Anti-Sludge Work Starts at McColl Dump

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 dirt and canvas cap 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 such as benzene at the excavation site. But those measurable readings fell to “background levels” a few feet from the excavation site, he 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.