U.S. EPA announces Palos Verdes Shelf proposed environmental
protection plan The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will
host public meetings and accept public comments on its proposed
Preferred Alternative plan that addresses the risks to human
health and the environment at the Palos Verdes Shelf, located
near Los Angeles, Calif. The Palos Verdes Shelf site is a large
area of DDT- and PCB-contaminated sediment located in the ocean
off the coast of the Palos Verdes peninsula south of Los
Angeles. The offshore site stretches from Point Fermin in the
southeast to Redondo Canyon. From 1947 to 1983, Montrose
Chemical Corporation manufactured DDT at its plant near
Torrance, California. The plant discharged wastewater containing
the now-banned pesticide into Los Angeles sewers that emptied
into the Pacific Ocean off White Point on the Palos Verdes Shelf
(PVS). The DDT manufacturing process also resulted in
groundwater and surface soil contamination on and near the
Montrose plant property. It is estimated that ove