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Sites in Reuse in California
Alameda Naval Station
The Alameda Naval Station Superfund site covers 1,600 acres of dry land and 1,000 acres of submerged land on the island of Alameda in California. Before becoming a naval facility in 1936, the property was used as a borax processing plant, an oil refinery, and an airport for the City of Alameda. The U.S. Navy acquired and used the site for providing support services to fleet aviation activities until the facility was closed in 1997. Parts of the site are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and the site was added to EPA’s list of priority hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL), in 1999. Through funding from the Superfund Redevelopment Pilot Program in 2001, the City of Alameda hired consultants to develop reuse plans for two particular areas of the site. The first area, a former seaplane lagoon, has plans underway for future use as a ferry terminal and marina. Reuse plans for the second area, a landfill at the western tip of the island, include the development of a golf course, and these plans are being incorporated into the landfill cap design. Reuse planning for these two areas is part of a larger effort by the City of Alameda to convert the site to civilian use that began in 1996, one year before the site’s closure. Since this time, the former naval station has become the home of numerous businesses, an indoor sports facility, museum and soundstage. In addition, a local aeromodeling club chartered by the Academy of Model Aeronautics is currently using part of the site as a field for flying radio-controlled model aircraft. The flying site consists of over three thousand feet of former concrete taxiway and the old seaplane lagoon for float flying.
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Coalinga Asbestos Mine
Rather than continue to live in the shadow of asbestos mines and a legacy of contamination, the City of Coalinga has turned its Superfund site into a K-mart store and two housing complexes. Coalinga, California was built as a result of the asbestos boom that centered around the mining of the nearby Diablo Mountain Range. From 1957 to 1977, the city carved out a unique niche as a prime asbestos storage area. However, EPA discovered that the city's reserve of asbestos had migrated from the storage areas and polluted several buildings as well as soil throughout the city. This led EPA to add the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1984. As part of a city-wide cleanup effort, EPA demolished the storage buildings, excavated 26,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris, and capped the site with an impermeable clay cover. By doing this, EPA helped eliminate the risks from asbestos, making the property suitable for development. After cleanup, the city promoted the property, catching the eye of several developers. Kmart opened its new Coalinga store in 1992, providing approximately 100 new jobs and a vital service to this community. The partnership between EPA and the city helped lead the way to the successful cleanup and reuse of this site. In 1998, the site was removed from EPA's list.
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CTS Printex
From 1966 to 1985, CTS Printex, Inc., manufactured printed circuit boards on its five-acre property in Mountain View, California. As part of the manufacturing process, it collected wastes such as copper, lead, and benzene, and discharged them into the local sewer system. This practice polluted soil around the plant. In 1990, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. CTS cleaned its waste collection system, removed contaminated soil, and treated the underlying ground water. The cleanup, and improved waste treatment and disposal practices, have protected area residents and the environment and permitted the company to continue its operations, retaining the plant's 300 jobs and helping to ensure the continued growth of the local economy.
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Del Amo Facility
The history of the Del Amo Facility Superfund site in Los Angeles, California includes many examples of recycling and reuse. An industrial park currently occupies the 280-acre site, which housed a synthetic rubber manufacturing plant starting in World War II. The manufacturing generated various sludge wastes and waste waters, some of which were disposed of in six unlined pits and three unlined evaporation ponds on the property. In the 1970s, most of the site was transformed into the industrial park, and in 1992, EPA became involved. In 2002, EPA added this site to its list of priority hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL). EPA has worked with the PRPs to clean up a portion of the site to prepare for reuse. Other portions of the site were reused prior to cleanup. In the residential neighborhood adjacent to the waste pits mentioned earlier, EPA joined with Shell Oil to facilitate the relocation of 32 families and demolish houses that were near the contaminated area. Construction of a protective cap over the waste pits began in 1999 and was completed in 2000. Shell is actively working at turning the adjacent acres into a community open space park. These partnerships have led to the reuse of several acres at the Del Amo Facility site. A five-year review was conducted in April 2005 which indicated all remedies at the waste pits operable unit were protective of human health and the environment. In other parts of the site, EPA and Shell Oil worked with owners, prospective purchasers, and developers to facilitate redevelopment of the remaining parcels that had not been developed prior to EPA’s involvement.
