Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 20, 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 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).
On August 29, 2016, the City Council held a Town Hall meeting at the Community Center attended by a significant number of neighborhood residents, plus representatives of the Regional Board, Shell and its consultants, and the local utility companies. Based on direction from City Council, staff has developed a new webpage on the City’s website for the Carousel Tract and will be presenting it to the City Council as part staff’s presentation.
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
Based on comments from residents at the August 29 meeting, Shell agreed to cover a number of unanticipated costs that have arisen since the remediation began, including exterminator services for adjacent properties and the properties under remediation, as well as make additional changes and improvements in traffic management; the Regional Board agreed to revisit at least one home that was identified as not eligible for remediation; and Cal Water has agreed to make a number of changes in their water line replacement project.
On September 1, 2016, staff received a Board update for the month of August 2016, (Exhibit No. 1). The summary update identified on-going activities at Cluster 1 to include but not limited to:
• A tentative date of September 15, 2016 is currently set for residents of Cluster # 1 to move back into their homes;
• Installation of block walls/constructing masonry walls;
• Import of soil for backfill and finish grading;
• Installation of Sub-Slab Depressurization (SSD) system;
• Hardscape installation;
• Landscaping work across the cluster to final grade yards and
• Cal-Water pipeline replacement.
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.
Additionally, subsequent to the August 29 meeting, the issue of sewer pipe damage to homes due to their potentially being installed in oil-soaked soil, under the slab, became public in the media. Since the potential damage is located under the slab, it is in an area that was not anticipated to be excavated or worked on, except to install the sub-slab depressurization (SSD) system to extract and vent volatile compounds before they can enter the interior living space.
It is uncertain the number of homes affected by this problem. The City has informed Shell and the Regional Board that it is determined to be caused by the Kast contamination, the RAP needs to be amended to include this problem and it would be the responsibility of Shell to correct it under the Regional Board’s direction.
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).
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 September 1, 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