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Regional Enforcement
Resources
Conoco Site Investigation Order
Charnock Initial Regional Response Activities Enforcement Documents
Background
In July 1998, most of the initial investigations at potential pollution source sites were complete. At that time, EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board agencies offered to negotiate a consent agreement with all parties responsible for source sites. EPA and the Regional Board encouraged these parties to form a group to negotiate this agreement and to perform specified work necessary to remediate this environmental problem. As of March 2000, no group had formed that was willing to agree to perform the necessary remediation. Since April 1999, the two agencies have issued orders (see below) requiring certain parties to perform additional investigation of their source sites, requiring 16 parties to provide replacement water, and required parties whose sites have impacted groundwater to perform regional investigation and cleanup.
On April 20, 1999, the two agencies issued parallel orders which require Conoco, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (Kayo and Douglas) to perform a more detailed investigation of releases from their potential source site. Please refer to the Conoco Order page to read more about the EPA order to Conoco and its subsidiaries.
On September 22, 1999, the two agencies issued parallel administrative orders requiring Shell Oil Company, Shell Oil Products Company, and Equilon Enterprises, LLC (a joint venture of Shell and Texaco), to continue providing replacement water costs from January 7, 2000, through January 6, 2005, to the City of Santa Monica and Southern California Water Company. The two agencies have determined that one of Shell's gas stations released a large volume of gasoline containing MTBE and has made a significant contribution to the Charnock Sub-Basin groundwater contamination problem. The water replacement agreement between Shell, Chevron, Exxon and the water purveyors expired on January 6, 2000. Please refer to the Water Replacement Orders page to read more about these EPA orders.
On March 9, 2000, EPA issued a unilateral administrative order (PDF) (76pg, 526K, About PDF) requiring Chevron USA Inc., Exxon Mobil Corporation, Atlantic Richfield Company (d.b.a. ARCO), Conoco Inc., Kayo Oil Company, Douglas Oil Company of California, Unocal Corporation, Mobil Oil Corporation, Tosco Corporation, Thrifty Oil Company, Best California Gas Ltd., Kazuko Nishida, and HLW Corporation to participate with the Shell companies in continuing to provide water replacement to the City of Santa Monica and Southern California Water Company. EPA, in conjunction with the Regional Board, determined that these thirteen parties have responsibility for eleven sites that have impacted Charnock Sub-Basin drinking water resources.
On November 30, 2000, EPA entered into an Administrative Consent Order with Shell Oil Company, Shell Oil Products Company and Equilon Enterprises, LLC to conduct regional investigation and analysis of cleanup alternatives and ordered a number of other parties to participate and cooperate in doing the work. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board entered into a parallel stipulated agreement with Shell.
On November 30, 2000, EPA issued a Unilateral Participate and Cooperate Order requiring the parties listed in the March 2000 order and Winall Oil Co. to participate and cooperate with Shell in performing additional regional investigation and analysis of alternatives actions (EPA Docket No. RCRA-7003-09-2001-01).
In December 2003, the City of Santa Monica reached a settlement with several oil companies that requires these companies to fund design, construction and operation of a wellhead treatment plant. This wellhead treatment plant will be designed to remove MTBE and other gasoline constituents from the groundwater pumped at the Charnock wells. EPA and the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board facilitated this comprehensive solution to the Charnock Sub-Basin MTBE problem.