OXNARD : Neighbors Assail New Electric Plant

A new electric plant on Diaz Avenue in Oxnard prompted complaints Tuesday from neighboring business owners who said it has produced excessive noise and pollutants.

Two business owners in northeast Oxnard asked the City Council to take action to regulate E.F. Oxnard Inc. Energy Facility, a cogeneration energy plant that opened last month.

Kevin McCulloch, who owns McCulloch Towing on East 5th Street, told the council that the plant on Diaz Avenue has been producing excessive noise in recent weeks.

“I can’t even hear the phone ring in my own office,” he said.

Last month, when the plant began its start-up phase, steam pipes from the plant sprayed nearby businesses with a black, ash-like substance, he said.

The plant operators paid to wash the substance off cars that were stored in the tow yard, McCulloch said.

Another business owner who said he owns property behind the plant said the high-pitched noise from the plant made him ill.

Plant Manager John Koerber apologized for the noise and told the council that the plant operators will try to address all the complaints.

Koerber said he is not sure what black substance was emitted from the plant, but said it might have occurred when high-pressure steam was used to clean out the plant’s pipes.

Councilwoman Dorothy Maron asked the city staff to investigate the complaints and draft a report for the council’s review.

Community Development Director Richard Maggio said complaints about noise are common during the start-up of an energy plant. But he said the city will monitor the plant’s operation and recommend ways to reduce the noise.