Ascon cleanup not a good idea right...

Ascon cleanup not a good idea right now

I believe cleaning up the Ascon dump site is a bad idea at this

time. I was on the environmental board of Huntington Beach in about

1975 and the toxic waste from all those oil companies probably goes

on to at least 30 feet, both solid and liquid. Then it is leaking

into the ground water.

Where will they put the waste? No one wants it. Is it going to

Kansas in the salt dome? It will create a problem wherever it goes

and the project is too large (a three-year cleanup is just the

beginning and no one knows how much longer). This project should be

surrounded by an 8-foot wall and move the residents out who are too

close.

I worked for an oil company (Arco, now British Petroleum) and the

amount of contaminated soil is unbelievable. The state does not have

enough money to do the project and trying to move that amount of soil

and replacing it with clean soil by trucks, which is the only way, is

unreal.

Good luck on trying to get the oil companies to foot the bill. It

is too large for even them. Declare the whole area a disaster area.

(The ground water problem will haunt us for a good long time.)

CORDER WATTENBARGER

Huntington Beach

Let more residents know of meetings

Regarding the Ascon cleanup, I would like to ask the city and all

interested parties to please extend the boundaries of the notices

that it sends advising the public about times and locations of public

information meetings regarding the Ascon site. I am aware that by law

the city is only required to send notices within a specific area but

due to the nature of the subject I would hope that public notices and

mailings would be extended.

Hundreds of us will be affected by this monumental project, not

just the few families targeted by the recent invitation sent to some

Southeast residents.

Our entire quality of life will be changed while this project is

underway and for a long time. I don’t think many truly understand the

implications involved. We need to be able to exercise some sort of

control to help minimize the damage that will result to the

surrounding community while the project is underway.

We can only do this if we are made aware of what is going on and

how we can be involved. A better job of communicating hearing times

and places needs to be put in place immediately and to a much broader

spectrum of residents in the surrounding areas of Ascon.

MERLE MOSHIRI

Huntington Beach

A win-win will require strict noise ordinance

This is a point I want to make as a Long Beach resident regarding

the increased complaints of Orange County residents regarding the

airport noise upon landing into Long Beach Airport. A recent letter

you received interested me when a writer said both sides of the

airport issue can win when planes fly higher upon landing. I guess it

doesn’t occur to anyone in Huntington Beach that we in Long Beach

have to deal with the nasty sound of the roaring takeoffs. With that

in mind, the only way for there to be a win-win is to maintain a very

strict noise ordinance.

ROSEMARY CARUSO

Long Beach

Vic and Lou are best writers around

Each week, I open the Independent and turn immediately to “Natural

Perspectives” by Vic Leipzig and Lou Murray, to be enlightened,

entertained and, I admit it, humbled.

My only objection is the tag line placed at the bottom of their

column: “Vic Leipzig and Lou Murray are environmentalists.” While

their dedication to the environment is irrefutable and their

credentials impressive, the label if far too confining. Along with

being tireless community volunteers, they are both talented and

brilliant in their individual careers and recognized experts on a

variety of issues reaching far beyond our city limits.

Oh, yeah. And, they are the best writers in town. Darn it.

CINDY CROSS

Huntington Beach