TESTIMONY OF COUNCILWOMAN
NORMA LOPEZ-REID,
MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SUPERFUND
TOXICS, RISK AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
My
name is Norma Lopez-Reid. I reside in,
and am a councilwoman for, the city of Montebello, California. I began my involvement in addressing the
problems of the Operation Industries Landfill as a resident of this
community. Today I am here to speak to
you, both, as a resident who lives one house away from the landfill, and in my
official capacity with the city.
I
would like to talk about the positive experience that my community has had with
EPA and what they have done, at one of the largest Superfund sites, to assist
us with a monstrous problem. When my
neighbors and I moved into this development of new homes, we had no idea that
the area was infested with toxic, hazardous waste, which included vinyl
chloride, a known carcinogen. Had it
not been for the remarkable clean up efforts of EPA with their program, the authority
to make responsible parties accountable, and the funds to begin the project,
our health and the well being of our community would still be at stake.
In
the city of Montebello, California, residents living near the Operating
Industries Landfill (OII) came home each evening to an area filled with
migrating gases, that made them suffer from headaches, nauseating odors, and
grass-less yards due to the hazardous liquid waste, called leachate, that
seeped out of the ground. These
difficult circumstances made the quality of life in this bedroom community
decrease considerably, we couldn't even open our windows on hot summer
nights. Little did our residents know
the extent to which companies, large and small, had been allowed to dump
incredible amounts of hazardous waste, including carcinogens, into the landfill
that was only supposed to contain regular trash. By the time the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) got
involved, approximately 180 million gallons of hazardous waste had been
illegally dumped in our backyards creating massive numbers of safety hazards
for the people of Montebello. Although
many of the residents here began their campaign with local and state officials
to close the OII landfill, the real work and relief began when EPA declared the
landfill a Superfund Site in 1986.
Background Information
The
OII site is a 190-acre parcel located in the city of Monterey Park, California,
10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The landfill property marks the boundary between the city of Monterey
Park and the city of Montebello. The
residential neighborhoods are on the south and east ends of the parcel, which
is bisected by the Pomona (Rte. 60) Freeway.
Landfill operation began in approximately 1950 and continued until 1984. EPA listed the site on the National
Priorities List in May of 1986.
When
EPA entered the picture, they took significant steps to reduce health risks to
nearby residents by addressing impacted residences adjacent to the site. These efforts included treating the
migration of methane and other gases in the houses, the migration of liquid
leachate into the yards and park areas and the threats of slides from unstable
slopes onto the homes, to mention a few items.
In addition to these emergency response actions, EPA was able to take
steps to have the responsible companies pay for their part of the cost in the
clean up. EPA invested several million
dollars to begin the investigation and emergency response, that money came from
the Superfund. EPA leveraged the
federal dollars by obtaining agreements for the polluters to pay for this
multi-hundred-million dollar effort at this site. If the federal government had not stepped in with dollars toward
this project, our community would still be suffering from this horrible threat. Making this a priority has made a tremendous
difference in our lives.
When
EPA took over the site, they had to assess all that was there and they
literally had to "triage" the site in order to begin their
efforts. They realized that the gasses
and liquid leachate were probably the most significant threats to the
community's health and safety and, therefore, built a gas collection and
treatment facility and a leachate collection treatment plant.
In
1992-93 approximately 200 homes were tested for the possibility of migrating
gases, such as vinyl chloride, seeping into the homes. Six homes were found to have an elevated
level of vinyl chloride or methane gas. ( I recall hearing about small explosions in the fireplace of one of
my neighbors.) EPA installed gas
collection systems in these homes. For
ten years the EPA monitored these homes with incredible patience and
dedication.
There
were 8 consent decrees that outlined the problems and remedies needed. This included additional landscaping for the
buffer zone in Iguala Park, where many of our children played as they waited
for the school bus, since that had been a designated bus stop prior to our
awareness of the contamination that had taken place in the area. Fortunately, EPA fenced off the area,
immediately, in order to avoid further contamination so that our children could
be safe.
An
aspect of this situation that is important to note is that, soon after the
landfill was closed, the OII owner quickly declared bankruptcy and walked away
from the monstrous situation he had allowed to be created. I can assure you that many of the thousands
of culprits involved would have done the same had it not been for EPA making
them accountable for their actions.
One
of the most notable efforts from EPA has been the unique level of community
involvement that they have always sought.
They not only kept us informed of their discoveries, plans and processes
but gave us the opportunity to give them feedback and become actively involved
in the decision-making efforts. This, in
itself, made a tremendous difference for our neighbors and their peace of
mind.
During
these difficult times many of our neighbors thought that maybe selling their homes
and leaving the area would be best for their families. Unfortunately, the value of our property
plummeted and those who were even able to sell did not get their market value's
worth.
In
the meantime, there was still a tremendous concern about our health and the
health of our children. Even some of
our pets came down with inexplicable tumors and growths. There is one specific
cul-de-sac that backs up into the landfill area in which three families have
had confirmed cancer diagnosis. The worst fears have come true for some of our
neighboring families--several of our neighbors have already died of
cancer--including one of our neighborhood leaders and heroes, Hank
Yoshitake. To this day, the fear
continues to permeate throughout the neighborhood that, in time, others of us
may come down with cancer. While EPA
has prevented further exposure to contaminants, we hope that the Public Health Department will
monitor the long-term effects of the original contamination.
Most
Recent and Future Efforts
The
most dramatic work that has been done on the site was the construction of the
permanent landfill cover in 2000. This
involved major earth moving to remove old dirt and replace it with a
six-foot-thick cover of clean soil and vegetation on the slopes of the
landfill. The purpose of the
multi-layer cover is to prevent rainwater from entering the landfill and to
stop landfill gas from migrating out. In December of 2001 EPA completed the
construction of the ground water remedy.
Maintenance of operation and maintenance of site systems is still in
progress.
EPA
has continued to work with the City of Monterey Park and private industries to
re-develop the 45 acre parcel of land to the north of the freeway which did not
have significant quantities of hazardous waste. This land has been one of the largest pieces of underdeveloped
property in the Los Angeles area. The
Monterey Park City Council is working with the Montebello City Council to build
a center for retail shopping on the site.
In
conclusion, the EPA's involvement and incredible heroic efforts at the OII
landfill have be enormously successful.
It is critical that these efforts be continued in other areas where
these monstrous problems have taken place.
This example should serve as a powerful reminder that no population
should be forced to shoulder and live in such burdensome environments, this is
the reason it is important that a strong Superfund program be available to
assist others in this type of situation.