Contact Us

Newsroom

All News Releases By Date

 

EPA TO COMPLETE EXCAVATION OF DDT ON 204TH STREET

Release Date: 6/23/1998
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

     (San Francisco) -- After much community outreach and evaluation of alternatives, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected a remedy for ridding a neighborhood near Torrance, California of DDT contaminated soils.  Earthen fill containing DDT, once manufactured at the former Montrose Chemical Corporation, will be excavated from three  properties to protect residents in the neighborhood from exposure to the now banned pesticide.

     "We commend the community for their involvement in all of the stages we've been through to address contamination at this site," said Keith Takata, U.S. EPA's Superfund director.  "This removal is a milestone that will permanently eliminate the DDT waste, lead to redevelopment at this site and help to restore this community."

     U.S. EPA evaluated the merits of all options for addressing DDT contamination before making this decision.  EPA has held public meetings with various community groups to present those options.  EPA also regularly updated the community with fact sheets and conducted a demonstration of the dust suppression techniques that will be used during the removal.  While many residents support the plan, a small group continues to oppose the excavation.

     Excavation of the soils is the alternative most protective of public health and provides a permanent solution for protecting the public from the hazardous DDT fill.  U.S. EPA will remove all of the material and dispose of it safely, eliminating risk of future exposure to the material.  No maintenance or costly ongoing treatment will be necessary.

     The excavation will incorporate the best possible environmental controls, including soil sealants   to prevent dust release.  The material will be destroyed offsite at a hazardous waste incinerator.  U. S. EPA will closely monitor air emissions to ensure dust control methods are successful.

     The 13-acre Montrose Chemical Corporation site was the location of a plant that manufactured the pesticide DDT from 1947 until 1982.  Operations included manufacturing, grinding, packaging, and distributing the pesticide.  In 1993 and 1994, EPA discovered fill material in the backyards of two homes on neighboring 204th Street in Torrance.  This fill, laid down prior to homes being built in the 1950s, was found to contain bowling ball-sized chunks of technical grade DDT. About 14,000 people live or work within one mile of the site.

     DDT from Montrose also travelled through the sanitary sewer system during the years of its operation and came to rest in sediments on the ocean floor off the Palos Verdes coast.  The Montrose site is located adjacent to the Del Amo Superfund site.


                               #####