BY THIS LITIGATION REFERRAL, EPA SEEKS TO RECOVER APPROXIMATELY TWO MILLION DOLLARS ($2,000,000) FOR RESPONSE ACTIVITIES AT A FORMER DICHLORODIPHENYLTRICHLOROETHANE ( DDT ) MANUFACTURING PLANT OPERATED BY THE MONTROSE CHEMICAL CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA ( MONTROSE ) WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF CHRIS CRAFT INDUSTRIES, INC., AND STAUFFER CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC. THE MONTROSE DDT MANUFACTURING PLANT WAS LOCATED ON A 13-ACRE PARCEL NEAR TORRANCE, CALIF., UNTIL IT WAS DISMANTLED BEGINNING IN 1982. THE AREA HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE SITE OR THE MONTROSE SITE INCLUDES THE 13-ACRE PARCEL AND THE FORMER MANUFACTURING PLANT. LARGE AMOUNTS OF DDT AND CONSTITUENT CHEMCIALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS WERE RELEASED FROM THE SITE OVER A SPAN OF APPROXIMATELY 35 YEARS. RELEASES ARE STILL CONTINUING BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF CONTAMINATED SOILS. THE PLUME OF CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER UNDERLYING THE SITE IS EXTENSIVE AND CONTINUES TO MIGRATE. WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM EPA, MONTROSE PLACED A TEMPORARY ASPHALT CAP OVER THE SITE IN 1984 AND 1985. SUBSEQUENTLY, MONTROSE AND EPA ENTERED INTO AN ADMINISTRATIVE CONSENT ORDER WHICH REQUIRES MONTROSE TO PERFORM THE REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION AND FEASIBILITY STUDY ( RI/FS ) FOR THE SITE AND ADJACENT CONTAMINATED AREAS, THE CONSENT ORDER WAS FIRST ENTERED INTO IN 1986 AND HAS BEE