All News Releases By Date

U.S. EPA Reaches $1.2 Million Settlement with 49 Parties to Further Clean Santa Barbara County Toxic Dump Site/ Facility collected more than 5 billion pounds of waste

Release Date: 04/04/2011
Contact Information: Nahal Mogharabi, [email protected]

(SAN FRANCISCO- 4/4/11) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today reached a $1.2 million settlement with 49 small parties, called de minimis parties, for the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site (CRSS) -- a former hazardous waste disposal facility that accepted approximately 5.6 billion pounds of waste from nearly 10,000 generators between 1973 and 1989. CRSS is located approximately 10 miles southwest of the City of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County.
This is the fifth in a series of de minimis settlements at the site. To date more than $110 million has been collected toward cleanup from generators of hazardous waste disposed of at the site and from the site’s former owner-operators.

“EPA is committed to making polluters pay their fair share for as long as necessary,” said Jared Blumenfeld, Regional administrator for EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “We will continue to reduce environmental threats to the communities and businesses near this Superfund site until we are confident that the job is done.”

The agreement requires the 49 parties to pay a proportionate share of the estimated $284 million total cost of cleaning up the site and resolves their liability for the more than 13 million pounds of waste they collectively sent to CRSS. The settlement includes cleanup costs and potential natural resource damage claims by various government agencies including threats to endangered species and other habitats. As part of the agreement, EPA will collect a total of over $1.2 million, equal to approximately nine cents per pound of waste that the parties sent to the site.

EPA assumed the role of the lead regulatory agency in 1992 after the facility's owners and operators abandoned efforts to clean up the Site. EPA undertook emergency response action activities, while concurrently seeking participation in site work by former customers of the facility. The site was placed on the National Priorities List in September 2001.

Notice of the proposed Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent will be available for a 30-day public comment period following publication in the Federal Register.

For more information on the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site, please visit: www.epa.gov/region9/casmalia

For the Federal Register notice and supporting documents, please visit: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html