FULLERTON : Water at Toxic Waste Dump Seen as Safe

Tests have found that no harmful concentrations of chemicals seeped into the ground water at the McColl toxic waste dump, according to a recent report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

In the report, EPA officials said tests done in January and April showed low concentrations of tetrahydrothiophene, a sulfur compound, in local ground water. But the chemical, commonly used as an odorant in natural gas, does not pose a health risk and has not been found in tests of drinking water nearby, said Steve Linder, an EPA project manager at the McColl site.

“We feel that there isn’t a health risk,” Linder said.

McColl, the county’s worst toxic waste dump, has been on the nation’s Superfund list since 1983. The 8-acre landfill, which abuts homes near the Los Coyotes Golf Course in north Fullerton, was identified as a major toxic problem 12 years ago. It holds 150,000 tons of World War II aviation fuel waste.

Earlier this year, the EPA announced that it would delay a decision on how to clean up the site until late 1993 because of changes in toxic waste laws that require more public input in the decision-making process. The EPA may hold five oil companies believed responsible for dumping the wastes liable for the costs of the cleanup.

The oil companies have said they would be willing to remove as much as half the toxic waste at their expense before sealing off the site. The companies--Atlantic Richfield Co., Shell Oil Co., Union Oil Co. of California, Texaco Refining and Marketing Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co.--have argued that they manufactured the fuel under government orders and disposed of the sludge legally.

In the meantime, the EPA is continuing its quarterly ground-water tests of 17 wells at the site, as it has done for the past two years, Linder said. The tests are expected to determine whether the ground water will be part of the cleanup process. So far, tests have found few traces of chemicals other than the sulfur compound.

“The (most recent) report didn’t show anything different from what we have found before,” Linder said. “Basically, it’s consistent with past results.”

Testing will continue indefinitely to ensure that the EPA has a full documentation of the impact of chemical seepage at the site, Linder said. The most recent testing was done in late August, and the results will be available in early 1992. Another test will be performed at the site in December, he said.