TOMORROW: U.S. EPA to Excavate Three 10,000 Gallon Underground Tanks at Abandoned Gas Station in Compton, Launches $1.3 million Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2012MEDIA CONTACT: Nahal Mogharabi, Mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov

TOMORROW: U.S. EPA to Excavate Three 10,000 Gallon Underground Tanks at Abandoned Gas Station in Compton, Launches $1.3 million ProjectFederal Officials Will Assess Contamination, Paving the Way for Revitalization, Job Creation in Community

LOS ANGELES – On Thursday, U.S. EPA will remove three 10,000 gallon underground tanks which held gasoline or diesel fuel from an abandoned gas station in Compton, Calif. EPA contractors will also take water and soil samples to evaluate whether the storage tanks have leaked. If the tanks leaked, EPA and the state and regional water boards will assess the level of environmental cleanup required to make the site available for reuse.

This is part of a $1.3 million dollar pilot project to clean up underground storage tanks at 29 sites in the Los Angeles area. The Compton gas station originally operated from the mid-1960s until 1992 when it was burned down during the Los Angeles riots and subsequently abandoned.  

Thursday's excavation is part of a project funded by $1 million of Leaking Underground Storage Tank trust funds and $300,000 of Brownfields Assessment funds to address underground storage tanks in Los Angeles. In December 2010 the U.S. EPA and the State Water Resources Control Board launched the UST Cleanup Partnership in the I-710 Corridor which aims to identify and assess tank sites that have been unaddressed along this environmental justice area.

Due to the high clean-up costs, these sites have remained vacant for decades. The U.S. EPA and the state will work together to assess and cleanup these sites, making them available for resale and reuse, bringing businesses and jobs back into the area. Today’s site in Compton was identified with assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works as well as redevelopment officials in the City of Compton. The I-710 Corridor is a geographic focus area for EPA. The I-710 underground tank work is part of our larger collaborative effort to improve environmental and public health conditions along the corridor.

Who:    
Jeff Scott, Director, Waste Management Division, U.S. EPAOfficials from State, County, and Local governments
What:                   
Underground Gasoline Tank Removal

Where:                
311 E. Rosecrans Ave., Compton, CAAbandoned gas station

When:                 
Thursday, April 12, 201210:30 a.m.

*This is a live construction site, as such members of the news media wishing to attend RSVP ASAP via email to Nahal Mogharabi at mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov to receive necessary access information. Please be sure to include your name, contact information and media affiliation.  

For a map of the location as well as additional information about the event and photos, please visit: www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/710ust/

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