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U.S. EPA APPROVES PLAN TO CLEAN UP DEL AMO SUPERFUND SITE

Release Date: 9/11/1997
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

     (San Francisco)-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has approved a plan to cap waste pits and clean  underlying contaminated soil at the Del Amo Superfund Site near Torrance, Calif.

     "This plan is the most effective to address the toxic threat and protect the neighboring community," said Keith Takata, U.S. EPA's Superfund director. "We made this decision only after carefully reviewing public comments and the environmental problems at Del Amo. This plan is the best solution, especially in light of the responsible parties voluntary buyout of nearby homes."  

     Under the new plan, U.S. EPA will cap the waste pits by installing protective layers of materials over the pits, which will prevent the waste from moving to the surface. In order to address the migration of contaminants to groundwater, the contaminated soil beneath the pits will be cleaned using a process that draws contaminated vapors out of the soil and treats them to air quality standards before releasing them.

     The cleanup is estimated to cost about $9 million. U.S. EPA will seek to have the responsible parties design, construct, operate, and pay for the cap and soil vapor system.

     The Del Amo site was a synthetic rubber manufacturing facility from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s, and wastes from the facility were disposed of in pits, which are contaminated with volatile organic compounds.