Oil Firms Agree to Pay $6.4 Million Over MTBE
The city won a $6.4-million settlement from several oil companies, including Kern Oil and Refining, officials said.
The city’s drinking water supply is threatened by the gasoline additive MTBE, a suspected carcinogen that was added to gasoline in California during the last decade to help clean the air. The chemical is being phased out of the state’s gasoline, but MTBE has leaked into many lakes and wells.
Chemicals coming from a distribution facility and a service station tainted one of Dinuba’s drinking water wells, which was shut down, said Deputy City Manager Dan Meinert. Other wells are threatened by the leakage.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
