SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Feb. 20, 2013 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a $1.62 million settlement with 47 parties for contamination at the Operating Industries, Inc. (OII) Superfund Site in Monterey Park, Calif. Each of these parties was responsible for sending a relatively small volume, between 4,200 and 110,000 gallons, of liquid hazardous waste to the OII landfill during decades of operation.
This is the last settlement EPA expects to sign for the OII site, paving the way for the community to restore this site to productive use. Over the last 25 years, EPA has secured $600 million worth of cash and commitments for cleanup work from the parties responsible for contamination at the site. Environmental problems included toxic gas emissions, contaminated surface water runoff, and pollution of the local groundwater.
"With this final settlement for the OII landfill, we’ve reached a key milestone," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "Now we are working with the responsible parties to ensure that a portion of the site can be developed for the benefit of the local economy."
OII is a 190-acre site divided into two parcels by the Pomona Freeway, the 45-acre North Parcel and the 145-acre South Parcel. Most of the OII’s landfill activities took place on the South Parcel. Most of the North Parcel is currently being remediated in preparation for potential redevelopment.
EPA finalized the cleanup plan in 1996 which selected a comprehensive site-wide remedy. The final plan prevents migration of liquids and gases beyond the landfill perimeter. In addition, a landfill cap and cover has been installed that prevents rainwater from seeping into the landfill and gas from leaking out. These measures will prevent exposure to contaminated groundwater and ensure that contamination levels meet federal cleanup standards.
EPA has entered into a total of nine consent decrees and eight smaller “de minimis” settlements with more than 1,150 responsible parties. EPA will receive $812,000 from the settlement announced today as reimbursement for federal response costs related to the site. The remaining funds will be used by the potentially responsible parties to fund cleanup work at the site. The settlement was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 28, 2013, opening a 30-day public comment period.
The OII Site operated as a landfill from 1948 to 1984. EPA identified the OII Site as an environmental problem in the early 1980s and placed it on the National Priorities List in 1986. Over the course of its operation, the landfill accepted industrial solid, liquid and hazardous wastes, as well as municipal solid waste. The landfill has received more than 300 million gallons of manifested waste from approximately 4,000 entities.
###
