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U.S. EPA PROPOSES TO ADD OMEGA CHEMICAL TO SUPERFUND LIST

Release Date: 9/24/1998
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

     (San Francisco) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it will propose adding the Omega Chemical Corp., a former hazardous waste treatment and storage facility in Whittier, Calif., to the federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites.  Superfund sites potentially pose the greatest long-term threat to public health and the environment.  
     
     Both soil and groundwater at the Omega site are contaminated with tetrachloroethene, other chlorinated hydrocarbons and freons. Listing the site on the NPL will allow U.S. EPA to use federal funds to conduct the cleanup if the companies responsible for the waste fail to clean up the site. The EPA is working with many potentially responsible parties to clean up the site. The public will have the opportunity to comment on future soil and groundwater cleanup plans.

     In 1995, EPA oversaw the removal of about 3,000 drums of hazardous waste and numerous containers of hazardous wastes. Prior to EPA's removal action, a large amount of waste was spilled and still remains in the soils and groundwater at Omega. EPA is taking action to prevent the further spread of contaminants to groundwater.
   
     Omega began operations in 1976 and ceased operations in 1991. Since 1991, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and EPA have worked to have the owner of Omega remove the wastes and cleanup the site. The owner subsequently pled guilty to two felony counts of illegal storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. EPA then issued an order to the owner and parties that had shipped major amounts of waste to the site to remove drums of hazardous wastes. This was done in 1995.

     Sites are added to the NPL as part of the periodic review of U.S. hazardous waste sites.  U.S. EPA identifies and proposes sites to the NPL according to threats to nearby populations through actual or potential contamination of soils, groundwater, surface water or air.

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