Officials Order More Tests for Tanks at Old Oil Well
Officials investigating the recent eruption of an abandoned Huntington Beach oil well have discovered two aboveground tanks filled with petroleum-based sludge but said they pose little danger for residents and a nearby school.
The 4,000-gallon tanks, on the former Ascon landfill at Hamilton and Magnolia avenues, are filled with a blend of crude oil, refined motor oil and water, officials said. A second round of testing this week will determine the exact contents.
Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Robert Wise said there were no leaks in the tanks. The sludge would be pumped out by the end of the week and taken to a hazardous-waste dumping facility, he said.
“If we thought it was a concern, it would have been removed immediately,” Wise said.
EPA officials said they didn’t know who deposited the sludge or if any criminal charges would be filed.
“The oil well is not in operation any longer, and, therefore, there’s no reason anything should be in the tanks,” said the EPA’s Mark Merchant, who is based in San Francisco.
The agency found the tanks in the days following the March 17 accident, when a malfunctioning well sprayed 360 nearby homes with droplets of sticky black oil.
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