Pomona : Cleanup of Tainted Soil

Builders Emporium has begun removing contaminated soil from its warehouse site on Surveyor Street after a Pomona Fire Department inspection found that used motor oil and solvents had been dumped on the ground.

Lyn LaRochelle, division chief and fire marshal, said Builders Emporium shut down its vehicle maintenance garage and hired a hazardous waste cleanup company after the Fire Department discovered the problem last week.

John Kearney, executive vice president, said employees in the garage failed to follow proper procedures for the disposal of used oil. He said that the company immediately closed the garage but that operations in the adjoining warehouse, which has 140 employees, were not disrupted.