Scientists mapping the sea floor off Catalina Island and Los Angeles have found a long suspected dumping ground 3,000 feet beneath the surface. Drone images show more than 27,000 barrels resting on the seafloor. Historic ships logs reveal that industries in LA used the region as a dumping ground until 1972 when the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act) was passed. The logs record 2,000 barrels of DDT-laced sludge were dumped in the deep ocean each month from 1947 to 1961 off Catalina by one major company. Based on these records, all the barrels are thought to contain the toxic pesticide, DDT.
Exact location of the dumping ground was not known until now. It covers a staggering 56 square miles; an estimated 350 to 700 tons of DDT were dumped. The nation's largest manufacturer of DDT was located in Los Angeles. An epic Superfund legal battle showed that the company disposed of DDT laden waste through sewer pipes pouring into the ocean. The barges of waste dumped at sea for decades were largely ignored in that case. When the barrels were too buoyant to sink on their own, one report said, the crews simply punctured them. The survey took place after the LA Times published an investigative report about DDT being dumped into the ocean.