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Fairchild Semiconductor
Photo - Netscape Communication's newest campusThe cascading fountains and lush greenery at Netscape Communication's newest campus in Silicon Valley attest to the successful cleanup and redevelopment of the Fairchild Semiconductor Superfund site. Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation used this Mountain View, California property from 1968 to 1981 to manufacture computer chips, semiconductors and silicon wafers, relying on massive quantities of industrial cleaning solutions. These chemicals were stored in underground storage tanks that leaked, posing a threat to the underlying aquifer used for drinking water. In 1991, after discovering the contamination, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. An agreement between EPA and the developer that freed Netscape Communications from liability for existing contamination convinced the company to buy more than 38 acres of the site. The cleanup efforts of the EPA and Netscape Communications led to the redevelopment of the site as an office complex that supports 1,800 jobs.
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Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.
The 22-acre Fairchild Semiconductor Corp. (South San Jose Plant) site, in San Jose, California, is a former semiconductor manufacturing facility. Operations were conducted at the site from 1977 until 1983. Manufacturing operations required the use and storage of industrial solvents. In 1981, Fairchild discovered that an underground organic solvent waste tank had failed, resulting in soil and on- and off-site groundwater contamination by a mixture of solvents. Contamination exceeding drinking water standards was discovered in a public supply well located approximately 1,800 feet downgradient from the site and led to the site’s addition to the National Priorities List in 1989. The well was plugged and abandoned. Fairchild has been investigating and cleaning up soil and ground water pollution at the facility since contamination was first detected in 1981. The site was redeveloped into a shopping center in 1998-2000.
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Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. (Salinas Plant)
The 256-acre Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Superfund site is in an agricultural area in Salinas, California. The facility was used for tire manufacturing from 1963 to 1980. During this period, the factory used a variety of chemicals that contaminated the soil and ground water. In 1987, EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. EPA then removed the contaminated soil and successfully treated the ground water to meet the Agency's standards. The site has now been returned to productive use as an industrial park that provides space for several small and medium-size businesses.
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George Air Force Base*
George Air Force Base occupies 5,347 acres in the Mojave Desert near Victorville, California. The base was established in 1941 for tactical fighter operations and training for aircraft and maintenance personnel. A number of hazardous solvents were used in the base's operations, leading to on-site contamination. As a result, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1990. The site is now being returned to productive use with a new $100 million Federal Bureau of Prisons complex on 940 acres, and an international airport on 2,300 acres. The Southern California Airport Authority hopes to transform the facility into a major international cargo hub and business center.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
Hewlett-Packard
The Hewlett-Packard site in Palo Alto, California, housed optoelectronic equipment manufacturing facilities on 10-acres from 1962 to 1986. In 1981, at least 300 gallons of waste solvents leaked from a buried storage tank. The company excavated the tank and approximately 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil in 1981 and transported the materials to a hazardous waste facility. Since 1982, the company has been pumping and treating contaminated ground water. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1990. Complete redevelopment of the site began in February 1992 with the demolition of the on-site buildings and construction of a new office building, which was occupied beginning in May 1994.
