Southeast Area : 14 Cities Liable for Cleanup of Monterey Park Toxic Site

A federal judge has ruled that 14 cities that used the Operating Industries Inc. landfill in Monterey Park share responsibility for some of the estimated $500-million costs to clean up the toxic site. Many of the cities are in the Southeast area.

U.S. District Judge William M. Byrne Jr. held last week that the cities that transported commercial and residential waste to the site for dozens of years contributed to the toxic mess. The cities deny responsibility for the waste taken to the dump. The site has been closed.

A consortium of 64 companies that also dumped industrial waste at the site has paid $164 million toward the cleanup and wants to be reimbursed by the cities.

The judge must determine the financial liability of each city based on the length of time the dump was used and how much waste was dumped. A hearing date for the damage phase of the trial has not been set.

Southeast cities still involved in the litigation include Bell, Commerce, Compton, Cudahy, Lynwood, Maywood and Montebello.

Earlier this month 10 cities, including Bell Gardens, Norwalk, Paramount and Huntington Park, agreed to pay a portion of the cleanup costs.