Anaheim : Salvage Firm Will Ask to Keep Car Waste at Yard

Orange County Steel Salvage Inc. will ask the City Council today to renew a permit allowing temporary storage of shredded automobile and appliance residue at its salvage yard.

Owner George Adams Jr. is appealing the city Planning Commission’s refusal last Jan. 20 to extend a one-year conditional use permit to store a 40,000-ton pile of hazardous waste that has accumulated over the last 20 months.

The 35-foot-high stockpile was originally deemed marginally hazardous by California health officials because of elevated lead levels. But state tests have since confirmed that it also contains highly toxic PCBs at as much as double the maximum limit.

The state Department of Health Services’ toxics division notified Adams on Feb. 27 that he was storing hazardous waste in violation of state laws. Last week, state officials referred the case to the Orange County district attorney and the Anaheim city attorney for possible criminal prosecution. A decision was expected by next week.

Meanwhile, state health officials have said they are consulting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on proper disposal methods for the hazardous waste.

Adams, in support of his appeal to the City Council, has submitted independent test results showing levels of PCBs well below the state maximum of 50 parts per million for solid waste.

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are known to cause cancer in rats and mice, and liver damage in humans. Their manufacture was discontinued in the United States in 1976.

At a Jan. 20 Planning Commission hearing, Adams said he was working with state officials to find an approved site for the waste but that he was being “whipsawed” between state health and water agencies over proper disposal methods and sites.

Irate commission members noted that despite repeated warnings, Adams had failed to screen his property from view. They said he also failed to provide adequate parking or obtain state and local permits for a helicopter and heliport, and continued to operate a retail auto parts business without a license.

Chairwoman Charlene La Claire termed it the most “flagrant abuse” she had seen in 11 years on the planning body.

Expressing concern about possible contamination of nearby ground water supplies from the lead in the waste pile, commissioners voted 6 to 0 to revoke a one-year storage permit granted in November, 1984.

If the commission action is upheld, Adams will be operating in violation of city zoning ordinances and could be subject to further legal action, a city zoning code enforcement officer said Monday.