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U.S. EPA announces settlements with six companies at San Fernando Valley Superfund Site

Release Date: 03/09/2011
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244-1815, Cell (213) 798-1404, arcaute.francisco@epa.gov

More than $3 million will be directed to investigate, clean up contaminated groundwater

(03/9/11) LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has reached settlements with six companies to address contaminated groundwater in North Hollywood and Glendale, areas that are part of the San Fernando Valley Superfund Sites, near Los Angeles, Calif.

"These settlements highlight our priority at EPA to clean up vital drinking water sources," said Jane Diamond, Director of the Superfund Division in EPA's Pacific Southwest regional office. "In addition to cleaning up groundwater for use as drinking water, we are making sure those responsible for the contamination pay their fair share of the cleanup costs, leveraging the taxpayer's dollars to conduct further cleanups."

In the North Hollywood area, EPA signed an agreement with Honeywell International and Lockheed Martin for design work, valued at $2.2 million, for an expanded cleanup system to treat contaminated groundwater. This system will capture and treat the most highly contaminated groundwater in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando basin and prevent degradation of water quality at the water supply wells operated by the City of Los Angeles. While design work proceeds, EPA will negotiate an agreement with a larger group of companies to construct and operate this long-term remedy that provides clean drinking water to the City.

In the Glendale area, EPA settled with Goodrich Corporation, ITT Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and PRC DeSoto International, Inc. to invest an estimated $1 million for investigation of chromium contamination in groundwater in the Glendale area. In addition to performing work, the companies will pay EPA $750,000 in partial settlement of their share of EPA's past costs. EPA will use this money to fund additional work on the chromium groundwater investigation and cleanup.

EPA has been active in groundwater cleanup efforts in the San Fernando Valley area since the early 1980s when solvent contamination was first discovered. In 2008, the EPA launched a focused investigation on chromium groundwater contamination within the Glendale Superfund site area that will lead to cleanups at chromium sources impacting Glendale area groundwater.

For more information on the San Fernando Valley Superfund sites, please visit:
https://www.epa.gov/region9/sanfernandovalley

For more information on chromium, please visit:
https://www.epa.gov/region9/superfund/chromium/ or http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/chromium.cfm