Source: Dow Jones News Service, March 26, 2013
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
Goodrich Corp. will be required to pay at least $21.5 million to clean up contaminated groundwater and soil at a Superfund site in Rialto, Calif., the Environmental Protection Agency said.
Along with previous settlements, the order will result in a clean-up of the site that could cost as much as $100 million, the agency said.
The contamination is tied to the testing and production of solid-fuel rocket propellant in Rialto from 1957 to 1962 by B.F. Goodrich Corp., the EPA said. The aircraft-component maker later became Goodrich Corp., and was acquired by United Technologies Corp. (UTX) for $16.5 billion last year.
A representative from United Technologies didn’t have an immediate comment.
Goodrich’s operations contaminated the area with trichloroethylene and perchlorate, which contributed to the closure of public drinking wells in the area, the agency said. The site was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List for Superfund sites in Sept. 2009.
Trichloroethylene, an industrial-cleaning solvent, can cause damage to the nervous system, liver and lungs, while perchlorate can disrupt the production of hormones needed for growth and development.
The cities of Rialto and Colton sued Goodrich in 2004 and 2005, and the EPA joined the lawsuit in 2010 to require cleanup of the site.
Under an administrative consent order, Goodrich will be required to install additional groundwater monitoring wells and conduct testing and analysis this year and in 2014 to assist with the development of a cleanup plan.
The company will design, build and operate soil and water cleanup facilities chosen by the EPA.
Another manufacturer, KTI Inc. has agreed to pay $2.8 million for costs related to the site, the EPA said.
The settlement follows nine years of litigation and will assure that groundwater contamination at the site is addressed, said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator of the Pacific Southwest.
Write to Kristin Jones at kristin.jones@dowjones.com