OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

***Proposed Site*** September 2011


### JERVIS B. WEBB CO. South Gate, California Los Angeles County

 **Site Location :**  The site is located in a mixed industrial, commercial and residential area in South Gate, California. Volatile org anic

com pounds, including trichloroeth ene (TCE) , have been confirmed in the soils and ground water at the site.

 **Site History:**
The Jervis B. Webb Co. conducted metal fabrication, finishing, painting and assembly operations associated with the

manufactu re of industrial conveyor belt systems from the 1950s to early 1996 on the southeast portion of the site. In 1997, Reliable Steel, Inc. purchased this portion of the site. The Jervis B. Webb Co mpany purchased the northwestern portion of the site in 197 5 fr om Spear Industries. Blake Riv et Company , which produced aluminum and st ainless steel aircraft rivets, leased this northwestern portion of the site until approximately 1981.

 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:**

TCE has contaminated s oil a nd groundwater at t he site

. In 1997, TCE was detected in on site soils at levels up to 270,000 ppb, and the contaminated soil was excavated, removed and backfille d with clean material in 1999. In 2002, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) issued a No Fu rther Action letter for soil assessment and cleanup with the stipulation that groundwater monitoring and investigation needed to be continued. TCE was detected in the groundwater beneath the site at levels up to 35,000 pp b. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act Ma ximum Contaminant Level for TCE in drinking water is 5 ppb.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  The full extent of the groundwater contamination ne eds to be fully characterized. Although the drinking water supply wells immediately downg radient of the site are located in a deeper aquifer and are not currently contaminated, there is the potential that drinking water wells may become contaminated due to connections between the aquifers

. There are at least 35 drinking water wells within four miles of the site, serving approximately 226,000 people. In addition, due to the high concentrations of TCE in groundwater and the relatively shallow depth to groundwater (60 feet) , there is a need to evaluate the potential for vapor intrusion of TCE from the site into nearby buildings and residential areas.

 **Response Activities (to date):**
The RWQCB requested that the California D epartment of T oxic S ubstances C ontrol (DTSC) assume the lead on the

Jervis B. Webb Co. site in 2007

. DTSC issued an o rder to the potentially responsible parties for the Jervis B. Webb Co. site to investigate and remediate the site, but no partie s complied with the o rder. Since 2007 , DTSC has been

unsuccessful in compe lling the potentially responsible parties to conduct work at the site

. Due to the lack of

enforcement resources as we ll as the proximity of the site to the existing Cooper Drum NPL site , DTSC requested that

EPA assume the lead for the site to ensure that investigation work continues and cleanup work begins.

 **N eed for NPL Listing:** 

The S tate of California referred th e site to EPA. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated , but are not

viable at this time

. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the State of California.

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on

the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737.