U.S. EPA Excavates Three Underground Tanks at Abandoned Gas Station in Compton, Launches $1.3 million Project, Paving the Way for Community Revitalization and Job Creation

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On April 12, the U.S. EPA was scheduled to remove three 10,000 gallon underground tanks, which held gasoline or diesel fuel from an abandoned gas station in Compton, Calif. EPA contractors also took water and soil samples to evaluate whether the storage tanks had leaked. If the tanks have leaked, EPA and the state and regional water boards will assess the level of environmental cleanup required to make the site available for reuse. This is part of a $1.3 million dollar pilot project to clean up underground storage tanks at 29 sites in the Los Angeles area. The Compton gas station originally operated from the mid-1960s until 1992 when it was burned down during the Los Angeles riots and subsequently abandoned. 

The April 12 excavation is part of a project funded by $1 million of Leaking Underground Storage Tank trust funds and $300,000 of Brownfields Assessment funds to address underground storage tanks in Los Angeles. In December 2010, the U.S. EPA and the State Water Resources Control Board launched the UST Cleanup Partnership in the I-710 Corridor, which aims to identify and assess tank sites that have been unaddressed along this environmental justice area.

Due to the high clean-up costs, these sites have remained vacant for decades. The U.S. EPA and the state will work together to assess and cleanup these sites, making them available for resale and reuse, bringing businesses and jobs back into the area. The site in Compton was identified with assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works as well as redevelopment officials in the City of Compton. The I-710 Corridor is a geographic focus area for EPA. The I-710 underground tank work is part of a larger collaborative effort to improve environmental and public health conditions along the corridor.