Time has come for Ascon cleanup

It is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Seven major oil

companies have agreed, and one is being forced, to pay for the

cleanup of the Ascon toxic dump.

The polluted site in Southeast Huntington Beach, which sits

between the AES Huntington Beach power plant and Edison High School,

has long been a sore spot in the community.

For five decades, oil and chemical companies dumped their

crude-oil waste, styrene and other toxic compounds on the 38-acre

parcel. That was followed by the dumping of metals and wood. Then,

residents watched a string of developers go bankrupt trying to carry

out plans to clean up and develop the area.

Now, through the persistence of the state’s Department of Toxic

Substances Control, funds are on the way to clean up of one of

Southern California’s most contaminated landfills.

Cleanup could begin in a year and a half and take as long as three

years.

Many residents in Southeast Huntington Beach have voiced concerns

-- and some outright objections -- to the cleanup plans. This is

understandable considering the risks of stirring up toxins and the

definite inconvenience that will come with such an involved clean up.

But opportunities like this don’t come along very often, and

cleaning up a toxic pit is certainly worth the inconvenience of noise

of construction trucks in the long run. Home prices are bound to go

up once the dump is cleaned up. The looming danger of polluted

groundwater will at last be removed.

As for safety, it is of the utmost concern. State regulators need

to be vigilant in their attention to detail.

As the cleanup of another toxic area in Huntington Beach moves

forward on the homes surrounding the Fieldstone property on the other

side of town, state regulators have held numerous community meetings

to keep residents aware. They plan to do the cleanup by hand rather

than with machines for safety reasons, they said.

Meetings like those held near the Fieldstone property need to be

held in Southeast Huntington Beach. All Southeast Huntington Beach

residents should be notified and invited, as it will affect the

entire community.

In the meantime, let’s all look forward to the day, hopefully

soon, that the stain of the Ascon site will be removed forever from

this community.