1999 Accomplishments and Priorities

Department of Toxic Substances Control

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is responsible for regulating hazardous waste facilities and overseeing the cleanup of hazardous sites in California. Through its inspection, compliance and corrective action programs, DTSC ensures that state and federal requirements for managing hazardous wastes are implemented.

Accomplishments from First Half of 1999

1. Assisted the Legislative effort to reauthorize and reform the State Superfund Program. DTSC worked with Senator Sher and program stakeholders on SB 47, which reauthorized and reformed the State Superfund Program. This urgency legislation, signed into law by the Governor, is vital to the continued ability of DTSC to effectuate the cleanup of hazardous sites throughout the state.
2. Schools Unit created. DTSC created a schools unit to oversee the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances on public school properties. The unit will focus its efforts on Southern California schools, particularly in the greater Los Angeles area and for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
3. Belmont Learning Center Complex. DTSC is overseeing the investigation being conducted by LAUSD at this proposed high school site. DTSC has required additional investigation and analysis to determine the full extent of contamination and if the property may be safely used as a school property.
4. Jefferson Middle School. DTSC is evaluating data to determine if modifications need to be made to the existing soil vapor extraction system. DTSC completed a risk assessment for the school in July 1999.
5. Cleanup at State Orphan Sites. State-funded investigations and cleanup proceeded at several orphan sites. Cleanups were completed for the Cedar Street property in Tuolomne County; Quicksilver Products in San Mateo County; Silver Queen Junkyard in Kern County; and United Metals Recovery in Kern County.
6. Brownfields. Two major Prospective Purchaser Agreements (PPAs) were executed for redevelopment projects in Los Angeles that will result in major economic, employment and environmental benefits. The first was with the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) for a site in downtown Los Angeles. After the cleanup, the property will be redeveloped for transportation purposes that will stimulate new commercial industrial use of adjacent areas, and trigger a 10-year project to more than double the harbor capacity of Los Angeles.
   DTSC also entered into a PPA with the Los Angeles Media Tech Center, a 50-acre parcel, located in the Cypress Park area of Los Angeles. Union Pacific Railroad owns the property and has completed the cleanup. L.A. Media will redevelop the 50-acre parcel to include up to 12 buildings, totaling 735,000 square feet for light industrial use (media/technical-related). It will provide approximately 2,200 new jobs to the community and a significant new tax base.
7. Suva School (Los Angeles County). DTSC released its Environmental Investigation Report on January 29, 1999 for the Suva Elementary and Intermediate schools property in Bell Gardens. Its findings revealed that soils and classrooms were free of unsafe levels of metal contamination. Two adjacent plating facilities were found to pose a potential risk to the school, and DTSC has begun investigation and cleanup of these properties. In early January, DTSC formally requested the assistance of the Department of Health Services to investigate health complaints of residents in the area.
8. Fleet Industrial Supply Center, Oakland. In May 1999, Governor Davis approved the Early Transfer of the former Navy Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Oakland (FISCO) to the Port of Oakland before hazardous substance cleanup was complete. The Port entered into an Agreement with the Navy to complete the cleanup of hazardous substances with Navy paying for the cleanup costs. DTSC entered into an Agreement with the Port to provide regulatory oversight of the investigation and cleanup. These agreements allowed the Port to begin building intermodal marine, railroad, and truck cargo handling facilities. The FISCO early transfer is the first of its kind in the United States.
9. Stringfellow Superfund Site (Riverside County). DTSC, after taking over operation of this former federal Superfund site from the industrial responsible parties, has installed 20 new extraction wells in waste disposal zones to control rising contaminated water levels. Construction of permanent piping and electrical systems to connect these wells to the pretreatment plant is near completion, and will permit dewatering of the site.
10. Emergency Response Program. Carried out emergency cleanup actions at 1,221 illegal drug labs with activity reaching a peak of 220 labs during April. This work involves removing hazardous lab materials that pose an immediate threat to public health and the environment. This program also carried out 75 emergency hazardous materials cleanup actions at sites other than drug labs.
11. Refinery Inspection Team. DTSC established and trained a refinery inspection team that inspected all nine refineries with state-authorized hazardous waste management units.
12. Community-Based Enforcement Initiative. Began development work with U.S. EPA and local CUPAs of a community-based enforcement initiative to be implemented in Southern California.
13. Household Hazardous Waste Conference. Sponsored California's annual Household Hazardous Waste Conference in May, which attracted a record 300 attendees from throughout California and the nation.
14. Casmalia Resources facility. DTSC, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the U.S. EPA finalized initial cleanup plans for the Casmalia Resources hazardous waste disposal site. This includes construction of an impermeable cap over one unit holding pesticides and solvents. Capping of five other units and cleanup of contamination on the facility will be taking place over the next several years.
15. Closure Activities. A total of five closure plans were approved by DTSC: Alameda Naval Air Station; Atascadero Waste Storage Facility; Castle Air Force Base; Tosco Refinery (Unocal, Rodeo); and U.S. Dept. Of Energy - LEHR Facility, Davis.
16. Atascadero State Hospital, Treatment and Storage Closure (San Luis Obispo County). In February 1999, DTSC was asked by the Department of General Services (DGS) to conduct an expedited review of the closure of the PCB storage facility at Atascadero State Hospital. DGS had issued a construction contract for a new 200+ bed hospital expansion and had not realized the PCB storage facility was within the footprint of the proposed hospital building. DTSC provided guidance to prepare a closure plan and reviewed sections of the proposed plan as they were developed. Following a public hearing, the final closure plan was approved on June 16, 1999.
17. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Berkeley. This large research facility does high explosives weapons research for the U.S. Department of Energy. DTSC issued a treatment and storage permit to this facility in May 1999, authorizing the construction of a new Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility for hazardous and mixed wastes. The permit decision has been appealed and is currently under review by DTSC Headquarters.
18. Rocketdyne. Key tasks included negotiated interim measures workplan for removal of 3,200 cubic yards of dioxin, PCB, and mercury contaminated soil at the Former Sodium Disposal Facility (FSDF); oversight for debris removal; emergency permit for open detonation of 53 ordnance items in April 1999.
19. Statewide Environmental Services (Los Angeles County). The Statewide Environmental Services Facility, a source of community opposition and controversy for many years, was denied a Hazardous Waste Facility permit in 1998. This decision was appealed by the facility. DTSC accepted the petition for review and public noticed a request for submittal of legal briefings. The permit appeal decision issued in May 1999 supported DTSC denial. In addition, a consent agreement was signed which settled past enforcement actions and included closure of the SES facility.
20. Tourtelot Property (Solano County). In June 1999, DTSC issued an Enforcement Order to a land developer/property owner and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to clean up unexploded ordnance and other hazardous substances at the Tourtelot Property, part of the former Army Benicia Arsenal. The developer plans to build houses on this property formerly used to dispose of ordnance materials.

