wells. Medical documentation showed elevated cancer rates among residents who had consumed the over extended periods. Internal PG&E documents, which emerged during litigation, revealed that company officials knew about the contamination earlier than publicly acknowledged and had deliberately minimized the risks in their communications.