Local News in Brief : Cleanup Begins Today at Site of Chemical Containers in Acton
The cleanup of an Acton site where 50 leaky containers of potentially dangerous chemicals were left by the former owner of the property will begin today, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The county Health Department, members of the sheriff’s hazardous materials unit and a private company will be involved in the one-day cleanup, spokesman David Hogan said. The property’s former owner, Leslie Lynch, now a resident of San Diego County, left the containers of granulated and liquid acids at the site where he ran an ore assaying business until 1983, authorities said.
Hogan said mercury, a dangerous metal, has been found at the location and some acids have been discovered in the containers. Investigators will determine the nature of the remainder of the materials after the cleanup. There is concern that the chemicals may have contaminated nearby drinking water.
Hogan said officials will decide whether charges will be filed against Lynch after the cleanup.
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