The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has entered into a settlement agreement with California Oil Transfer LLC related to multiple, repeated violations of California’s hazardous waste laws. The facility will pay $430,000 in penalties for the violations.

The Modesto facility, formerly known as Riverbank Oil Transfer, is a used oil transfer facility permitted to receive used oil, anti-freeze and oily wastewater. Activities include the transfer of hazardous waste used oil into railcars for transportation to offsite hazardous waste treatment, storage, recycling or disposal facilities.

DTSC identified multiple, repeat violations at the facility, including the unauthorized acceptance, storage and comingling of hazardous waste; failure to maintain proper records; and exceeding permitted hazardous waste storage volumes.

“These were serious and repeated violations and it is critical that we do everything in our power to protect the community and to hold the company accountable,” said DTSC Director Meredith Williams. “The terms of this settlement can function as an educational tool to help the facility avoid similar violations going forward.”

A complaint was filed in 2021, stemming from DTSC inspections in 2016 and 2017 at the Stanislaus County facility located at 5300 Claus Road in Modesto.

DTSC inspections found that between 2014 and 2016 California Oil Transfer LLC moved railcars filled with hazardous waste used oil to unauthorized areas without secondary containment at least 78 times.

These inspections also found that California Oil Transfer LLC exceeded its authorized storage capacity limit of 50,000 gallons of hazardous waste on 37 different occasions between 2014 and 2016 as a result of the facility’s unauthorized storage of hazardous waste.