ANAHEIM : Junkyard’s Permits Pulled Over Toxics

An automobile junkyard that is allegedly spilling toxic waste into the soil above one of Orange County’s primary ground-water basins had its operating permits rescinded Tuesday by the City Council.

Under the order, Pull Your Part auto salvage yard, which is also known as Orange County Steel Salvage Co. and five other names, will be in violation of city regulations if it continues to operate. But John Poole, the city’s chief code enforcement officer, said after the meeting that no immediate action will be taken to close the business.

“Our city staff will get together in the next week or so to see what our options are,” Poole said. He said the city must decide if it will seek the necessary court order to close the business.

The owners, George Adams Sr. and his family, have allegedly allowed lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals from an illegal 40,000-ton salvage pile to seep into the soil above the Orange County Water District’s ground-water basin, which provides 65% of the central county’s drinking water. The cost of cleanup efforts has been estimated at $15 million.

George Adams Jr., who represented the business before the council, said he will fight any attempt by the city to close the facility. He told the council he was recently contacted by a waste hauler who would be willing to move the salvage pile for $5 million.

Adams said the company would contract with the hauler if it is not forced to spend that money defending itself in court. Going to court “will cost a lot of money and a great deal of time and, meanwhile, no waste can be removed,” he said.

Pull Your Part borders the Riverside Freeway and the Santa Ana River and is known to motorists for its billboard, which depicts a halter top-clad woman removing parts from a car.

The yard opened in 1976 and has been the subject of state and local investigations since 1979.

According to a report by retired Superior Court Judge John L. Flynn, whom the city hired as a mediator in the case, the toxic materials seep into the soil when rain percolates through the 40,000-ton junk pile, which is composed of “ground-up seats, carpeting, wood, glass, insulation, plastic (and) every conceivable thing that you could possibly think of.”

But Philip L. Anthony, a consultant for Adams, said that tests have shown that the toxic metals have seeped only a few inches into the ground and are not threatening the water table.

“This material is extremely insoluble in water, so it’s not an imminent danger to anyone,” he said.

Water district spokesman James Van Haun said in an interview before the council meeting Tuesday that inspectors have not found any toxic chemicals in the basin’s water, but that it often takes decades before toxics in the soil seep into the basin.

“This yard is a long-range problem.” Van Haun said. “The yard has only been there since the late 1970s, which means the chemicals haven’t had time to reach the water. It may be another 10 years before the chemicals percolate into the basin. But the junkyard could not be in a worse spot. The soil there is sand and gravel and is very permeable.”