Irvine : Firms Face Charges in Chemical Spills
Representatives of two Irvine industrial firms are scheduled to face arraignment Aug. 21 in Central Municipal Court on charges of illegal pollution of state waters.
Warden Jan Yost of the state Department of Fish and Game said hazardous chemical spills from both plants poured into Lane Channel, then into San Diego Creek and eventually into the environmentally sensitive Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve.
However, no loss of wildlife was attributed to the incidents, she added. Yost said 250 gallons of muriatic acid, used to clean rust from machinery, leaked from a damaged tank during a weekend and were discovered on Monday, May 19, by workers at the Science Applications International Corp., 18872 Bardeen Ave.
A month later, more then 300 gallons of isopropyl alcohol were assertedly spilled at the Container Corp. of America plant at 1600 Barranca Road. Yost said plugged drains prevented the chemical from reaching waste storage tanks. Instead, it flowed into the state-controlled waterways, she added.
Unlawful pollution of state waters is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine and one year in jail, officials said.
King Golden, attorney for Science Applications, headquartered in La Jolla, said he could not comment on the case Tuesday because he had not yet received a complete report.
A spokesman for Container Corp. did not return several telephone calls by late Tuesday afternoon.
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