Stringfellow is a toxic waste dump and superfund site located in riverside county, calif. This case considered complex questions of insurance policy coverage interpretation in connection with a federal courtordered cleanup of the states stringfellow acid pits waste site. At eye of superfund storm, superdump the washington post. In a complex ruling that combines state water law with liability insurance coverage definitions, the court ruled. Site in riverside county has sparked the nations largest civil suit. Stringfellow acid pits superfund project jurupa valley, ca. Todays settlement is another milestone in our ongoing effort to clean the contaminated groundwater caused by the dumping of hazardous wastes at the stringfellow acid pits, said manella. California supreme court ruling will enable montrose to.
Contact us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Insurers liable for stringfellow acid pits cleanup, state argued. Our history ccaejs approach to community empowerment is grounded in the battle of the small, inland valley community of glen avon and its fight to stop pollution from the stringfellow acid pits, californias top superfund priority site and one of the most notorious toxic dumps in the nation. We hope that it signals forward progress in our efforts to assume the longterm cleanup responsibilities at stringfellow. A hysterical housewife reflects on 39 years of environmental activism.
The justice department says it plans to sue for millions of dollars in cleanup costs from some or all of more than 200 companies that dumped toxic wastes at the stringfellow acid pits near. Stringfellow acid pits the university of michigan press. The site is physically located within the city limits of jurupa valley, but is not being managed by city. A hysterical housewife reflects on 39 years of environmental.
Stringfellow acid pits tells the story of one of the most toxic places in the united states, and of an epic legal battle waged to clean up the site and hold those responsible accountable. A quartercentury later, casmalia is still waiting for superfund cleanup by david minsky. In the mid1950s, a number of hightech companies began to dump their hazardous wastes into the canyon. James stringfellow, the owner of the property where the pits were located atop the jurupa mountains in the drainage path of 250 acres of the canyon watershed and at the head of pyrite creek, was initially wary of using his property for a toxic dump, worrying about the chemicals that might be emptied there and the management procedures the. Glen avon residents will receive payments for the dumping at stringfellow acid pits. The stringfellow acid pits, located in the glen avon area of jurupa valley, is the subject of a u. Stringfellow acid pits threaten overflow regional rains fill hazardous waste ponds at this abandoned disposal site, threatening overflows through neighboring glen avon, riverside county, calif. Insurers must pay for hazardous waste site cleanup, court. Now abandoned but a continuing source of groundwater contamination. Cleanup options for the stringfellow acid pits superfund. State sol sor trigger indemnity economic loss doctrine.
The state of california will be able to collect tens of millions of dollars from insurance companies for cleanup of the stringfellow acid pits hazardous waste site, the california supreme court ruled thursday. If you switch to a different device, you may be asked to login again with only your acs id. A california tale of epa intrigue and angry residents. Insurers might be on the hook for hazardous waste cleanup insurance companies might have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up the stringfellow acid pits, a notorious toxic waste dump in riverside county, the fourth district court of appeal has ruled. She is best known for her advocacy work on the stringfellow acid pits, a toxic waste disposal site located in the community of glen avon now incorporated into the city of jurupa valley. Stringfellow acid pits department of toxic substances control. The stringfellow acid pits are a toxic waste dump, and a superfund site, located in jurupa. Cleanup options for the stringfellow acid pits superfund site. Before becoming the states first superfund cleanup site in 1983, stringfellow was one of the largest hazardous waste sites in the united states. Pyrite canyon was once home of the stringfellow acid pits, a toxicwaste site. The supreme court ruling ends a decadeslong dispute between the state and insurance companies for a multimillion dollar payout to clean up the stringfellow acid pits in riverside county, reports the associated press. The stringfellow acid pits in california illustrate the themes of contamination, exposure, and expertise that weave through this excellent and provocative edited volume.
Interim priorities list ipl and expanded eligibility list eel sites on october 23, 1981, the epa announced the selection of 115 sites for the interim priorities list. Penny newman born may 30, 1947 is an environmentalist, a community organizer, and the former director of the center for community action and environmental justice ccaej in riverside county, california. This case is part of the ongoing litigation concerning the stringfellow acid pits, an abandoned hazardous waste disposal site near glen avon, california. Insurers must pay state in riverside toxic dump litigation. Supreme court sides with state in stringfellow law360. The site was operated by the stringfellow quarry company from august 21, 1956 to november 19, 1972 as a hazardous waste disposal facility. Court settlements have closed a bitter chapter in the history of the stringfellow acid pits, where the dumping of 34 million gallons of acids, solvents and pesticides aroused a scandal that. Stringfellow acid pits, usa ejatlas environmental justice atlas. According to dtsc, the cleanup effort will take approximately 500 years. Her fight as mother and activist to clean up the acid pits dates back to the 1970s when her two sons, eric and. The history behind the case begins in 1956, when the seventeen acre industrial waste dump was operated by the state. The frustrations of stringfellow and other cleanup projects have raised a chorus of criticism among ecologists.
Abstract the stringfellow acid pits site is located in riverside county, five miles north west of the city of riverside and one mile north of the community of glen avon. It was shut down in 1972 after it was found that the pits were leaking into. The decision relies heavily on the courts decision in the insurance coverage dispute over the massive environmental cleanup of the stringfellow acid pits in state of california v. Insurers must pay for hazardous waste site cleanup, court rules. The california supreme court has paved the way for the state of california to argue at trial that four insurance companies should cover cleanup costs stemming from pollution related to the. Stringfellow acid pits tells the story of one of the most toxic places in the united states, and of an epic legal battle waged to clean up the site and hold those. House of representatives, one hundredth congress, second session, september 10, 1988 united states.
The supreme court affirmed the court of appeals judgment, holding 1 the continuous injury trigger and all sums rule announced in montrose chemical corp. Interim priorities list ipl and expanded eligibility. The stringfellow superfund site is located in the city of jurupa valley, california. The fortunes of jurupa valley, a 6monthold city, and stringfellow acid pits, one of the most notorious toxic waste dumps in the nation, likely will. You may find additional information on the cleanup sites and hazardous waste permitted facilities in the envirostor database. The stringfellow acid pits are a toxic waste dump, and a superfund site, located in jurupa valley, california, united states, just north of the neighborhood of glen avon, california. When the stringfellow acid pits were retired 20 years ago as. Dtsc dedicates new treatment plant at stringfellow site july 2016.
In california, the stringfellow acid pits, soaked by 32 million gallons of dangerous chemicals over a 16year period, have become known, in the words of one state senate staff member, as the love. Stringfellow acid pits as it is today will be a problem to the whole country. Search the superfund data system for active and archived npl and nonnpl sites. Stringfellow acid pits department of toxic substances. Stringfellow acid pits site, ca 2 superfund record of decision. Stringfellow acid pits draft supplemental feasibility study department of toxic substances control fact sheet may 2000 california environmental protection agency it is dtscs mission to protect public health and the environment from harmful exposure to hazardous substances. No special precautions were taken in the dumping process. You may find additional information on the cleanup sites and hazardous waste permitted facilities in the. Environmental protection agency epa superfund cleanup. Toxicwaste site awash in misudgment the washington post. The acid pits, also known as the stringfellow quarry waste pits, are located on a 20acre 8ha site in pyrite canyon above glen avon.
1101 1121 315 772 459 111 1296 305 666 872 718 527 214 246 924 78 208 1414 1208 584 250 1193 680 478 817 1484 1284 1297 996 846 1475 812