Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER STATUS REPORT ON THE REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND CARSON DECLARATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY WITHIN THE CAROUSEL TRACT (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
This item is on the agenda to provide updates at the first regularly scheduled City Council meeting of each month related to the environmental investigation of the Carousel Tract. The remediation project has moved into the implementation phase in coordination with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board). After this month, Staff will bring a quarterly update to Council rather than monthly, unless there is a significant event that occurs in the meantime.
The City Attorney will also provide an update on the litigation between the residents and the responsible parties.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
CONSIDER and DISCUSS.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE such other action the City Council deems appropriate that is consistent with the requirements of law.
IV. BACKGROUND
History
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles (Regional Board) is the lead agency overseeing the environmental investigation and cleanup of the Carousel Tract. The Regional Board issued a Cleanup and Abatement Order No. R4-2011-0046 (CAO) on March 11, 2011 requiring Shell Oil Products US to investigate and clean up discharges of waste in soil and groundwater at the Carousel Tract site.
Recent Events
On July 26, 2016, staff received a Board update for the months of June/July 2016, (Exhibit No. 1). The summary update identified on-going activities at Cluster 1 and 2 to include but not limited to:
• On June 15, 2016, the Regional Board received Cluster # 2 Property-Specific Remediation Plan (PSRP) for ten (10) properties of the Carousel Tract Neighborhood.
• On June 30, 2016, Shell representative notified the Regional Board of changes to the estimated thirteen weeks baseline schedule for Cluster # 1 cleanup activity. Including revised schedule for completing cluster # 1, moving sound walls, move-in/move-out of Cluster # 1 and Cluster # 2 as follows;
1. August 22nd -28th : Cluster # 2 residents relocate;
2. August 26th : Cluster # 1 work completed;
3. August 29th-Sept. 2nd: Sound wall moved to Cluster # 2;
4. September 2nd: Cluster # 1 residents move back.
Shell is authorized to implement soil excavation in the front/back yards and installation of soil vapor extraction (*SVE)/bioventing wells in accordance with the approved Revised Remedial Action Plan.
The remedial activities at the Carousel Neighborhood will be conducted in phases, with each phase involving a group of up to ten (10) properties. Each group of properties is referred to as a cluster. The site has been subdivided into twenty-eight (28) clusters that will be remediated over a five (5) year period (Exhibit No. 2). Cluster 1, which commenced in mid-May, has taken longer than scheduled to complete but the contractors are evaluating the operational issues to make improvements that will keep future phases on schedule.
Additionally, the replacement of the domestic water system in the Carousel Tract by Cal Water began on Monday, July 25. This project is unrelated to the remediation activity and Cal Water is not subject to the RAP EIR mitigation measures for noise, sound or dust. The first phase of activity will last about 2 months, during which Cal Water may interfere or occasionally delay some of the remediation work. However, installing water pipe at a rate of 200-400 linear feet per day, the water company expects to “get ahead” of the remediation project relatively quickly and be out the contractor’s way.
Residential Sampling Activity
Testing of property in the Carousel Tract is continuing and the latest reports are posted on the Regional Board’s website at:
http://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/profile_report.asp?global_id=T10000000228
As of March 10, 2015, the completed Residential Sampling Activity is as follows:
• 272 homes have been screened for Methane. (95%)
• 273 homes have had soils sampled and vapor probes installed. (96%)
• 273 homes have had vapor probes sampled. (95%)
• 261 homes have had indoor air sampled. (91%)
• 244 of 261 homes have had their 2nd round of indoor air sampling. (94%)
• 86% of total homes in the Carousel Community have had second round of Indoor Air Sampling conducted.
Timeline of Activities
A general timeline that tracks past and current activities of the Carousel Tract environmental investigation is included in the attachments (Exhibit No. 3).
For additional information regarding the Carousel community can be found at the following link:
<http://ci.carson.ca.us/department/communitydevelopment/carouseltract.asp>.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Regional Board summary update dated July 28, 2016. (pg. 4)
2. AECOM Remediation Cluster & Implementation Sequence Map (pg. 5)
3. Carousel Tract Environmental Investigation Timeline. (pgs. 6-14)
Prepared by: Zak Gonzalez II, Associate Planner, Planning Division