Priorities for Second Half of 1999

1. Environmental Assessment of School Properties. DTSC will continue to do environmental assessments of school properties contaminated with hazardous wastes. This will be done through agreements with the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as an Interagency Agreement with the California Department of Education (CDE). If DTSC determines further investigation and/or cleanup is needed, CDE will direct school districts to enter into agreements with DTSC to complete the necessary work.
2. Emergency Response Program. Will continue hazardous materials emergency cleanup actions throughout the State. Current projections are to complete approximately 1,000 illegal drug lab and 75 non-lab cleanups by year's end.
3. Long Beach Naval Complex Early Transfer. DTSC will complete its review and determination of the proposed Early Transfer of 315 acres of the former Long Beach Naval Complex. DTSC's recommendation on the environmental suitability to transfer and a Covenant Deferral Request package will be forwarded in December 1999. The Transfer would provide the Port of Long Beach the ability to issue bonds to raise the funds necessary to complete the terminal expansion project. Approximately $1 million dollars per year in annual tax revenues will be generated.
4. Presidio of San Francisco Hazardous Waste Cleanup. The Presidio Trust reached agreement with the Army in May 1999 to take over the investigation and cleanup of the former Presidio of San Francisco Army Base. In the fall of 1999, DTSC will complete negotiations and sign an agreement with the Presidio Trust to provide continued regulatory oversight of the Presidio's hazardous substance investigation and cleanup.
5. Permitting Milestones. During the second half of 1999, DTSC is focusing on completing 77 permit determinations including permits on all high priority facilities operating under interim status, those remaining on the permit backlog list, and those facilities coming up for permit renewal. In addition, DTSC plans to complete 45 closure activities, 18 post closure activities, and 57 corrective action activities.
6. Complete conversion to new Web Site. Transition to a new DTSC web site includes new features for searching databases to allow the public and regulated community the opportunity obtain expanded information on hazardous waste facilities.
7. Abandoned Lumber Mills Reuse Program. DTSC will enter into an Interagency Agreement with the Trade and Commerce Agency to complete environmental assessments for five pilot sites, chosen from among hundreds of abandoned lumber mills in California. Environmentally safe cleanup and reuse of these properties will provide socioeconomic benefits to the State and restore local economies.
8. State Orphan Sites. State-funded investigations and cleanups will continue at 10 state orphan sites throughout the state. Completion of cleanup plans is projected for five sites with cleanup activities to proceed in Spring 2000.
9. Midway Village, Daly City/Brisbane. DTSC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) will conduct extensive sampling at the Midway Village Housing Complex in the fall of 1999 to verify adequacy of the hazardous waste cleanup conducted in 1994. If additional work is warranted, it would be conducted in 1999/2000. Citizens have raised strong environmental justice concerns regarding the earlier cleanup, and demanded permanent relocation, compensation and lifetime medical monitoring. DTSC is working with state and federal health agencies to assess health risks at this site.
10. Union Pacific, Curtis Park (Sacramento County). Based on the evaluation and recommendations of the DTSC Task Force, Union Pacific will conduct additional sampling to: (1) fully define the extent of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in site soils; and (2) determine if dioxin exists in residues from a former disposal pond at the site. The site is slated for eventual residential and commercial development.
11. Streamlined corrective action. DTSC will develop regulations to allow streamlined implementation of corrective action by the State and Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) agencies.
12. Hazardous Waste Fees. Pursuant to Governor Davis' direction, the Department of Toxic Substances Control will analyze the current fee structure to determine whether it is sufficient to fund DTSC activities at appropriate levels, and whether it fairly allocates the burden of regulating hazardous wastes to those who produce it.

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