FULLERTON : EPA Reports on Test Digs at McColl Site

Recent test digs at the McColl dump site show that aviation fuel waste could be removed without significant impact to the community, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report.

Agency officials presented those findings to more than 100 neighbors of the dump site at a meeting this week.

While EPA spokesman Fraser Felter told residents that the trial excavations conducted in June and July were an important step toward cleaning the site, he warned that safeguards are needed before the waste can be removed.

Tents must be erected to prevent emissions from escaping into surrounding neighborhoods, he said, and waste material must be treated before it is disposed of elsewhere. The total cost of the trial excavation was $1.3 million.

The McColl Site Group, representing Atlantic Richfield, Phillips Petroleum, Shell, Texaco and Union Oil, objected to the EPA findings. They said that the trial excavation was not successful, and that the EPA is not any closer to a solution than it was in 1983.

The group said issues involving use of protective foams, worker safety, high emission levels and odors during excavations have raised more questions about the EPA’s waste removal plans.

While EPA officials admitted that some toxins were emitted during excavations, they said that up to 99.9% of emissions can be controlled if the site is prepared properly. During the test excavation, neighbors complained of overpowering odors. Although EPA workers applied a special vapor-suppressing foam to control smells, the agency said the foam did not work well.

The site, which was used to dispose of refinery wastes during World War II when disposal laws were less strict, has resulted in years of complaints about odors and health problems.

The EPA and the oil companies have long argued over cleanup costs. Bill Duchie, spokesman for the McColl Site Group, said the Department of Defense should bear some of the expense.