Firms Accused of Dumping Tainted Soil
Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn on Monday accused three companies of involvement in illegal dumping of gasoline-soaked soil at the Bradley Landfill in Sun Valley.
Hahn’s office brought a criminal complaint against Unocal Corp. and two Paramount-based companies, L. Blain Co. and Hawkeye Equipment Co.
Unocal hired the other two firms to remove a leaking gasoline storage tank from one of its service stations in Pacoima and to excavate the contaminated soil around it.
On June 6, a driver for Hawkeye was caught at the privately owned Bradley Landfill, seeking to unload a truckload of gasoline-soaked dirt from the service station site, according to Hahn’s office.
Hawkeye and L. Blain Co. were accused of one count each of knowingly transporting hazardous waste to a landfill not licensed to accept such material and of attempting to dispose of such waste at an improper site. Each count is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000.
Unocal also was accused of failing to determine whether the waste was hazardous and of failing to prepare a hazardous-waste manifest before transporting the material, Hahn’s office said. Arraignment is set for April 23 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.
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