Oil companies settle contamination lawsuit for $700,000

Several oil companies agreed to pay San Diego $700,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the city seeking damages for petroleum contamination in Barrio Logan caused by above ground fuel tanks, it was announced Monday.

The contamination at Harbor Drive and Crosby Street was discovered during work on a sewer pump station five years ago. The site that had been used by Shell, Mobil and Texaco for above ground petroleum storage and a pipeline until the 1970s, according to the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego Superior Court in July 2008, named BNSF Railway Co., Shell Oil Company, Chevron Oil, Exxon Mobil Oil Corp. and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners.

It alleged that the city incurred millions of dollars in costs to remove the contaminated soil and treat the groundwater before it could proceed with the sewer pump station project, according to the City Attorney’s Office.

In addition to the $700,000 settlement, the city has also received $350,000 from its insurance carriers, according to the City Attorney’s Office.

This story was written and edited by City News Service.

Tags: Barrio Logan, BNSF Railway Company, Chevron Oil, contamination, Crosby Street, Exxon Mobil Oil Corp., Harbor Drive, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, lawsuit, Mobil, oil companies, petroleum, San Diego City Attorney's office, SDNN, settlement, Shell, Shell Oil Company, Texaco

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