The Erin Brockovich town is still toxic

(Grist) - It was a sweltering 117-degree July day in Hinkley California. The surface of the 13-mile highway east to Barstow had become an asphalt skillet and the towns lone recreational feature a childrens playscape stood shining and unused like a monument to the lofty melting point of low-density polyethylene. Residents here appreciate the dry desert landscape thats why many moved to Hinkley in the first place but on days like this everyone takes refuge indoors curtains drawn against the view of empty lots where neighbors houses once stood. Along the empty roads thousands of pipe stubs groundwater monitoring wells installed by Pacific Gas and Electric began to look like air vents to some underground bunker where most everyone in town had retreated. Read More