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OXNARD, Calif. – Walter Fuller discovered Ormond Beach in the 1990s. After he was laid off and his mother died, he even sought refuge there.
An avid bird-watcher, he says the beach became his home and the birds became his family.
“I kind of closed myself off, and just wanted to take care of the birds out here,” he said about the wetlands he's protected for more than 20 years. “That’s all I cared about.”
But his coastal refuge wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect postcard.
“Carpet, tires, bottles … we even had some homicides out here,” Fuller said. “People were murdered out here.”
Ormond Beach – located in the town of Oxnard – was also a dumping ground for toxic waste. For 40 years, Halaco Engineering operated a metal recycling plant here, sending an estimated 1 millions gallons of toxic runoff per month into nearby wetland ponds that are home to some endangered or threatened species.
Cited and sued by several local, state and federal agencies, Halaco filed for bankruptcy and shut down its smelting operation in 2004, leaving behind an unsightly and dangerous slag pile, which is now an EPA-designated superfund site. Three power plants also dot the town's coast.
Carmen Ramirez, a member of Oxnard’s city council and Mayor Pro Tem, says her community and this wildlife sanctuary have suffered long enough.
“Oxnard’s already borne the burden for 50 years,” Ramirez said. “We don’t have the nicest coast in every way that other cities enjoy. And it’s time for us to get our coast back, so we could have the same opportunities other beautiful coastal cities have.”
Unlike their affluent neighbors in Malibu and Santa Barbara, Oxnard is a working class town with many immigrant farm workers with little means to fight big business.
“That’s where they could live and could afford it, so they were stuck with it,” said Ramirez. “Most superfund sites, I would guarantee, are in poorer communities in our country. Oxnard’s no exception.”
Arcenio Lopez, a former strawberry picker, lives in the neighborhood closest to the toxic dump. He became a community organizer in 2006 and strong voice against the hazards threatening his town.
“I was stunned,” he said. “I didn’t know how to react about this.”
Though the EPA got involved in 2006, language barriers kept most residents in the dark about the potential dangers at their beach. Oxnard’s crop workers couldn’t understand the agency’s warning signs and flyers, leaving them at risk.
“There were no signs,” Lopez said. “Why [are] our families walking in these areas to go to the beach? There are a lot of people that go for fishing. They don’t know that the fish that they are eating, or that they are getting there, were [potentially] already infected by these chemicals.”
According to the EPA, there are no health risks to nearby residents, but there may be hazards from long-term contact with the waste materials on the site. In a statement to America Tonight, the agency says:
“[The] EPA is working to develop a cleanup proposal for the site …Cleanup costs are unknown but likely to be in the millions, or tens of millions, of dollars.”
Already saddled with toxic waste and what residents consider a towering eyesore, this coastline is now facing a new threat. There is a proposal before the state’s utility commission to add yet another power plant to the beach, just north of the wetlands. It’s a move that Ramirez and the city are fighting.
“For that particular company, it’s a better deal for them,” Ramirez said. “They own the land, and as they’ve told me, it’s already wrecked.”
The company Ramirez was referring to, NRG Energy, did not respond to America Tonight’s request for an interview.
Arcenio Lopez
community organizer
Lopez says that people in other coastal cities, such as Malibu or Santa Barbara, would not allow companies to build on the shoreline, adding that those communities are more informed of what’s going on and what’s at stake.
“Oxnard continues to be like a target for these [multimillion-dollar] corporations,” he said.
The decision about the new power plant is expected by early 2016. Until then, Ramirez continues to fight for Ormond Beach from city hall, while Lopez serves as a voice and advocate for his community. And Fuller continues to patrol his beloved beach. The city has already recognized his unofficial guardian role by providing him with an oceanfront office and an RV to call home.
“No one can understand how much it means to me to see this area protected, to see Halaco gone from here,” Fuller said. “I just want to see it all protected. And I want to see it restored so people can come and enjoy.”
And how long does Fuller intend to fight for the beach?
“Rest of my life,” he said.
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