3265 S MAPLE AVE
The approximately 7-acre Purity Oil Sales Inc. site operated as a used oil reprocessing facility from 1934 until 1974. Oil and by-products from the refining process were collected, stored in sumps and storage tanks, and disposed of on-site in sludge pits. Waste oil sludge was used by local farmers for dust control or buried in on-site unlined pits and ponds. Contamination problems resulted from the improper storage and disposal of wastes, and numerous surface spills which occurred during site operations. In 1973, Purity Oil began to empty and backfill the waste pits. Although the waste pits were backfilled with construction debris, there is no evidence that the pits were emptied. In 1976, a fire at the site destroyed the main warehouse building and adjacent equipment. The remaining equipment was removed from the site, and the area was partially regraded. Seven aboveground steel tanks were left on site. The tanks are believed to have been used to store oil prior to reprocessing and during the acidification process. One of the tanks had an exterior asbestos coating. Although the tanks were not leaking severely, all of the tanks were rusting. All buildings and tanks have been removed from the site, and the site has been fenced. By 1982, the site was abandoned. Approximately 225 residents lived in an adjacent trailer park until October 2000. The Fresno Aquifer, designated as a sole source aquifer, provides water for municipal, industrial, and agricultural purposes, as well as for a number of private wells. A number of properties in the area were affected and are now served by the Fresno and Malaga water districts. The site is located in the San Joaquin River drainage basin, and the San Joaquin River is 12 miles north of the site.
1,004 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$46,539 |
Average Income |
287 |
Occupied homes |
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