News Release

T – 7 – 21
Meredith Williams, Director

Contact: Barbara Zumwalt
(916) 708-4303
Barbara.Zumwal@dtsc.ca.gov

DTSC Files Civil Complaint Against Central California Hazardous Waste Facility alleging Numerous Violations

SACRAMENTO – The Department of Toxic Substances Control has filed a civil lawsuit against a Central California hazardous waste storage facility because of multiple serious and repeat alleged violations of California’s hazardous waste laws.

California Oil Transfer LLC, formerly known as Riverbank Oil Transfer, is a used oil transfer facility permitted to receive used oil, anti-freeze and oily wastewater from tank trucks operated by hazardous waste transporters. Activities at the facility include the transfer of hazardous waste used oil into rail cars for transportation to offsite hazardous waste treatment, storage, recycling, or disposal facilities.

Violations include improper storage of hazardous wastes, the unauthorized acceptance and comingling of hazardous waste, storing hazardous waste in areas without secondary containment, failure to maintain proper records, and exceeding authorized hazardous waste storage volumes.

The complaint stems from 2016 and 2017 compliance evaluation inspections conducted by DTSC at the Stanislaus County facility located at 5300 Claus Road, Riverbank.  Based on those inspections, the complaint includes 10 violations.

DTSC inspections also found that Riverbank Oil Transfer LLC and California Oil Transfer LLC moved railcars filled with hazardous waste used oil to areas without secondary containment at least 77 times and that between 2014 and 2016 the facility stored those railcars containing hazardous waste in unauthorized areas for a total of 370 days.

These inspections also found that Riverbank Oil Transfer LLC and California Oil Transfer LLC exceeded its authorized storage capacity limit of 50,000 gallons of hazardous waste on 37 different occasions between 2014 and 2016 as a result of the facilities unauthorized storage of hazardous waste.

DTSC was authorized by the Hazardous Waste Control Law to assess a civil penalty not to exceed $25,000 for each violation or each day a violation continues before Jan 1, 2018.

The complaint was filed on March 1 in Alameda County Superior Court.

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FOR GENERAL INQUIRIES: Contact the Department of Toxic Substances Control to report illegal handling, discharge, or disposal of hazardous waste or other environmental concerns at Calepa.my.salesforce-sites.com/complaints/Complaint.