The Environmental Protection Unit successfully prosecuted three worldwide oil companies for violations of numerous state statutes and regulations governing gas stations underground storage tanks. Past violations of these environmental laws led to contamination of
Orange Countys groundwater and aquifer as well as a threat to Orange Countys drinking water. Orange County residents get about half of their drinking water from underground wells. If polluted, the water would be almost impossible to replace. These prosecutions were the first of their kind to be brought by any district attorneys office. As a result, many of the sites have been cleaned up and are free of MTBE. Approximately 300 sites are being cleaned as a result of this lawsuit. The successful settlements against these corporations bound these oil companies to pay up to $25.175 million in penalties and unlimited costs for cleanup of contaminated sites. As of July 2005, over $100 million has been spent to clean up these sites.
