Halaco

Description and History

The Halaco site (Site) is located in coastal Ventura County at 6200 Perkins Road, Oxnard, CA 93033. Halaco Engineering Company operated a secondary metal smelter at the site from 1965 to 2004, recovering aluminum, magnesium, and zinc from dross, sludge, castings, sheets, pellets, granules, cans, car parts, and other scrap metal. The Site includes an 11-acre area containing the former smelter, and an adjacent 26-acre waste management area where wastes were deposited. Immediately adjacent to the Site is a portion of the Ormond Beach wetlands, which are one of the few remaining wetlands in the area and home to several endangered or threatened species.

During its 40 years of operation, Halaco produced a large quantity of waste. The primary wastes were metals and metal salts (i.e., slag or dross) left over from the smelting process. From about 1965 to 1970, Halaco discharged waste into unlined earthen settling ponds adjacent to the Oxnard Industrial Drain. From about 1970 to 2002, Halaco deposited wastes into unlined earthen settling ponds east of the smelter. An estimated 700,000 cubic yards of waste remain on-site.

Numerous Federal, State, and local agencies attempted to regulate Halaco’s operations, including the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (Los Angeles), California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Department of Public Health Radiologic Health Branch, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, USEPA, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Halaco contested and/or litigated regulatory efforts by many of these agencies. The Ventura County District Attorney, the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and the Environmental Defense Center were in litigation with Halaco on environmental matters.

In 2002, Halaco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2006, after Halaco ceased its operations, the bankruptcy was converted to a Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy. Members of the Haack family retain ownership of the 11-acre smelter area, but in 2006, Alpha and Omega Development LLC purchased the 26-acre waste management area. The future use of the property remains uncertain.
The Halaco site (Site) is located in coastal Ventura County at 6200 Perkins Road, Oxnard, CA 93033. Halaco Engineering Company operated a secondary metal smelter at the site from 1965 to 2004, recovering aluminum, magnesium, and zinc from dross, sludge, castings, sheets, pellets, granules, cans, car parts, and other scrap metal. The Site includes an 11-acre area containing the former smelter, and an adjacent 26-acre waste management area where wastes were deposited. Immediately adjacent to the Site is a portion of the Ormond Beach wetlands, which are one of the few remaining wetlands in the area and home to several endangered or threatened species.

During its 40 years of operation, Halaco produced a large quantity of waste. The primary wastes were metals and metal salts (i.e., slag or dross) left over from the smelting process. From about 1965 to 1970, Halaco discharged waste into unlined earthen settling ponds adjacent to the Oxnard Industrial Drain. From about 1970 to 2002, Halaco deposited wastes into unlined earthen settling ponds east of the smelter. An estimated 700,000 cubic yards of waste remain on-site.

Numerous Federal, State, and local agencies attempted to regulate Halaco’s operations, including the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (Los Angeles), California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Department of Public Health Radiologic Health Branch, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, USEPA, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Halaco contested and/or litigated regulatory efforts by many of these agencies. The Ventura County District Attorney, the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and the Environmental Defense Center were in litigation with Halaco on environmental matters.

In 2002, Halaco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2006, after Halaco ceased its operations, the bankruptcy was converted to a Chapter 7 (liquidation) bankruptcy. Members of the Haack family retain ownership of the 11-acre smelter area, but in 2006, Alpha and Omega Development LLC purchased the 26-acre waste management area. The future use of the property remains uncertain.

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Contaminants and Risks

Most waste remains on-site, including an estimated 700,000 cubic yards in the waste management area. Elevated levels of aluminum, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel, and zinc are present in the wastes and on-site soils. Some areas also contain elevated levels of thorium and radium. Waste material has moved into both underlying groundwater and sediments in the Oxnard Industrial Drain.

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Who is Involved

EPA added the Site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) on September 19, 2007.

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Investigation and Cleanup Activities

Initial Actions

February 2006: The State of California sent a letter to EPA titled "Halaco Request for Federal Action" (see "Legal Documents" below).

July 2006: EPA reached agreement with site owners to conduct a "removal action" to remove drums and other hazardous substances, fence the waste pile, and install a silt curtain and straw wattles. The agreement is titled "Halaco Administrative Settlement Agreement and Consent Order" (see "Legal Documents" below).

January 2007: The State of California supported adding the Halaco Site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).

March - June 2007: EPA and its contractors implemented additional measures to stabilize and secure the Site and limit off-site migration of contaminated wastes. The work included regrading the waste pile to reduce the steepness of its slopes, placing erosion control matting over the wastes, moving waste material from the smelter parcel to the waste management area, and improving Site security. Some Halaco waste material in the wetland area to the south of the smelter parcel was excavated and moved to the waste management area.

For more information on the stabilization efforts completed in 2006-2007, go to: http://www.epaosc.net/halaco

2007-2009: After adding the Site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2007, EPA began its Remedial Investigation to determine the nature and extent of contamination at the Site, identify human health and ecological risks posed by the contamination, and identify areas needing remediation. In February 2009, EPA distributed a "Preliminary Plan for Additional Sampling and Analysis Activities" and two preliminary site studies (described below). This plan summarizes historical information on environmental conditions at the Site and identifies “data gaps” that must be addressed before remediation can occur.

EPA has also been working with the property owners and interested community members to improve site security, maintain the improvements made by EPA in 2007 to limit off-site migration of wastes, and seek compliance with the City of Oxnard's May 2007 order to repair or demolish two buildings on the smelter parcel.

December 28th 2009 - January 28th 2010: EPA is accepting public comments on its proposal to demolish two structurally unsound industrial buildings on the Site until January 29, 2010. EPA’s proposal is outlined in the Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis report, which is available in the “Documents and Reports” section below.

