State Designates 150 Dumps, Landfills for Testing for Hazardous Waste Leaks

The state Water Resources Control Board on Thursday designated 150 dumps and landfills for testing to determine whether they are leaking hazardous wastes.

They are among more than 1,800 solid waste sites that have not been included on earlier lists of hazardous waste sites. Legislation enacted last year requires the board to rank the 1,800 sites statewide according to potential hazards and then requires surveys at the rate of 150 per year.

Solid waste sites do not accept hazardous wastes, but there is concern over screening procedures, illegal dumping and disposal of toxic household wastes such as paint thinner and some cleaners, a board spokesman said.

“I want to emphasize that placement on this list does not mean the site leaks or has a problem,” the board’s chairman, Raymond Stone, said.

“It merely ranks the sites in priority for potential problems. Many of the reasons for putting a site high on the list have little to do with how the site is operated.”

He said some sites were ranked high because they are in industrial areas and near highway networks where illegal dumping would have been relatively easy. Other sites were ranked high because they are close to usable ground waters, he said.

Stone said the testing will “either detect problems or help us reassure the public that the site in question is safe.”

Owners of the sites will be required next year to check for leakage and submit reports on the types of wastes that have accumulated. The board’s staff will be authorized to order more extensive tests and monitoring if it appears there are problems at a site such as contamination of ground water.

Here are the dump sites listed in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties:

Los Angeles County: Ascon Landfill, Azusa Street Dump No. 1 and No. 2 (Industry), Bradley-West Landfill, Chiquita Canyon Landfill, Norwalk Landfill, Owl Park (Irwindale), Puente Hills Landfill No. 6, Sheldon Arleta Landfill, Azusa Land Reclamation, BKK Landfill, Calabasas Landfill, Mission Canyon Landfill, Operating Industries Landfill, Palos Verdes Landfill, Scholl Canyon Landfill, Spadra Landfill No. 2.

Riverside County-: Blythe Landfill, Bauman’s Auto Wrecking Site, Fredericks Development Co., Riverside City Landfill, West Riverside Landfill, Corona Landfill, Highgrove Landfill, Stringfellow Site.

San Bernardino County: Cajon Landfill, Fontana Landfill, Redlands Landfill, Colton Landfill, Milliken Landfill, Upland City Landfill, Apple Valley Landfill, Heap’s Peak Landfill, Phelan Landfill, Barstow Landfill, Lenwood Hinkley Landfill, Victorville Landfill, Big Bear Landfill, Twentynine Palms Site.