Last year, it was discovered that there was a higher than normal amount of birth defects in Kettleman City, California. Because of this factor, Barbara Boxer put a delay on the growth of a nearby landfill, until the investigations of the birth defects are completed. There is reason to believe that the landfill might have an impact of the high levels of arsenic in the drinking water of the city and therefore could be hazardous to the people’s health. The drinking water test showed that there were high levels of arsenic, “a naturally occurring element in California soils that also is used in pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and metal alloys,” according to Louis Sahagun in his article “Feinstein, Boxer call for delay on plans to expand Central Valley landfill,” in the Los Angeles Times on February 10, 2010. Although not known yet, this may be a cause to the birth defects of the area. By using GIS and we can make a map overlaying different layers of water runoff, landfill runoff, and also wind patterns to help investigate the reasons as to why there are so many birth defects in Kettleman City, CA.

                We can make a map of Kettleman City and its surrounding areas and overlay the contours of the land around agricultural sites and rivers to see if there are any problems with the runoff. By making this map, we will be able to see if any of this runoff is improperly going into the water systems of Kettleman City. If so, this could be a reason why the arsenic concentration in the drinking water is so high. Further investigation would be needed in order to determine the effects of arsenic on human life. Also, this map could help show that there are no problems with the runoff and will allow investigators to move onto the next investigation. It is important to note that the team should investigate the kinds of pesticides used in the nearby farms.

                We can also make a map show possible landfill runoff. Two years ago, according to the article, “the site took in 400,000 tons of hazardous waste, including cancer-causing PBCs.” Although the landfill “is among the most heavily regulated and monitored facilities of its kind in the nation,” many residents in surrounding cities have observed safety violations of the facility. Therefore, this could mean that a leak in the system. Besides investigating and finding a leak, when found a map should be made to assess where the leaks goes to. This will show if the leak heads to groundwater that the cities are getting their drinking water from or maybe a nearby river of stream. If it does, it can be brought up to investigators that the many PBCs in the landfill could be leaking into the water and getting into the drinking water from Kettleman City. This could be the problem as to why there are birth defects in the area.

                Furthermore, landfills are not only hazardous for the chemicals they hold, but also the particulate matter and chemicals that are released into the air. This could pose health threats to surrounding areas that are downwind from the landfill. If we overlay the Kettleman City area with a general wind pattern map, we will be able to see if the fumes from the landfill do indeed travels over the Kettleman City. We will then be able to see if the decades of exposure to smog and particulates have had an effect on the birth defects.

                Birth defects are a big problem in Kettleman City because people do not know what the direct cause is. We can only begin to assume that it could be because of the large landfill near the city. By using GIS maps properly, we can assess the situation to find the problem. We can find out if the cause is pesticide runoff into the drinking water or landfill leak into a ground water tap. Or maybe even the exposure to particulates in air from being downwind of the landfill is the leading problem. Whatever it may be, the GIS maps will help pin point the direct cause and thus begin the steps that need to be taken to prevent further defects.