State Seeks Clues to Users of Dump
State environmental officials are seeking the public’s help in identifying companies that dumped toxic waste 50 years ago in a Westminster neighborhood that is considered one of the nation’s worst dump sites.
The dumping, which took place from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s, occurred in the vicinity of Golden West Street and Sowell Avenue, which at the time was a vacant lot next to a dairy farm. The tarry, acidic waste is believed to have come from oil refineries in the Long Beach and Huntington Beach areas.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control is seeking help in identifying any parties who produced the waste, hauled it or dumped it. The information is sought to help in the federal and state investigation of the site and pay for cleanup.
For the past decade, the toxic waste has been oozing into the back yards of at least a dozen homes, which were built there in the 1950s. The neighborhood has been nominated for the federal Superfund list, which identifies the nation’s most hazardous sites.
Anyone with information is urged to call the state agency at (800) 621-3386.
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