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Intersil Inc./Siemens Components
Intersil, Inc. and Siemens Components have manufactured semiconductors for several years on two locations covering 15 acres, which comprise the Intersil Inc./Siemens Components Superfund site, in Cupertino, California. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1990. Investigations conducted in 1982 as part of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board's underground storage tank leak detection program found volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soils on the site. Contamination is believed to have resulted from localized spills and from leaking underground storage tanks and piping from the two companies. At the Siemens facility, four underground tanks were used to store waste solvents. At the Intersil facility, possible sources of contamination include the waste neutralization systems and the concrete scrubber pit sumps. More than 300,000 people obtain drinking water from public wells located within 3 miles of the site. Cleanup included approximately 40 cubic yards of soil that was removed and disposed of in an EPA-approved facility and twenty-three soil vapor extraction wells built, along with a carbon adsorption treatment facility. Ground water is being extracted, treated by air stripping, and discharged into Calabazas Creek. Monitoring of groundwater and soil will continue to verify the contaminants remain within health-based levels. Ground water treatment continues at the site. Siemens currently is an operating facility, while Intersil is now inactive.
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Jibboom Junkyard
Operations at the site, formerly owned by the Associated Iron and Metals Company, began in 1951 in Sacramento, California and included metal salvaging of a variety of materials such as railroad cars, army tanks, batteries, and electric transformers. Scrap metal waste contaminated the soil in several areas with lead, copper, zinc, and other metals, plus polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from transformer oil. Operations ceased in 1965, the same year the California Department of Transportation purchased the property to construct an elevated freeway. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983, and from 1985 to 1987, over 11,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated and removed to an approved hazardous waste disposal facility. Clean fill soil replaced the excavated areas and several more feet of clean soil were added by the Park District to provide a better view over the Sacramento River levee. This aesthetic project additionally improved upon the site remedy in place. The site was deleted from the NPL in 1991. The largest portion of the 9-acre site is the 6.7 acres covered by Interstate 5. The remaining 2.3 acres of the site has been converted into Jibboom Street Park. The City of Sacramento is planning major residential and commercial development of the industrial area around Jibboom Street Park, including rehabilitation of an adjacent historic building. Redevelopment plans will allow for an increase in community use of this riverfront park as well as the regional bike trail that runs along the property.
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Lorentz Barrel & Drum Co.
A cap over a 5.25-acre area at the Lorentz Barrel & Drum Superfund site in San Jose, California, may soon be a parking lot for recreational facilities and park-and-ride commuters. The site was a barrel and drum recycling facility from 1947 until 1987. During that time, chemicals from the operation, including volatile organic compounds, pesticides, PCBs, and heavy metals, contaminated the soil and shallow aquifer. In March 1988, the State of California and EPA removed 26,000 contaminated drums and 3,000 cubic yards of heavily contaminated soil. In 1989, following the removal of the drums and soil, EPA placed the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. In 1998, the contaminated soil that remained on site was covered with an asphalt-concrete cap. Contaminated ground water is being treated. EPA and San Jose State University are discussing the purchase of the capped property by the University for use as a parking lot to serve the nearby sporting facilities.
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McColl
Once home to an open pit of acidic sludge, the McColl Superfund site in Southern California now hosts inviting green grass and sand traps for local golfers. From 1942 to 1946, oil companies dumped refinery waste into 12 on-site pits. The waste seeped into the soil and ground water, creating a hazard for the neighbors. In 1983, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. The pits were covered, a multi-layered cap was placed on top, and a gas collection system and ground water equipment were installed to monitor the site. Through a series of public and community technical advisory group meetings, the community informed EPA of its desire to fold the McColl property into an adjacent golf course. EPA, the community, Orange County, and the Los Coyotes Country Club owners worked successfully to transform this property into three championship holes of golf.
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Newmark Ground Water Contamination
The Newmark Ground water Contamination site consists of area wide ground water contamination underlying portions of the City of San Bernardino. On the east side of the site, a contaminated ground water plume extends for 5 miles and is referred to as the Newmark Plume area. On the west side of Shandin Hills is a 4-mile long contaminated ground water plume known as the Muscoy Plume area. The groundwater plumes are several hundred feet deep, and have not impacted any development in the City. The areas covered by the Newmark and Muscoy OUs are largely used for light industrial, commercial, and residential purposes. The Source OU includes areas largely used for industrial and commercial purposes. Portions of the Source OU also include some residential developments.
