The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday announced a $2 million settlement with 290 small parties, called de minimis parties, for the Casmalia Resources Superfund Site (CRSS).

It is a former hazardous waste disposal facility that accepted about 5.6 billion pounds of waste from nearly 10,000 generators between 1973 and 1989.

This is the ninth in a series of de minimis settlements at the site.

CRSS is located approximately 10 miles southwest of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County. To date, more than $110 million has been collected toward cleanup from generators of hazardous waste disposed at the site and from the site’s former owner-operators.

The settlement requires the 290 parties to pay their share of the estimated $284 million total cost of cleaning up the site and resolves their liability for the more than 23 million pounds of waste they collectively sent to CRSS. The EPA will collect a total of more than $2 million in response costs, equating to about 9 cents per pound of waste that the parties sent to the site.

This settlement also resolves the parties’ liability for potential natural resource damage claims by various government agencies, including claims for threats to endangered species and other habitats.

The EPA assumed the role of the lead regulatory agency in 1992 after the facility’s owners and operators abandoned efforts to clean up the site. EPA undertook emergency response action activities, while concurrently seeking participation in site work by former customers of the facility.

The site was placed on the National Priorities List in September 2001. Notice of this proposed Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent is available for a 30-day public comment period following the Nov. 20 publication in the Federal Register found by clicking here. The Federal Register Notice is in Volume 77, Issue No. 224 on pages 69620 to 69622.

— Michael Ardito represents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.