EPA Orders $20 Million Cleanup of San Gabriel Valley Superfund Site

The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday that it has ordered Northrup Grumman Systems Corporation to spend $20 million to build a groundwater cleanup system to address groundwater contamination emanating from the former Benchmark Technology facility in the City of Industry.

According to the EPA, the site is one of the largest sources of volatile organic compound groundwater contamination in the Puente Valley area of the San Gabriel Valley Superfund site.  The system to be installed will include a series of monitoring wells and a treatment plant to contain and treat groundwater contaminated by VOCs and 1,4-dioxane.  The treated water will then be discharged as surface water or injected back into the underground acquifer.

Speaking of the order, EPA Region 9 Adminstrator Jared Blumenfeld said:

Today’s order will protect the essential drinking water supplies in the San Gabriel Valley. The treatment system is designed to intercept the most highly contaminated groundwater plume and prevent it from migrating further. Once again, EPA is taking action requiring the company responsible for the pollution to pay for its cleanup in Puente Valley.

In other California-related EPA news, the EPA announced today that it has added two California sites to the National Priorities List -- the Blue Ledge Mine (abandoned mine) within the Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest and the New Idria Mercury Mine (abandoned mercury mine) in Idria.  Two other sites have been proposed for the NPL -- Jervis B. Webb Co. (former manufacturer) and Seam Master Industries (adhesive manufacturer), both in South Gate.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Eric Adair or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.