AMCO Chemical

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AMCO Chemical was a chemical distribution company located in Oakland, California. The land the company operated on is designated as a Superfund cleanup site.

AMCO operated from the 1960s until 1989. Chemicals were brought to the company in rail tank cars. The contents were off-loaded into 55-gallon drums which were stored on the lot until the chemicals were transferred into smaller containers for re-sale. An investigation by the Oakland Fire Department, Alameda County and the U.S. Coast Guard found over 100 full and empty 5- and 55-gallon drums, some of which were leaking. Subsequent to AMCO ceasing operations in 1989, the lot was used by DC Metals for scrap storage until 1998, and by Cable Moore, Inc. for cable storage until the present time.

In June of 1995, a construction crew digging a trench noted a strong chemical odor in the dirt. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), DC Metals, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted an investigation which uncovered chlorinated solvents and other contaminants, including vinyl chloride, and soil gas. Due to the presence of groundwater found during the investigation, emergency remediation processes were initiated.

The remediation efforts began with the construction of a ground water and soil vapor extraction (SVE) treatment system. Between January 1997 through July 1998 and extracted approximately 7,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), approximately 40 pounds of which were vinyl chloride, were extracted from the soil and groundwater. The SVE ceased operation in July of 1998 due to concerns from nearby residents over exposure to fumes from the exhaust of the system. During the remediation process, additional contamination from methylene chloride, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA), and trichloroethene (TCE) were discovered. Detailed assesments taken during the emergency remediation effort revealed that the danger to the surrounding residences was not imminent but the site would pose long-term dangers.

The site was listed as on the National Priority List (Superfund) on September 29, 2003. The detailed remediation investigation concluded in 2006. The Draft Remedial Investigation Report is being prepared but the EPA has already announced that they will excavate contaminated soil from six residences surrounding the AMCO site.