In September 2020, workers in Brawley, near the Mexican border, began loading dump trucks with dirt from the site of an old pesticide company. Excavators carefully loaded Imperial County waste onto vehicles while workers sprayed the pile with hoses, according to state records. Another was on hand to monitor for signs of dust. The truck then passed through a washing station to shower dirt off the wheels and collect runoff water.
There was a reason for such caution. Shipping documents indicate that the soil was contaminated with DDT, a Federal Environmental Protection Agency pesticide. banned decades ago And the research is linked to premature birth, cancer, and environmental harm.of blower art It was so toxic in California that it was designated as a hazardous waste by state regulations. That meant going to a disposal facility specifically designed to handle hazardous materials. This facility requires more care than a typical landfill to ensure that contaminants do not leach into groundwater or pollute the air.
At least that was the requirement if the waste stayed in California. But it wasn’t.
Instead, a truck carrying about 1,500 tons of California hazardous waste was headed across the Arizona border to the La Paz County Landfill, an urban solid waste dump a few miles from the Colorado River Indian Tribal Reservation. rang.
The journey is a familiar one for California Toxic. Since 2010, nearly half of California’s hazardous waste has left the Golden State. according to the numbers Released last summer.
Some of this estimated 10 million tons were sent to specialized facilities, but California government agencies and companies transported much of it across the border to states with less stringent environmental regulations, where they were sent to regular municipal disposal. A CalMatters investigation revealed that he had dumped it in a landfill. These are a cheaper alternative with limited protection and oversight than sites licensed to handle hazardous waste. A CalMatters analysis of state shipping records found that two of the most heavily used locations in California are near Native American reservations, including spotty landfills. Environmental record.
There is nothing illegal about the practice, but critics argue that it poses thorny problems for the nation it loves. Stroking on the back as environmental leader and shining example how to protect planet.
“We shouldn’t have strict laws in California to send this waste out of state. How fair is that? A few years ago I was on the state’s advisory board looking into hazardous waste. Environmental advocate Cynthia Babich said: “You’re just shifting the burden. It doesn’t really address the problem.”
CalMatters spent four months investigating how California handles hazardous waste. Analyzed state and federal databases containing millions of shipping records, reviewed regulatory filings and archival documents, and hundreds of pages of environmental inspection reports for waste treatment facilities in Arizona and Utah. and interviewed regulators. , environmental advocates, engineers and sources of information for the waste industry.
CalMatters has found no reports directly linking California waste to public health problems or contamination of surrounding areas. However, environmental analysis of these out-of-state landfills and their surroundings is limited at best, relying primarily on self-reported data from waste companies. One of Arizona’s landfills does not monitor groundwater.
Waste from California includes asbestos, treated wood, and debris from automatic shredders. However, the largest source is contaminated soil. It’s the result of California’s massive effort to correct decades of negative environmental impacts and restore land on the site of old factories, refineries and military installations. This is soil contaminated with heavy metals such as lead and nickel, petroleum hydrocarbons and chemicals such as DDT. Most of the soil comes from cleanups overseen or directly controlled by government agencies.
In the last five years, California disposed of more than 660,000 tons of contaminated soil in landfills in Arizona and nearly 1 million tons in landfills in Utah, according to state data. tracking systemThis includes the Mission Bay redevelopment in San Francisco, the cleanup of a military base in San Diego, and hazardous waste from projects for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.
At least one company hopes there will be more. A Utah company is currently seeking a permit in the state to open a landfill just off the Great Salt Lake, and plans to use contaminated soil among other waste streams. An economic analysis the company filed with Utah regulators said there is a “unique market opportunity created by California law.”
California officials have debated the issue for years, including a state initiative that looked at ways to treat more contaminated soil on site, but they have done little to address it. Neither. In fact, the state’s own hazardous waste watchdog, the Toxic Substances Control Administration, is one of the largest out-of-state dumpers.Nevertheless 1991 Pledge It was signed by the government of the time. Pete Wilson stores California waste in California.
Since 2018, the agency has removed more than 105,000 tons of contaminated soil from the state’s largest cleanup site, the area surrounding the old Exide battery recycling plant in Los Angeles County, for disposal in western Arizona. Regulatory filings show that most are disposed of in South Yuma County landfills. The landfill is just a few miles from the Kokopa Indian Tribe Reservation and is adjacent to the lush green orchards of the company that grows organic dates. According to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality,imminent serious threatAfter the 2021 inspection, we found windblown debris, large amounts of “disease vectors” (flies and birds), and high levels of chromium (a metal that can be harmful to humans and the environment) in groundwater. I found it included.
Toxic Substances Control officials said the decision to ship the waste out of state was due to cost. Commissioner Meredith Williams confirmed that her agency does not monitor landfill practices in other states. It’s scheduled for 2025 and could “reflect the kinds of concerns you hear.”
Gavin Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Some waste industry experts argue that there is little risk to people or the environment from contaminated dirt. They say California’s regulations are too strict. It labels some waste as hazardous under state law, even though it falls below federal thresholds for being considered hazardous. Modern landfills here and out of state are well equipped to handle cleanup waste, they say, because contaminants, especially heavy metals, don’t move well through soil. , argue that regulation not only drives up processing costs for companies and governments, but also creates unintended environmental costs.
