The Stoker Company site covers 20 acres in Imperial, California. It operated as a land treatment unit for wastes generated by cleaning pesticide applicators. EPA proposed it for the National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1991, and it remains in proposed status. The site is being addressed through federal and state actions, along with efforts by potentially responsible parties.
Contaminants affect soil, sediments, surface water, and air. A canal along the southern and eastern borders carries water to a residence fewer than 80 feet away, nearby wetlands, and a fishery. Local authorities shut down a nearby pond in 1988 after finding contaminants in dead birds and fish. About 130 people live within a mile of the site. The surrounding wetlands border an entire airstrip and provide habitat for four endangered or threatened species. A catfish fishery operates within a quarter-mile of the site. Groundwater migration is not considered a concern here.
Early cleanup work included removing and disposing of 300 tons of contaminated soil. An initial site assessment was completed in October 1988. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS), conducted by the state, ran from May 1992 through September 2016. Despite that long study period, a final cleanup remedy has not yet been selected, and no remedial action has started. Human exposure has not been fully assessed, meaning there is insufficient data to confirm whether unacceptable exposure pathways exist or have been controlled.
Two businesses currently operate on the site, employing 22 people and generating roughly 15.6 million dollars in annual sales. EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program supports this kind of productive reuse while cleanup planning continues.
Community members with questions can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Staying in touch with these contacts is the most direct way to follow site decisions as remedy selection moves forward.
