EPA Unveils Plan to Remove Soil Tainted With DDT

A $7-million plan to remove DDT-tainted soil from a South Bay neighborhood was unveiled Friday by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials who said it would allow most or all of 33 relocated families to return to their homes this fall.

The plan was criticized by community leader Cynthia Babich, who has repeatedly called on the federal government to permanently relocate families away from 204th Street east of Torrance. The street is near two toxic waste sites that residents blame for health problems.

“The excavation is a good start, but no way should they move people back,” said Babich, who was among the 33 families moved last spring after DDT was discovered in two yards.

The EPA plan calls for excavating contaminated soil around and under six properties on the north side of 204th Street. Up to three buildings may have to be moved temporarily or demolished during the excavation, and homes will be cleaned and tested for DDT before the families return.

The relocated families will remain in temporary quarters until the project is completed, probably in early fall. To date, the federal government has spent more than $1.5 million to house them for nearly a year. Up to four families may remain relocated while the EPA decides on a cleanup plan for a toxic dump immediately north of the homes, EPA officials said.

Federal officials believe the DDT came from the long-closed Montrose Chemical Corp. nearby. Attorneys for Montrose contend that the government lacks sufficient proof.

The EPA will discuss the cleanup plan at a public meeting at 6 p.m. April 18 at the Van Deene Avenue Elementary School auditorium, 826 W. Javelin St., just east of Vermont Avenue.