Toxic dump cleanup close

Jenny Marder

Some Southeast Huntington Beach residents worry that the three-year

cleanup of the Ascon toxic dump site will disturb their quiet

neighborhood. Others are relieved that there seems to be an end in

sight.

Seven of the oil companies responsible for more than four decades

of dumping have agreed to clean up the contaminated Ascon dump site,

regulators for the state Department of Toxic Substances Control told

residents at a public forum at Eader Elementary School last week.

An eighth company, Exxon Mobil, did not agree to participate in

the cleanup, but will do so anyway, thanks to a state mandate.

“I’m saddened that it’s taken so long, but I was pleased to hear

that they have a consent agreement and that the project will be

moving forward,” said Huntington Beach resident Gary Gorman, who

lives just down the street from the former dump site.

Data from test results and proposed cleanup options were also

shared with the public. This marked the first time the community had

been invited to a meeting about the toxic site, said Jeanne Garcia,

spokeswoman for the California Department of Toxic Substances

Control.

State regulators concluded that cleanup of the site is necessary,

given the levels of contaminants found in soil and groundwater

samples.

Cleanup is expected to begin in about a year and a half, and take

about three years to complete, said Thomas Cota, chief of the Cypress

branch of the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

While health risks are minimal, studies indicate that living near

the dump site for an extended period of time could have harmful

health effects, said Michael Schum, a toxicologist who specializes in

inhalation exposures. Among those who have had continuous exposure

for 30 years, the risk of contracting cancer is nine in 10,000 --

nearly one in 1,000.

The 38-acre site, at the southwest corner of Hamilton Avenue and

Magnolia Street has five dark, oily lagoons and one covered styrene

pit surrounded by piles of tires, pipes, wood piles and other

construction debris.

Until 1984, Ascon was a functioning landfill for nearly 50 years

and as such, a receptacle for noxious waste. Much of the waste came

from oil drilling operations and included drilling muds, wastewater

brines and other drilling wastes.

From 1957 to 1971, chromic acid, sulfuric acid, fuel oils and a

form of plastic called styrene were also dumped on the site as well

as asphalt, concrete, metal, soil and wood.

Over the past year, samples were collected from lagoons,

groundwater and soil and analyzed for contaminants. Contaminants of

concern that were detected include organic compounds found in crude

oil and petroleum waste, such as benzene, benzidine and styrene, and

arsenic, lead and other metals.

Schum said he was relieved to discover that airborne

concentrations did not appear high enough to pose a risk.

Seven of the companies responsible for the dumping, Atlantic

Richfield Co., Chevron Environmental Management Co., Conoco Inc.,

Phillips Petroleum, Dow Chemical Co., Shell Oil Co., Southern

California Edison, Northrop Grumman Space and Mission System Corp.

have agreed to clean up the mess and have signed a consent form

agreeing to investigate and cleanup the site.

Only Exxon Mobil failed to consent, but is being forced by state

mandate to participate and take part in the cost anyway, Garcia said.

Residents at the meeting complained that the project has not moved

forward for years. Many were also worried about the adverse impacts

that construction could potentially pose such as traffic, noise and

added pollution.

“Why are we spending over a year and a half reinventing the

wheel?” one neighbor asked. “It seems like this process has just been

dragged out over the years.”

Others were just glad they were being informed.

“I realize that there is a process that this has to go through,

and I know it does take some time,” Gorman said. “It sounds like they

now have a viable plan.”

State officials are committed to getting the clean-up done in a

timely fashion, Cota said.

“I understand how long it’s taking,” he said. “We are committed to

seeing this through and we are making sure that things do move

ahead.”

Cota added that the companies, all industrial powerhouses, have

the technical and financial capabilities to see this type of cleanup

through and assured residents that state regulators will be on site

to oversee all stages of the process. Toxicologists, engineers and

geologists will be there as well, he said.

“We know that the site needs to be cleaned up and we want to do it

in the most protective way possible,” Cota said. “Health and safety

is a key concern for us.”

Resident Jane Campbell, who lives nearby, said that she is

confident that clean up will get done now that the responsible

companies have stepped up, adding that she trusts the state officials

who are manning the inspection and cleanup.

“They are very detail oriented and very careful when it comes to

public health,” she said.

Southeast Huntington Beach resident Pete Minko hopes that, once

cleaned, the site could be converted to a park or open space, which

he said is lacking in the immediate vicinity.

“We don’t have enough open land,” he said. “Look at Seacliff.

They’re getting a beautiful new sports center.”

An environmental impact report is being done, said Haissam

Salloum, a supervisor in the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

The report should take 18 months to draft, Salloum said. In the

meantime, the department will monitor the site, collecting air and

groundwater samples.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.