Anaheim : Salvage Yard Accused of Renewed Violations

State health officials have again accused an Anaheim salvage yard of violating state pollution laws, less than a month after the owners were allowed to resume operations.

State lawyers alleged that George Adams, Jr., owner of Orange County Steel Salvage Co., broke his promise to clean up a 50,000-ton pile of waste metal just six days after he made it.

Adams could not be reached for comment.

Health officials determined last year that the pile of waste from shredded automobiles contained toxic levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, which have been shown to cause cancer in animals. PCB production has been banned.

Adams’ operation was first shut down in March, when Arizona authorities barred the firm from dumping the waste in landfills in that state.

Adams got permission to resume operations after he claimed a new chemical treatment would allow the wastes to be dumped in county landfills. Part of the agreement required Adams not to store any new waste generated by resumed operations on the salvage lot at 3200 Frontera Road.

Six days after shredding operations resumed, new piles of waste were discovered at the yard, according to a sworn statement by Richard D. La Rochelle, a senior code enforcement officers for Anaheim.

None of the new waste has been removed, according to La Rochelle, who said that Adams had claimed the waste was backing up because Orange County landfills had refused to accept the refuse.

Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Ronald L. Bauer scheduled a hearing on the contempt of court charges for Oct. 28.