OXNARD SHORES : Firm Offers to Do $10-Million Cleanup

An Orange County development firm said Tuesday it is willing to spend as much as $10 million to clean up a former oil field waste dump near Oxnard Shores in exchange for permission to build a 411-unit waterfront housing subdivision.

But the proposal by North Shore Properties of Newport Beach must first clear numerous hurdles, including an ongoing investigation by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency of possible toxic contamination at the site.

The property, located north of 5th Street between Harbor Boulevard and the Edison Canal, was the site of the former JNJ Oil Field Waste Disposal Facility. From 1954 to 1982, when the facility closed, 8.1 million barrels of watery oil, drilling mud and other oil field waste were deposited on the site.

During a preliminary application review by the Oxnard City Council, company officials said two rounds of testing on the 80-acre site in the last three years have turned up no contamination that cannot be cleaned up.

“Very little contamination is left now,” said Richard Kelly, a consultant with the Ventura firm of Earth Systems. “Testing we conducted last fall confirmed that we are dealing with oil field wastes and not with toxic constituents.”

But on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the EPA said the site is on a list of possible toxic waste sites that the agency is studying.

“The investigation is being actively pursued by staff and will be reviewed by higher management,” said spokeswoman Paula Bruin.

Ron A. Smith of North Shore Properties said after Tuesday’s meeting that the EPA investigation should not hinder the company’s plans to develop the property.

“This will never be designated a hazardous waste site,” Smith asserted.

The Oxnard City Council gave the developer conditional support, clearing the way for the firm to file an application and seek permission from the many agencies that have regulatory power over the project.