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Norton Air Force Base*
Under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, the 2,165-acre Norton Air Force Base Superfund site has been converted into the San Bernardino International Airport, with a number of supporting and independent businesses being established at the site. Since 1942, the facility served as a major center for repair and maintenance of jet engines and other aircraft, and provided maintenance and logistics support for liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles. There were more than 20 areas of contamination on the former base with soil contaminants including PCBs, trichloroethylene, petroleum hydrocarbons, lead and other toxic metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Groundwater contamination has affected several municipal drinking water wells. In 1987, EPA placed this site on its list of priority hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL). The final remedy for the site was selected through the Basewide Operable Unit Record of Decision in September 2005. A Five-Year Review conducted in 2005 indicated that the remedies were protective of human health and the environment. In addition, construction complete status was achieved in May 2006. Consistent with the reuse alternatives identified in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, the base is being redeveloped as an airport with mixed non-aviation, light industrial land use. Transfer of all base property by deed was completed in September 2007.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
Pemaco Maywood
The Pemaco Maywood site occupies a 4-acre tract of land along the Los Angeles River in Maywood, California. The site operated as a chemical mixing facility from the 1940’s until 1991, when the facility was closed. A 1995 EPA investigation of the site detected hazardous chemicals, including chlorinated and aromatic solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons and flammable liquids in the soil, as well as dioxin and volatile organic compound emission from both soil and groundwater. As a result, all infrastructure was razed and storage tanks removed from the site. A subsequent evaluation in 1998 found that levels of hazardous chemicals remained elevated, and resulted in the site being added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1999. Electrical resistive heating of contaminated soils was completed in 2008 and a carbon-based treatment system for deep vadose vapors and groundwater, powered by a solar energy system, continues to operate on the site. The City of Maywood, together with the Trust for Public Lands, has incorporated the site into a community park as part of the Los Angeles River Greenway Project. The Maywood Riverfront Park was opened in May 2008 and offers athletic and recreational facilities to a densely populated urban center.
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Sacramento Army Depot*
The Sacramento Army Depot Superfund site is a 485-acre former military base seven miles southeast of downtown Sacramento. The base served as an army support facility specializing in electro-optics equipment repair, emergency manufacturing of parts, and metal plating, treatment, and painting. From 1947 to 1972, paint sludges, oil, grease, trash, solvents, and other industrial wastes were incinerated in on-site burnpits or disposed of in a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank. The site’s groundwater and surface soils were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals. In 1986, the Army removed the underground storage tank. In 1987, EPA added this site to its list of priority hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL). The Sacramento Army Depot was officially closed on March 3, 1995. Soil remediation of the site was completed in 1998 and ground water cleanup systems were in place and operating by 2003, thus eliminating immediate risks to human health and the environment. Long-term operation and maintenance of ground water and soil cover systems are ongoing. The site has now been returned to productive use as a business park. Over 3,400 people are now employed at the location, improving the local economy.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
Sola Optical USA, Inc.
Sola Optical USA, Inc. site in Petaluma, California was added to the National Priorities List in 1990. Operations on the 35-acre site included producing optical lenses from 1978 - 2001. In 1982, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) identified acetone in an on-site well. Subsequently, Sola reported that soil adjacent to six underground solvent storage tanks at the facility were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In 1985, Sola removed the underground storage tanks and confirmed that the shallow ground water underneath the site was contaminated with VOCs. In 2009, a portion of the site is used by a number of tenants for a variety of commercial uses, including a poultry company. Approximately eleven acres (889,060 square feet) in the southwest portion of the Site were purchased by RNM Cader in 2000. The buyer, RNM, agreed to pay all costs related to the ongoing investigations and obtain any licenses or permits required by federal, state, or local law in order to complete any tests or inspections on the property. RNM also agreed under contract to fill and compact any holes and provide Sola with written notice at least five days in advance, detailing the scope of any testing, to obtain Sola’s approval. Upon approval from EPA, Sola is obligated to remove or relocate monitoring wells that conflict with the site plan for RNM’s planned development (RNM and Sola 2000). The remaining 24 acres of the Sola Site property, including the buildings, was also recently sold to a different entity. Sola Optical, Inc. no longer owns any of the Site.
