WESTMINISTER : Petroleum Waste Removal Pact Given

A Fremont firm has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin excavating and disposing of 45,000 cubic yards of hazardous petroleum waste buried beneath 25 houses here.

The $4-million contract was awarded Wednesday to Rust Remedial Services Inc. after a bidding process that spanned 10 months and included offers from about a dozen firms.

“The selection was based on both technical qualifications and cost,” project manager Dick Vesperman said of the winning bid. “This is a very experienced environmental remediation firm. They developed an approach to cleaning up the site that appears to be very effective both in terms of excavation and disposal.”

Residents of the area have been complaining about the stench of the tarlike substance oozing from the ground since 1936, when the owner of a trucking firm dumped petroleum waste into four open pits. Later, in 1958, a developer moved the waste into two trenches buried under back yards of a housing tract he was building. In 1992 the area was added to the national priorities list of Superfund sites by the EPA, thus qualifying for federal aid.

According to Vesperman, the cleanup will be done in two phases: half this summer and half next summer. After relocating affected families in late July, he said, the excavation is set to begin by Aug. 1 and last three or four months. During the work, he said, all back-yard constructions--including patios, swimming pools and added rooms--will be removed. Workers will then use bulldozers to dig about 15 feet into the ground and remove the hazardous waste.

Before the families return, Vesperman said, all demolished constructions will be rebuilt.

The project’s total cost, including excavation, family relocation and reconstruction, is expected to be about $15 million, Vesperman said.