Hondo Chemicals in Bakersfield had to set itself on fire with chemical plumes soaring into the night sky to ignite action to clean up what’s been called “an unauthorized dump” on Stockdale Highway in Bakersfield.
Since 2007 Hondo Chemicals has been declared a public nuisance due to illegal storage of hazardous materials and fires at the site. Hondo has accumulated over $1 million dollars in penalties owed to the County, a figure that was set to increase by $1,000 per day until everything is resolved.
After three years of pressuring by Kern County Department of Health (three years, fellow breathers) the Kern County Board of Supervisors got serious. They gave the owner, Jess Karr, 3 weeks to clean up. This is after 13 hearings spaced over years of well-documented and publicized incidents (e.g., fires, unsafe hazardous materials storage, unsafe operations, etc.). Compliance deadlines were ignored. The carrot obviously didn’t work. Finally the Board of Supervisors used the stick and told Hondo Chemicals to clean up their act.
The Supervisors threatened the company with closure if more progress in resolving the problems wasn’t made. Was there a serious “or else” this time?
Threats. Is Hondo Chemicals scared? I doubt it. And will those fines ever be paid? Fines are often forgiven. And we wouldn’t want to offend a company that might take itself elsewhere. After all the Central California Better Business Bureau (BBB) has given Hondo Chemical the BBB’s highest rating of A+?
So on April 29, 2011, the company got a clean bill of health and determined to be meeting all the requirements laid down by Kern County Environmental Health and the fire department. Hondo Chemicals makes soil amendment products for agriculture. What’s that? Their website looks like something designed by somebody’s kid in 1995. An explanation of soil or water amendments takes you to what looks like an encyclopedia entry for very young, new English speakers. Most of the links are broken.
What is seeping into the aquifer?
Back in 2009 Hondo received a violation notice because the company had stockpiled fly ash and petroleum-contaminated soil for more than a year without a permit. Officials found produced water from oil-field production in several unlined pits on the property. These wastes sit over an aquifer which stores potable water delivered to Bakersfield residents and other area water districts. Karr has been dragged into dealing with fire suppression.
Will we wait another 3 years, through 14 more hearings, all the while produced water–and who knows what else–seeps into Bakersfield’s water supply?