There is a rumor that there is a higher rate of respiratory illness and cancer in Fillmore due to the presence of the oil refinery across Pole Creek. If you purchase a home adjacent to the site, the realtors are required to notify you of potential hazards associated with the site. Yet no one has ever confirmed or refuted this rumor. There has been lots of testing of the ground, water and air, but no testing of the persons living in the area.

Youth, staff and adult volunteers from One Step a la Vez (a teen program in Fillmore) are conducting a survey to get scientific information about the health effects of the toxic waste site. Under the supervision of Dr. James Dahlgren (Environmental Toxicologist) and his staff they are conducting a survey of residents to the west of the refinery site. The survey began on August 1st and will continue until completed. Volunteers will be going door to door asking for residents to fill out a health history form. If you live near Pole Creek, please participate in the study; the more participants who share information, the more accurate the study.

The information will be kept completely confidential. Each participant will be assigned a number. No names will be used. The results will be tabulated as a group (not as individuals) and the results will be made public.
According to the EPA website, “From 1920 to 1952, the 56-acre Pacific Coast Pipeline site was operated by Texaco as an oil refinery. During this time, refinery wastes were deposited into unlined waste pits. The largest waste pit was located on the western boundary of the site. In 1980, Texaco requested permission from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) to use refinery wastes to resurface on-site service roads. During site investigations, the LARWQCB detected lead at the site. Between 1981 and 1984, Texaco performed an environmental assessment of the site. Soil and groundwater were found to be contaminated with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Approximately 10,000 people obtain drinking water and as many as 4,000 acres of agricultural land are irrigated from wells within 3 miles of the site. The site is secured by a barbed-wire fence. The Santa Clara River is located within 1 mile of the site.”

Chevron joined with Texaco and has since come to an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to begin clean-up of the site. The clean-up is scheduled to be completed in 50 years. According to the Chevron and EPA documents, once the site is cleaned up, it will be safe for short term use (no one will ever be allowed to stay overnight). The City of Fillmore is presently looking at plans for the future use of the site.

The One Step a la Vez youth are working on the survey as a part of their efforts to improve the community. Another topic they are working on is to improve transportation for the Santa Clara Valley. If you are interested in volunteering to help in either take the survey or to help administer the Health Survey or to be involved in the Transportation committee, please contact Cindy Escoto at 910-6642 or Lynn Edmonds at 907-6576. Volunteers are always welcome!
* * * *
CLARIFICATION STATEMENT FROM Leslie Klinchuch, PG, CHg, CGWP, Project Manager, Chevron Environmental Management Co.
1. These is a conclusion drawn that local drinking water wells were contaminated by site operations. This is incorrect. The US EPA confirmed that the Pacific Coast Pipeline (PCPL) site has never had an effect on drinking water wells. There is no pathway for PCPL site contamination to make its way into City wells.

2. The story indicates that there are “unrefuted” rumors about health impacts created by the PCPL site. However, several health studies (available to the public) have been conducted over the past 25 years and the US EPA and other government agencies have publicly refuted concerns repeatedly, stating that the site does not pose a health risk to the community. The link that follows connects to page 85 of the EPA’s “Record of Decision” on the site and provides a clear statement about the lack of health impacts.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/3dc283e6c5d6056f88257426007417a2/3028ca49d88e331188257929008021b6!OpenDocument

I am also pasting in the content (below) for your convenience.

3. Comment: One commenter noted that a number of residents in the neighborhood west of
Pole Creek have gotten cancer and some have died. Several commenters urged that there should
be health assessments of all City residents, with one them suggesting that the assessment should
focus on residents near the Site.

EPA Response: As noted in the response to the preceding comment, monitoring data from 1990
to the present indicates that contaminant concentrations related to the Site would not have
harmful health effects on Fillmore residents, For this reason, neither a City-wide nor more
focused health assessment project appears warranted.

Nevertheless, following the public meeting in June, EPA referred the matter to the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. ATSDR contacted Dr. Robert Levin, Health Officer for Ventura County,
about a possible cancer cluster in Fillmore. Dr. Levin responded that he is not aware of a cancer
cluster in Fillmore. ATSDR also contacted Dr. John Morgan of the California Cancer Registry,
which is maintained by the California Department of Public Health, Cancer Surveillance and
Research Branch. Dr. Morgan looked into the matter and, based on available information, he
determined that there is not a cancer cluster in Fillmore and a connection cannot be made
between the Site and cancers of residents. Current statistics indicate that 1 in 3 Americans will
be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (U.S. Cancer Registry).