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iiacal acLs <br /> to overturn <br /> IN a <br /> toxic rulin <br /> Company wants to end <br /> cleanup at Stockton site <br /> By Jim Nickles some time to clean up that Site;' <br /> Record Staff Writer said Sherri Kirk, a Sacramento <br /> an will ask state lawyer who represents Unocal. <br /> An oil company Y We felt ... that the site had been <br /> officials today to overrule San adequately cleaned up and no <br /> Joaquin County's Environmental longer posed any threat to peo- <br /> Health Division and allow it to ple's health or the environment:' <br /> abandon a former gas station on The county contends Unocal, <br /> Pacific Avenue where benzene, a nearly 12 years after it closed the <br /> cancer-causing chemical, remains gas station, has not adequately <br /> in the groundwater at more than measured the extent of the pollu- <br /> 9,000 times the drinking-water don, devised a plan to clean it up, <br /> standard. or followed that plan. <br /> Unocal says it has spent more As recently as this year, benzene <br /> than 10 years and $300,000 clean- was detected in monitoring wells <br /> ing up contamination caused by on the property at up to 9,700 <br /> leaking underground fuel tanks parts per billion,while total petro- <br /> that were pulled from the ground leurn hydrocarbons, or TPH, has <br /> in 1988. At a hearing today in been measured at 130,000 parts <br /> Sacramento, the company will ask per billion, said Laurie Cotulla, the <br /> the State Water Resources Control county's environmental-health <br /> Board to allow it to "close" the program manager. <br /> site, or walk away with no further "In our opinion, those are very <br /> effort to remove pollution. high levels," she said. <br /> County officials have refused to The federal drinking-water stan- <br /> allow closure, saying the property dard for benzene is 1 part per bil- <br /> at 1665 Pacific Ave. needs more lion, while TPH can be detected <br /> groundwater monitoring and by taste and odor at 5 ppb. <br /> cleanup. Unocal maintains and some <br /> Under California's underground- state board officials agree — that <br /> tank cleanup program, companies the pollution is naturally breaking <br /> that disagree with a county deci- down. <br /> sion can take their case to the At a workshop two weeks ago, <br /> state water board. <br /> "Unocal has been working for Please see UNOCAL.Back page <br />