Toxic waste lagoons endanger neighborhood

Dave Brooks

A local toxic landfill is in danger of leaking hazardous substances

into the street and needs to be immediately cleaned up, officials

from the Department of Toxic Substances said.

Heavy winter rains may have compromised several protective berms

around two hazardous waste lagoons at the Ascon Landfill site at the

corner of Hamilton Avenue and Magnolia Street in Southeast Huntington

Beach. Further rain could cause the berms to give way, spilling

hazardous waste left over from decades of oil drilling.

“If the berm gives way and this stuff starts oozing in the street,

we got a serious problem,” Councilman Don Hansen said.

Heading off a larger study and eventual clean up, the Department

of Toxic Substances said it will take immediate action to protect the

berms and clean up the site.

“The urgency is that if we get any rain again, the integrity of

the berms were not engineered to hold that much water,” said Jeanne

Garcia, department spokeswoman. .

About 90 truck trips a day will be needed to remove hazardous

waste and dirt from the site. Department officials estimate it will

take four to six months to remove about 28,000 cubic yards of waste.

Workers also plan to reshape and lower a berm along Hamilton Avenue.

The department also plans to hold an open house and meeting on the

emergency operation at 6 p.m. July 6 in the Huntington Beach City

Council Chambers.

Nearby residents said they were alarmed by the potential threat,

but want to ensure the proposed cleanup doesn’t harm their quality of

living.

“We’re down wind and everything from that site can be picked up by

the wind and dropped off into our houses,” Southeast Huntington Beach

Neighborhood Assn. Chairperson Steve Homer said.

Besides the threat of toxic substances, Homer said he plans to

monitor truck traffic on the street, as well as issues with dust and

noise.

“As a neighborhood association, we’re going to watch very closely

to make sure they adhere to the guidelines of the (Department of

Toxic Substances),” he said.

A larger, total cleanup of the site has been in the works for some

time. A half-century of dumping at Ascon has contaminated soil and

groundwater at the 38-acre site, creating five dark, oily lagoons and

a 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.

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.

Researchers have found a number of active pollutants at the site

including organic compounds found in crude oil and petroleum waste

such as benzene, benzidine, styrene, arsenic and lead.

The eight companies responsible for the waste are in the process

of extensive testing of the soil, air and groundwater, department

spokesperson Garcia said.

“The responsible parties are evaluating a feasibility study to see

what is the best way to re-mediate the site with minimal impact,” she

added.

Total cleanup of the site is expected to take about three years to

complete, Garcia said, and will begin in 18 to 24 months.

Hansen said he’d like to see the area converted to a new use.

“To me, having a toxic waste dump next to a high school and a

community park just doesn’t add up,” he said. “I personally want to

see it cleaned up to the highest possible level.”