Chemical that Triggered Santa Paula Blast Identified

The Mid-November 2014 Explosion at a Plant Outside Santa Paula CA USA Has Been Tied to Sodium Chlorite, a Chemical that Was Mistakenly Mixed with Residential Sewage, Company Officials Say

Regulators initially could not identify the exact substance at fault at the plant where the Santa Clara Waste Water Co. keeps an array of chemicals. But an internal investigation now points to sodium chlorite, a water treatment agent the firm says it was using for the first time.

Company officials say the chemical interacted with human and/or vegetable waste, leading to the blast inside a truck parked at the plant at 3:45 a.m. Nov. 18.

About 1,000 gallons of the material spilled and crystallized, igniting into fire after it dried. The incident caused an evacuation of the area, crop losses and the treatment of dozens of people at local hospitals.

The truck driver vacuumed materials into the truck that created an explosive mixture, said Rick Bandelin, hazardous materials manager for the county Division of Environmental Health. He said the chemical and the waste were carried in the same type of storage container, which may have contributed to the confusion about what was being vacuumed. Company officials have pledged to stop accepting waste water in those containers, as well as taking all other necessary steps to reopen the plant.

"This is an additional safeguard that will further ensure that wastewater is not inadvertently combined with a treatment product," the company said in a written response to questions from The Star.

The disclosure of the cause comes as the Ventura County Board of Supervisors considers terminating an emergency declaration for the incident Tuesday.

County officials say the cleanup has been completed. The company must submit an analysis on the root cause and methods for preventing another accident in the future, Bandelin said.

The wastewater treatment plant remains closed pending an agreement with the city of Oxnard, which has stopped accepting discharges from the company.

But officials said last week that the company faces stiff tests before it will be allowed to reopen.

Oxnard city officials are resisting any quick fixes as is county Supervisor Kathy Long.

Oxnard City Manager Greg Nyhoff shut off discharges to the city sewer plant after the explosion and readings of waste showing unacceptably high levels of radioactive elements.

City officials are now planning a top-to-bottom review of their contract with Santa Clara, rather than limiting their inspection to the radioactivity issues.

Santa Clara officials say those readings were flawed based on a preliminary data review.

Long is also urging caution regarding the plant that is under investigation by the District Attorney's Office. She also wants to know the condition of the pipeline used to discharge waste from the plant and through unincorporated land to Oxnard.

"For the safety of this community, this supervisor will not support reopening that plant until we have all the answers," said Long, who represents the area.

The company says wastewater that remained in the company's discharge pipeline at the time of the accident was tested under the supervision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Source: VCS

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