COMPLIANCE INFO_COMPLIANCE INFO 1983-2007

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Relc._ _d by James T. Allen Department of Health Servic, 1984 FACT SuEET ON DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SEK%iCES ' INVESTIGATIONS OF LAGUE SALES COMPANY, LATHROP; SACRAMENTO SURPLUS COMPANY, SACRAMENTO; AND GORDON RESEARCH COMPANY, MANTECA APRIL 19, 1984 1 . Initial inspections of the three (3) facilities have been completed and samples submitted to our laboratory for analysis . Preliminary laboratory results will be coming in over the next several days. Results will be made public when release is approved by the appropriate County District Attorney. 2. The Department has determined that much of what is stored at the three facilities is hazardous waste . Many of the drums and other containers are unlabelled, improperly labelled, corroded, damaged, and/or leaking. Many of the containers have been at the facilities for several years . There appear to be many violations of the State's hazardous waste control laws, e.g. , illegal storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. 3. On the basis of on-scene observations during our initial inspections, the Department determined that court orders were necessary against all three facilities to control access to the properties and materials during our continuing investigation -and to assure public safety. The Department requested: a. The Sacramento County District Attorney to file for an order against the two facilities owned by Robert Lague -- Sacramento Surplus Sales Company in Sacramento and Lague Sales Company in Lathrop; and b. The S' Joaquin County District Attorney to file for an order against Cordon Research Company in Manteca, owned by Larry Gordon. The two District Attorneys have filed. The Department is very pleased with the excellent and very rapid responses of these District Attorneys to our requests . This Administration is dedicated to working through local agencies, to the maximum extent feasible, in enforcing the State's hazardous waste control laws. I am personally very pleased with the cooperation we are receiving from these two counties in carrying out the Department's aggressive enforcement program. 4. The defendants in these three actions have been very cooperative with the Department and the District Attorneys . They are now taking actions to prevent public access to their properties. 5. The Department is continuing its investigation of the three facilities, in cooperation with the District Attorneys . The Department will specify actions necessary to fully characterize the extent of the problems at all three facilities and to correct those problems -- and will oversee these actions to assure that each facility is restored to a safe con- dition. b. As part of its investigation, the Department will determine if other parties have violated the State's hazardous waste control laws . It is apparent that many of the wastes at the three facilities came from agencies of tae U.S. GoverAment, including several military bases . If we find vio- lation. 047 th, &u.,f of fedref-1 facilities, we will seek prosecution of the responsible parties to the ,2tffcsf extent allowed by law.