The State - News from April 7, 1988

A closed hazardous dump near Shafter is being examined by the federal Environmental Protection Agency for possible toxic contamination. The EPA is monitoring air for toxic emissions, sampling the contents of tanks that once held hazardous wastes and assessing the tanks’ integrity at the Rio Bravo Disposal facility, said Richard Martin, EPA emergency response coordinator. “Right now, we’re just here to help them (state officials) look at the sites,� he said. State and Kern County officials shut down Rio Bravo in 1985 for its non-permitted disposal of Class I hazardous waste. The state Health Department began cleaning up the site last month after the owners were cited for failure to comply with an order to remove the waste. The company reportedly dumped 2,000 tons of hazardous waste into a 11,000-foot-deep well.