Firms Accused of Dumping Tainted Soil
- Share via
Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn on Monday accused three companies of involvement in illegal dumping of gasoline-soaked soil at the Bradley Landfill in Sun Valley.
Hahn’s office brought a criminal complaint against Unocal Corp. and two Paramount-based companies, L. Blain Co. and Hawkeye Equipment Co.
Unocal hired the other two firms to remove a leaking gasoline storage tank from one of its service stations in Pacoima and to excavate the contaminated soil around it.
On June 6, a driver for Hawkeye was caught at the privately owned Bradley Landfill, seeking to unload a truckload of gasoline-soaked dirt from the service station site, according to Hahn’s office.
Hawkeye and L. Blain Co. were accused of one count each of knowingly transporting hazardous waste to a landfill not licensed to accept such material and of attempting to dispose of such waste at an improper site. Each count is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000.
Unocal also was accused of failing to determine whether the waste was hazardous and of failing to prepare a hazardous-waste manifest before transporting the material, Hahn’s office said. Arraignment is set for April 23 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
