5 Tracts Studied for Toxic-Waste Transfer Station

Four industrial tracts in the northeast San Fernando Valley and a fifth between Glendale and Griffith Park are identified in a draft report as potential sites for a hazardous-waste transfer station to serve East Valley businesses that generate small quantities of toxic waste.

The transfer station would serve as the hub of a toxic waste collection system aimed at protecting East Valley ground water from further contamination. Petroleum, solvent and acid wastes collected from East Valley firms would be temporarily stored before they are shipped to recycling and disposal sites.

The draft report, prepared for the Southern California Assn. of Governments by SCS Engineers, a consulting firm, names as one potential site the city-owned land adjacent to the Department of Water and Power’s electric generating plant east of San Fernando Road in Sun Valley.

Possible Sites The report, submitted to the association last week, says two privately owned parcels on Sheldon Street, bordering the power plant, also might make suitable sites for the transfer station.

The report names two other potential sites for the transfer station: the Los Angeles Department of Public Works’ maintenance yard on San Fernando Road in Pacoima and a privately owned tract near the intersection of the Ventura Freeway and Golden State Freeway, just west of south Glendale.

Site selection and other aspects of the collection system will be discussed Wednesday by an association of governments committee chaired by Los Angeles City Councilman Howard Finn, whose East Valley district covers much of the area that would be served.

The City Council’s public works committee will be briefed on the plan Monday afternoon by officials from the association and from the Department of Public Works’ bureau of sanitation.

The idea for a hazardous waste collection system was spurred by the discovery several years ago of traces of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene--both solvents suspected of causing cancer--in East Valley ground-water wells. Unacceptable levels of the chemicals have led to the closing of 12 of the DWP’s 73 wells in the North Hollywood-Van Nuys area and to the shutdown of four of Burbank’s 10 wells.

The program would offer waste collection similar to garbage pickup for producers of small amounts of toxic waste in North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Burbank, Sun Valley, Pacoima, San Fernando and neighboring communities. Officials with the association of governments believe that such small firms often lack the money or expertise to dispose of their wastes properly and that they aren’t watched by environmental agencies as closely as bigger firms are. Officials hope that by pooling small volumes of waste, these firms would have lower disposal costs and less incentive to break the law.

Although the extent of illegal dumping in the East Valley is unknown, surveys conducted by SCS for the association of governments suggest that at least a few firms may be pouring wastes on the ground or dumping them down storm drains. The surveys also suggested that about 70% of the wastes produced by small generators are being recycled.

Although the council of governments has been pushing the waste collection plan, it will be up to the City of Los Angeles--possibly in league with Burbank and Glendale--to decide if the program ever gets off the ground.

SCS says the transfer station would be a fenced area of 1 to 1 1/2 acres where drums of waste would be stored on a concrete pad for days or weeks, until enough accumulates to justify a trip to a dump or recycling plant.

The consulting firm said each of the candidate sites is in an industrial area and is at least 1,000 feet from any residential zoning.

The consultants say the transfer station would probably cost about $375,000 to build, not counting site acquisition costs. It would also cost more than $80,000 annually to run the facility.

SCS has estimated that there are about 1,000 companies within the proposed service area that generate small amounts of hazardous wastes--typically, between 5 gallons and 200 gallons per month. They include automotive shops, metal plating companies and aircraft businesses.

The firm estimates that about half the companies would participate and that the collection service would handle about 220,000 gallons of toxic wastes per year.

Some officials with the bureau of sanitation, which would play a key role in setting up the program, have said that these estimates may be unrealistic and that there might not be enough business to justify the effort.

Del Biagi, director of the bureau, said that firms already recycling wastes probably will not be interested and that illegal dumpers may not change their ways.