The State : EPA Orders Probe at Firm

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the Jasco Chemical Corp. to perform a thorough investigation of pollution at the site on which it operates in Mountain View, about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Ground water at the site is contaminated with a variety of solvents and the property is a candidate for the EPA’s National Priorities List of the worst hazardous waste sites in the country. “Jasco must be held accountable for cleanup of the pollution it has caused,” said Jeff Zelikson, director of EPA’s Toxics and Waste Management Division. The EPA said residents in the area are in no immediate danger because the contaminants have not yet spread to drinking water wells. The cleanup is necessary to prevent such contamination in the future. The firm is operating at the site under a similar study order from the Regional Water Quality Control Board but both watchdog groups are dissatisfied with the pace of the company’s progress. Company officials were unavailable for comment. Jasco has installed ground water monitoring wells, taken soil samples and removed some contaminated soil.