Engineer Reports on School Seepage

An environmental engineer hired to assess the substance oozing up through the playground at a closed Cudahy elementary school said Tuesday that there is “nothing mysterious” about the material and that it can be traced to petroleum waste and other refuse dumped before the school was built.

Angelo Bellomo, the engineer, told the Park Avenue Elementary School Environmental Task Force that within two weeks he will develop a plan to determine how to correct the seepage. He cautioned, however, that cleanup could take a year or more.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials closed the school three weeks ago as a precautionary measure while a detailed investigation of the site is conducted. Health officials said the seepage presents no danger to children unless they are in prolonged, direct contact with the substance.

Students are now being bused to a school seven miles away. Parents and school officials agreed last week, however, that in September the children will be allowed to move to classrooms at two nearby schools in Cudahy.