The two buildings were used by Halaco Engineering Co. until 2004. The buildings are in poor condition, and portions of the buildings are at risk of collapse. EPA is proposing to demolish the two buildings to prevent physical harm to people on the Site, such as workers conducting the remedial investigation or trespassers, and to prevent exposure to the residual contamination in the buildings. More details on the condition of the buildings and the levels of contamination inside the buildings are available in the Structural Evaluation Report and the Halaco Buildings Removal Assessment, available in the “Documents and Reports” section below, under "Technical Documents."

Site Studies

From 1970 - 2004: Various State, local and Federal agencies sampled and chemically analyzed soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, and/or air at or near the Site.

2006: EPA completed a multimedia study as part of its site assessment and stabilization efforts. The study included laboratory analysis of approximately 129 soil, sediment, and waste samples, 10 surface water samples, 14 groundwater samples, and 35 air samples. Results are summarized in the January 10, 2007, "Integrated Assessment" report (see "Technical Documents" below).

June 2007: EPA completed additional testing of waste materials buried in the southeast corner of the former smelter to determine the levels of thorium, radium, and metals in the materials.

2007 - 2008: EPA prepared the "EPA Testing Plan for the Halaco Superfund Site" (see "Technical Documents" below), which summarizes information on Halaco's operations and waste disposal practices, summarizes past testing in each of more than 16 areas of the Site, compares past test results to human health and ecological screening levels for contaminated soils and sediments, and proposes soil testing, water testing, and other sampling and analysis activities intended to provide the majority of the information needed to complete the Remedial Investigation.

In 2007, EPA also completed a preliminary study of surface water and groundwater movement at and near the Site to better determine the extent and movement of Halaco's wastes, and a screening-level assessment of human health and environmental risks posed by Site related contamination. See "Technical Documents" below. The studies are part of the "Remedial Investigation" of the Site.

Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 (planned): In October 2009, EPA began a major field effort that includes soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, and air testing needed to fill data gaps related to the sources, nature, extent, and movement of contamination at the Site. Data gaps include: the extent to which waste materials are in contact with surface or groundwater; the extent of contamination in lagoon sediments; whether or not groundwater contamination has moved off-site; whether or not Halaco's operations generated dioxins or furans; whether or not fuels and oils used by Halaco contaminated soil or groundwater; and, the potential for ammonia production and other gases in the waste areas.

The field work is expected to continue through mid-December 2009, resume early in 2010, and be completed in spring 2010.

In 2009, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) completed a draft report summarizing its investigation of the public health implications of exposure to contamination from the Halaco Site. Key findings were that activities that create a lot of dust (e.g., dirt bike riding in contaminated areas) pose a public health concern but that the following exposure pathways pose no public health concern:

• Exposure to the soil in the nearby agricultural fields and neighborhoods.
• Short-term exposure when trespassing on the Halaco site.
• Visiting the Nature Conservancy Land, Ormond Beach, or the wetlands.
• Swimming in the Oxnard Industrial Drain.
  

Other findings and the complete Public Health Assessment report are available at: http://www.ehib.org/project.jsp?project_key=HALA01

2009-2010: EPA is conducting an Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis to determine whether to demolish two abandoned industrial buildings at the Site. EPA expects to complete the evaluation in late 2009, seek public comment on the evaluation, and carry out the work in early 2010. In October, EPA and its contractors carried out several days of testing inside the buildings to support the evaluation.

2009-2010 (tentative): EPA expects to evaluate options for remediation of on-site and off-site contamination. If needed, EPA will implement additional interim measures to control off-site movement of contaminated waste, groundwater, surface water, and air.

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Cleanup Results to Date

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Potentially Responsible Parties

Potentially responsible parties (PRPs) refers to companies that are potentially responsible for generating, transporting, or disposing of the hazardous waste found at the site.

EPA has identified the following parties as PRPs at the Site: Clarence W. Haack (former owner and operator); the Clarence W. Haack Living Trust (current owner); John M. Haack (current owner); Robert D. Haack (current owner); John David Gable (former operator); and MagPro, Limited Liability Company (successor to Halaco). The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of EPA and other Federal agencies, has also filed a proof of claim in the Halaco bankruptcy to recover past and future environmental response costs at the Site.

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Documents and Reports

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Community Involvement

Public Meetings: EPA representatives have provided updates on the Halaco Site at meetings of the Ormond Beach Task Force (3/07, 6/08, 1/09, 9/09), at an EPA-organized public meeting in the City of Oxnard (9/07), to the Port Hueneme City Council (10/07, 10/08), to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors (10/07), at the South Oxnard Revitalization Committee (1/09), to the Oxnard City Council (3/09), and at a joint EPA-CA Department of Public Health public meeting in Oxnard (3/09).

Community Involvement Plan: In January 2008, EPA interviewed 27 community members to support development of a Community Involvement Plan for the Halaco site. English and Spanish language versions of the Plan are available by clicking on "Halaco Community Involvement Plan" above.

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Public Information Repositories

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Additional Links

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Contacts

	Name	Phone Number	Email	Address
EPA Site Manager	Wayne Praskins Rachelle Strickfaden	415-972-3181 415-972-3962	praskins.wayne@epamail.epa.gov strickfaden.rachelle@epamail.epa.gov	Mail Code SFD73 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator	Alejandro Diaz	415-972-3242 Toll Free 1-800-231-3075	diaz.alejandro@epamail.epa.gov	75 Hawthorne St (SFD63) San Francisco, CA 94105
EPA Public Information Center		(800) 231-3075	r9.info@epamail.epa.gov
State Contact	Stephen McArdle		SMcArdle@dtsc.ca.gov
PRP Contact
Community Contact
Other Contacts
After Hours (Emergency Response)	US EPA	(800) 424-8802

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