Activists Hail Decision to Halt Recycler’s Discharge of Waste

Environmental activists and local officials Friday hailed the state’s decision to crack down on the Halaco metal recycler that for years has been accused of polluting wetlands along the shoreline near Oxnard.

However, a representative for Halaco Engineering Inc. denied that the plant was environmentally harmful and said the state’s action could threaten the company’s survival.

Halaco has been ordered by the state’s Regional Water Quality Control Board to stop the soupy discharges that since 1970 have yielded 40-foot-high slag heaps near Ormond Beach.

The discharges, which amount to half a million gallons of contaminated water each month, are to end by December.

In the meantime, state officials have vowed to keep a close eye on the plant, checking ground water near the site for contamination.

“We’re looking forward to closely monitoring Halaco to ensure that the order’s provisions are met,” said Dennis Dickerson, executive officer of the water board.

Environmentalists have criticized the state for failing to effectively scrutinize Halaco over the years, despite repeated complaints.

The company Friday said it will spend more than $1 million to meet the agency’s long list of technical requirements.

“That’s huge for a small business,” said Dave Gable, one of Halaco’s owners.

“If we’re delayed by other regulatory agencies so that we can’t comply with the board’s requests, we may have a serious problem,” he said.

The plant, which has about 40 employees, recycles aluminum and magnesium scrap.

Gable characterized his company as environmentally conscious, saying its recycling process uses just 4% of the energy that would otherwise be used in extracting metal from raw ore.

He said Halaco operations haven’t damaged nearby wetlands.

Critics of the company have been “making a political statement, not a factual statement,” he said.

Environmentalists scoffed at Halaco’s contentions. They have accused the company of spewing carcinogens into the air and dumping radioactive materials on its grounds.

Company officials have said they have complied with air pollution standards. Radioactive thorium on the site is left over from processes used 30 years ago and poses no hazard, according to the officials.

Such reassurances don’t sway Drew Bohan, an attorney who heads the ChannelKeeper environmental group in Santa Barbara.

“They have a decades-long history of fighting tooth and nail whenever a regulatory agency tries to do anything,” said Bohan, whose group sued Halaco last year over its alleged violations.

He called the water quality board’s order “a momentous decision,” capping years of wrist slapping by enforcement agencies.

“The board really saved the day,” Bohan said. “I was really proud to have these folks as our appointed officials.”

The board also won praise from John Flynn, the county supervisor whose district includes Halaco.

“It’s about time we brought a bad neighbor under control,” he Flynn said.

“Now I think we’ve got something that will work.”