Crews Start Cleanup of McColl Surface Soil

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency crews clad in protective suits and breathing masks began excavation of surface soil at the McColl hazardous waste dump in Fullerton on Monday to halt seepage of acid sludge on the site.

The corrosive waste has oozed through a protective cap to the surface in several spots at the eight-acre dump, prompting concern for renewed noxious air emissions in surrounding neighborhoods, EPA officials said.

“The purpose of the work being done is to minimize any odor problems” while a lengthy environmental impact study on cleanup of the dump is under way, said a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is monitoring the remedial work at McColl.

William E. Lewis, coordinator for the weeklong excavation and testing project, said 100 cubic yards of surface soil will be excavated and stored on the site in a “hermetically sealed” protective vinyl “envelope.”

“We think the weight of the dirt over the (protective) cap may actually be worsening the problem and causing the stuff to seep to the surface,” Lewis explained.

Because of the toxic nature of the World War II aviation fuel wastes deposited at McColl in the 1940s, he said, extensive air monitoring is being done and work crews are wearing protective gear during the excavation.

Lewis said Monday that monitoring equipment registered “slightly elevated levels” of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and organic compounds like benzene at the excavation site. But those measurable readings fell to “background levels” a few feet away from the excavation site, he said.

James Birakos, deputy executive officer for the air quality district, confirmed Lewis’ findings with reports from agency inspectors at the site and in the adjacent neighborhoods.

“We’ll have an inspector there all week long, and we are prepared to cease all operations if odors reach a point of concern,” Birakos said.

A $26.5-million federal Superfund cleanup project was to begin removing the foul-smelling acid sludge last May. But the 40-week excavation and redisposal project was blocked by a Superior Court injunction May 31.

The unfavorable court decision, prompted by Kern County opposition to disposal of McColl waste there, has forced state toxics officials to do their first-ever environmental impact report and has led to “significant cost overruns” of more than $1.6 million, authorities said.

The court-ordered delay has also prompted the EPA to re-examine other cleanup methods ranging from containment on site to biological treatment to sophisticated incineration or thermal refining techniques, alternatives rejected years ago as too costly.

The remedial measures undertaken this week are intended to “stabilize” the site and control air emissions during an estimated 12 to 18 months of studies, according to officials for the EPA and state Department of Health Services, the lead agency for the cleanup project.

The McColl dump was created in the mid-1940s when oil companies deposited high-octane military aviation fuel waste in 12 sumps operated by Eli McColl, an oil industry consultant who leased the eight-acre area from ranchers in rural northwest Fullerton, where oil-drilling rigs dotted petroleum-rich hills.

Under Vacant Field

The dump now sits under a vacant field and part of the Los Coyotes Country Club golf course. It is bordered on three sides by expensive, well-tended homes. Controversy over the dump’s noxious odors surfaced in 1978 and 1979 as homes built around the dump site were occupied.

State health officials have determined that the refinery waste contains highly toxic sulfuric acid, benzene and arsenic. Before a canvas cover and layers of dirt were placed over the sumps, sulfur dioxide fumes caused residents to suffer headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, especially during hot weather.

In the early 1980s, McColl was considered the No. 1 hazardous waste dump in California and the most expensive federal Superfund project in the nation. Since then, other more expensive projects have been undertaken and the state has revised its method of ranking toxic waste sites.