LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A California recycling facility specializing in volatile organic compounds agreed to perform $5.6 million in soil cleanup, a U.S. environmental regulator said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice agreed to a settlement for Omega Chemical Corp's superfund site near Los Angeles.
The chemical company under the terms of the settlement agreed to spend $5.6 million on soil cleanup and pay for EPA's oversight. Omega would also reimburse the EPA for $1.5 million in response costs, the environmental agency said.
Jane Diamond, the superfund director for the region, said the settlement was an important step in getting the site remediated.
"Soil cleanup is a critical step needed to protect nearby businesses and communities and prevent further contamination of groundwater in the area," she said in a statement.
Soil and groundwater at the facility are contaminated with unsafe levels of Freon and chlorinated hydrocarbons used as cleaning and degreasing agents.
The site was added to the EPA's high-priority list of hazardous sites in 1999.
