The Jervis B. Webb Co. site sits in South Gate, California, where conveyor belt systems were manufactured from the 1950s to 1996 and aircraft rivets were produced until 1981. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in May 2012. Industrial operations left volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soil, soil gas, and groundwater. A remedy was selected on September 30, 2023, but physical cleanup work has not yet begun.
Thirteen contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. Eleven were found in groundwater: 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,4-dioxane, benzene, vinyl chloride, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and trichloroethene (TCE). Tetrachloroethene and TCE were also found in soil. Soil gas contamination extends at least 35 feet deep. The local groundwater aquifer is not currently used for drinking water, but California has designated it as having beneficial uses, so EPA is cleaning it to maximum contaminant levels. All drinking water served to residents and businesses in South Gate meets state and federal standards. Indoor air sampling at three on-site structures did not show significant vapor intrusion.
Earlier cleanup work addressed the most urgent threats. In 1999, a removal action excavated 47 cubic yards of TCE-contaminated soil and replaced it with clean material after TCE was detected on-site in 1997. A soil-vapor extraction system also ran in 2000 and 2001, but VOC contamination remains. The remedial investigation and feasibility study ran from June 2014 to September 2023. The selected long-term remedy includes thermal treatment applied in place, multi-phase extraction, groundwater monitoring, soil gas monitoring, soil monitoring, institutional controls, and engineering controls. Performance measures show insufficient data to confirm whether human exposure or groundwater migration is currently controlled. Construction completion, deletion from the National Priorities List, and a five-year review are all still ahead.
The site remains partially active. Reliable Steel, Inc. purchased the southeast portion in 1997 and continues to operate there. Two on-site businesses currently employ 8 people and generate about $3.66 million in annual sales.
Community members can reach the EPA team with questions or comments. Site records are available at the EPA Regional Records Center in San Francisco and at the Leland R. Weaver Library in South Gate. Documentation includes 11 key site documents, 21 fact sheets in English and Spanish, and 2 community involvement plans.
