WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Operators of a landfill site in California face $1 million in collective penalties for improperly analyzing toxic waste, the EPA said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it reached a settlement with Chemical Waste Management that requires the company to spend $600,000 to comply with the letter of the law and another $400,000 in penalties for improper operations at its landfill near Kettleman City, Calif.
Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator for the EPA, said there were "significant shortcomings" in the way the company's lab analyzed toxic waste disposed at the site.
"As a result, EPA has assessed a significant penalty and required an outside lab be used for at least two years," he said in a statement.
The company reportedly hadn't followed proper laboratory procedures since 2005. The Kettleman Hills facility handles commercial hazardous waste, including polychlorinated biphenyls. The company was accused of disposing hazardous waste from the landfill without making sure it met treatment standards, the EPA said.
"There is no evidence to suggest that the landfill's violations posed any danger to nearby communities or workers at the facility," the agency added.
