Charges Filed Against Disposal Firm

Criminal charges were filed last week accusing the owner of a Wilmington disposal company of illegally storing a toxic carcinogen in rusted and leaking barrels.

Paul Alan de Vries, 33, of Huntington Beach was charged Thursday with 12 violations of the state Health and Safety Code, which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald Kass.

A routine inspection of Roehl Disposal Corp. by state health officials in March led to the discovery of several 55-gallon drums of perchlorethylene that were rusted, leaking or contained no lid, Kass said. Perchlorethylene, or PCE, is a toxic chemical commonly used in the dry-cleaning process. There was a total of about 300 drums of the chemical on the property, officials said.

De Vries and his company are also awaiting trial on four felony charges for the alleged illegal disposal of perchlorethylene at the Wilmington plant, said Deputy Dist. Atty. William Carter.

On two of those charges, De Vries and the company are accused of mixing perchlorethylene waste water with sawdust and putting the mixture into dumpsters that were emptied at local landfills, Carter said. The company also is accused of dumping liquid waste water that included perchlorethylene into an adjacent lot, he said.

De Vries’ trial on the felony charges is scheduled for Sept. 13. If found guilty on all counts, he could be sentenced to four years in prison and at least $250,000 in fines, Carter said.