United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IX
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Site is located at 3710 Temescal Canyon Blvd., Corona, Riverside County, California (Latitude 33o 49’ 21.37” North, Longitude 117o 30’ 41.79”).  The Site is located in a mixed commercial and light industrial area.  To the north of the Site is a shopping center and entertainment complex.  To the west of the Site are open fields and Interstate 15.  To the east of the Site are several construction company facilities.  To the south of the Site is a flood control channel known as Bedford Wash, which drains to the Santa Ana River, which in turn drains to the Pacific Ocean.  On the other side of the flood control channel is a cement plant. The Site is bounded by Cajalco Road to the north, Temescal Canyon Road to the east.

The Site was first developed in the 1950s as Liston Brick Company, manufacturing brick and other clay products.  In 1975, the facility was redeveloped as Liston Aluminum Brick Company, an aluminum recycling and smelting plant, which remained in operation until 2006. After the business operations ceased, the facility buildings and equipment were demolished and removed.  The Site is currently a partially paved lot.  

Since late 2006 or early 2007, the property has been vacant with the exception of seven roll-off bins (“ROBs”), three of which contain what appears to be aluminum dross waste associated with the former Liston operations.  EPA observed green and white staining in the soils on the south eastern portion of the Site, which appeared consistent with metals contamination and appears to be migrating off-Site.  The residual waste products left on Site by the former Liston operations, and suspected surface and subsurface soil contamination related to the former operations, have been investigated by the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health Hazardous Materials Management Division (“HMMD”), the Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”), the Riverside County Transportation Commission (“RCTC”), and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office (“RCDA”).  In November 2008, the RCDA requested the assistance of the EPA in removal of the ROBs and contaminated soil.

On December 9, 2009, EPA collected five surface soil samples (LBC-SS-1 – LBC-SS-5) around the exterior perimeter of the Site and one surface soil sample (LBC-SS-6) in the flood control drainage channel adjacent to the southern perimeter of the Site (Appendix A:  START Report).  One sample was collected from greenish-gray stained soils consistent with the appearance of the aluminum dross waste observed in the ROBs.  This sample was collected on the Site perimeter and the staining appeared to be migrating off-Site onto the sidewalk and the street.  This sample contained California Hazardous Waste Levels of copper (11,300 ppm) and zinc (5720 ppm).  EPA did not sample the ROBs because the HMMD and RCDA had recently conducted extensive sampling of the ROBs.  

Based on this information, EPA issued a General Notice of CERCLA liability to Liston.  The General Notice included advisement of appropriate response action necessary to address the ROBs and soil contamination at the Site.  The PRPs were given until December 19, 2009 to provide the  name of a contractor.  They failed to contact EPA again until they were sent a UAO on March 13, 2009.  The PRP agreed to conduct the work on the week of May 11, 2009.

During the week of May 11, 2009, the PRP's contractor emptied the ROBs using a vacuum truck and vacuum (sealed)ROBs.  A small amount of contaminated soil was also excavated near the perimter of the site.  The waste was transported off-site to U.S. Ecology, Beaty, NV.

No further work on-site is required.