Toxic Site Will be Studied Again; No Timetable on Cleanup

The state health department told county officials and Escondido residents Thursday that $1.5 million has been allocated to yet another study of the Chatham Brothers barrel yard in Escondido, this time to determine if underground water at the site has become contaminated.

The yard has undergone a number of studies since it was identified as a toxic waste site by the state in 1981, but no efforts have been made to clean up the substances, which include polyvinyl chlorides and other carcinogens.

Alex Cunningham, chief deputy director of the toxics division of the state Department of Health Services, said at an informational meeting at the Vista County Courthouse that further study of the ground water is warranted because the water table “is only a few feet below ground” and toxic materials from the site may have seeped into wells or into Felicita Creek and from there into Lake Hodges, which serves Rancho Santa Fe and part of the San Dieguito area with drinking water.

State health officials promised that local meetings will be held to obtain community opinion and to disseminate information about the study results, but they could not estimate how much the Chatham site cleanup will cost or when it will be finished.

Diane Takvorian, a resident of the southwest Escondido area where the toxic dump site is situated and a member of the local advisory subcommittee, questioned state officials about the hazards posed to homeowners who have moved nearby. She said about 90 new houses were built or are being completed in the immediate area.

Cunningham and other state officials said land-use decisions, including the construction of housing near the dump, are matters for local government, not the state.

He estimated that cleanup might be started at the Chatham site within a year if state funds are available and if no major ground-water contamination problems are uncovered in the upcoming study.

The Chatham oil-recovery business operated from 1941 to 1981. The 10-acre yard is near the intersection of Gamble Lane and Bernardo Ave.

County Supervisor John MacDonald, who called the informational meeting, questioned state officials about the causes of the seven-year delay in beginning the cleanup, but received no direct answers.

Health department spokesmen conceded that the cleanup has been delayed because of a turnover of personnel in the toxic division, but stressed that funding, which is determined year to year, has not allowed long-range planning for cleanup projects.