U.S. EPA Reaches $2 Million Settlement with 290 Parties to Further Clean Santa Barbara County Toxic Dump Site

EPA Press Release:

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS BRIEF

For Immediate Release: November 20, 2012

Contact: Michael Ardito, 415-972-3081, ardito.michael@epa.gov

U.S. EPA Reaches $2 Million Settlement with 290 Parties to Further Clean

Santa Barbara County Toxic Dump Site

Casmalia facility collected more than 5 billion pounds of waste

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $2 million settlement with 290 small parties, called de minimis parties, for the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site (CRSS). It is a former hazardous waste disposal facility that accepted approximately 5.6 billion pounds of waste from nearly 10,000 generators between 1973 and 1989.

This is the ninth in a series of de minimis settlements at the site. CRSS is located approximately 10 miles southwest of the City of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County. To date more than $110 million has been collected toward cleanup from generators of hazardous waste disposed at the site and from the site’s former owner-operators.

The settlement requires the 290 parties to pay their share of the estimated $284 million total cost of cleaning up the site and resolves their liability for the more than 23 million pounds of waste they collectively sent to CRSS. EPA will collect a total of over $2 million in response costs, equating to approximately nine cents per pound of waste that the parties sent to the site. This settlement also resolves the parties’ liability for potential natural resource damage claims by various government agencies, including claims for threats to endangered species and other habitats.

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 this proposed Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent is available for a 30-day public comment period following the Nov. 20, 2012 publication in the Federal Register found at website at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-11-20/html/2012-28223.htm . The Federal Register Notice is in Volume 77, issue number 224 on pages 69620 to 69622. For more information on the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site, please visit: www.epa.gov/region9/casmalia.

###