TAKING HAZARDOUS SPILLS

The Orange County Hazardous Materials Team, administered by the county Health Care Agency division of environmental health, responds to calls on chemical spills and other incidents involving hazardous materials. Sometimes it goes to the site, other times it advises citizens or local fire departments over the phone.

Of 17 local fire departments in Orange County (16 city departments plus the county), three have hazardous materials units that cover the entire county through mutual aid agreements--Anaheim, Huntington Beach and the county station in Irvine. HAZMAT is called in most, but not all, incidents. Following is HAZMAT’s spill response log for October.

Date Location Material of Incident Handler 10/3 2101 Tuffree Blvd. Unknown; Placentia illegal dump 10/4 Space Age Delivery Same 7397 Doig Drive Garden Grove 10/4 1980 Lake St. Unknown; Huntington Beach illegal dump 10/5 County Sanitation Facility Unknown; Ellis Avenue illegal dump Fountain Valley 10/6 1401 Avocado Ave. Unknown Newport Beach 10/7 UC Irvine, north campus Unknown 10/8 Condo complex dumpster Life Data 2829 S. Fairview St. 2827 S. Fairview St. Santa Ana Santa Ana 10/9 Gas 24 Same 19501 Beach Blvd. Huntington Beach 10/11 Westbound 91 Freeway Unknown transition to northbound 57 Freeway 10/12 Yaeger Manufacturing Unknown 2222 E. Orangethorpe Ave. Anaheim 10/13 McDonnell Douglas Unknown 15282 Newsboy Huntington Beach 10/14 17152 Armstrong Ave. Unknown Irvine 10/15 Parnelli Jones, Inc. Same 1690 N. Tustin St. Orange 10/16 Jimmie’s Custom Same Spray Service 220 Oswego Huntington Beach 10/17 McDonnell Douglas Same 10/20 1650 Monrovia Ave. Unknown Costa Mesa 10/20 22500 Muirlands Blvd. Unknown El Toro 10/21 Shell, 2249 Harbor Blvd. Same Costa Mesa 10/23 Beach Boulevard Unknown & Bolsa Avenue Midway City 10/24 1702 Edinger Ave. Unknown Tustin 10/25 1236 S. Magnolia Ave. Unknown Anaheim 10/25 Santiago Canyon Road Unknown illegal hauler 10/25 Chapman Avenue, Unknown west of Lewis Street Garden Grove 10/25 Interstate 5 Unknown at Avery Parkway illegal hauler 10/26 Lamination Corp. of America Same 7311 Doig Drive Garden Grove 10/27 Times Orange County Edition Same 1375 Sunflower Ave. Costa Mesa 10/28 7225 Orangethorpe Ave. 7-Up Bottling Co. Buena Park

Date Materials Involved 10/3 Unknown 10/4 Nitric acid 10/4 Unknown 10/5 Unknown 10/6 Infectious waste 10/7 Lab chemicals 10/8 Infectious waste 10/9 Gasoline 10/11 Duisbam E mixed with water 10/12 Unknown 10/13 Unknown 10/14 Unknown (sulfide odor, milky liquid) 10/15 Waste oil 10/16 Carbaryl 10/17 Chromic acid 10/20 Abandoned drums (possibly wasteoil) 10/20 Abandoned drums 10/21 Gasoline to soil 10/23 Unknown petroleum product 10/24 Hydrochloric acid 10/25 Paint-like material 10/25 Resins, chlor solvents 10/25 Diesel spill to flood control 10/25 Hazardous wastes 10/26 Chlorinated solvents to dumpster 10/27 Chromic acid in cooling tower water 10/28 Unknown

Source: Orange County Health Care Agency, environmental health division