Industrial Waste Processing

Overview

Industrial Waste Processing is a half-acre former chemical recycling facility in Pinedale, California, listed on the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) since August 1990. From 1967 to 1981, the site recycled petroleum residues, industrial solvents, and materials from metal can manufacturing. Improper storage and handling contaminated both soil and groundwater with hazardous substances including lead, solvents, asbestos, and solder waste. The site is organized into three operable units covering sitewide conditions, soil, and groundwater.

Cleanup began in 1988 when EPA removed hazardous liquids, asbestos, and lead wastes. About 2,352 tons of contaminated material was excavated from the surface. Potentially responsible parties completed additional soil removal in 1999, backfilling the area with clean material and confirming results through testing. In 2001, Pacific Tent and Awning purchased the property and built an 8,192-square-foot warehouse and office facility covering roughly 80 percent of the site. A sub-slab depressurization system, which pulls vapors from beneath a building's concrete floor to prevent them from seeping indoors, was installed in 2021 after indoor air samples showed risks above EPA screening levels.

The most recent Five-Year Review, completed in September 2024, found that current response actions protect human health and the environment in the short term. However, elevated levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in soil vapor beneath the building point to potential future risks. The existing depressurization system may not cover the full area under the slab, and EPA may need to add extraction points. EPA is now conducting a remedial investigation and feasibility study to select a final remedy for vapor intrusion, including a look at whether vapors could migrate off-site and affect nearby homes. No Records of Decision have been issued yet for the soil or groundwater operable units, and the site has not been deleted from the NPL.

EPA assessments currently show human exposure is under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified and no unacceptable discharge of groundwater contamination to surface water expected. Even so, the site is not yet cleared for all current and future uses, as additional cleanup goals and land-use restrictions still need to be finalized. As of December 2024, one business on the property employed 10 people and generated about $970,000 in annual sales revenue.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.