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South Bay Asbestos Area
The 550-acre South Bay Asbestos Area Superfund site, located on the southern edge of San Francisco Bay, served as a dumping area for 30 years. Three landfills located within the site boundaries received asbestos wastes from an asbestos cement pipe manufacturing plant that operated from 1953 until 1982. Residents reportedly used waste asbestos pipe to drain excess water from their properties before curbs and gutters were installed. In addition, asbestos waste was used for fill material at various locations throughout the town. After discovering the contamination, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1986. EPA then cleaned up the areas to prevent exposure of residents to potentially significant levels of asbestos fibers. Two areas of the site were paved, while other areas were capped with soil and revegetated. The party signed a Prospective Purchaser Agreement which limited their liability for pre-existing contamination and facilitated the reuse of a portion of the site as office space.
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Synertek, Inc. (Building 1)
From 1978 to 1986, electronics were manufactured in five buildings on the 3.5-acre Synertek, Inc. (Building 1) site in Santa Clara, California. Building 1 is adjacent to three underground storage tanks which leaked volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the soil. When the tanks were removed in 1985, contamination of on-site and off-site ground water was discovered. Honeywell, the property owner, installed three on-site and two off-site ground water extraction wells with an air stripping tower to treat the extracted ground water. The extraction and treatment system has been in operation since 1987 and the site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1989. Ground water treatment with injection back into the ground instead of discharging to a stream is still operational today. Building 1 is used as office space by various commercial enterprises.
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Treasure Island Naval Station (Hunter Point Annex)*
In 1940, the Navy acquired a 936-acre site at Hunters Point, California, and used it for various shipyard activities until 1976. From 1976 until 1986, the Navy leased the property to a ship repair company. During environmental investigations in 1987, PCBs, trichloroethylene, and other solvents, pesticides and metals were found throughout the site’s surface and groundwater, posing a potential risk to the local community and environment. These findings led EPA to place this site on its priority list of hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL), in 1989. EPA, the Navy, and the State of California are coordinating the environmental investigation, cleanup, and reuse of each of the site’s six parcels. While 61 buildings originally occupied the property, 45 have been demolished. The San Francisco Police Department has its crime lab in one of the remaining buildings, while seven other buildings are leased by artists and caterers. Plans that include a mixed residential/retail complex, a research and development area, a cultural and educational area, and a potential wetland are being made for a series of major redevelopment projects that will better utilize this waterfront location.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
TRW Microwave
The TRW Microwave Superfund site in Sunnyvale, California, was a telecommunications equipment manufacturing facility that along with two other neighboring Superfund sites released toxic contaminants into the groundwater of the heavily populated local community. Previously from 1968 to 1974, the site was used by Aertech Industries to manufacture and assess microwave and semiconductor components. TRW acquired the site from Aertech in 1974 and leased the space out to FEI Microwave that maintained the same operations. The facility's improper handling of solvents and acids in the semiconductor manufacturing process contaminated soil and groundwater with chlorinated volatile organic compounds. The contaminated groundwater affected the health of the local community and environment. In 1990, EPA placed this site to its priority list of hazardous waste sites, the National Priorities List (NPL). Those responsible for the contamination pumped and treated the groundwater and removed contaminated soil and underground storage tanks. FEI Microwave continued to operate during the cleanup until 1993. In 1995, the property was purchased and leased to a contract and research company that ceased operations in 2001. The site underwent significant renovation in 2002-2003 and remains vacant. In 2003, Northrop Grumman purchased TRW’s assets and assumed cleanup responsibility opening up potential for redevelopment. Currently, TRW is performing enhanced in-situ bioremediation to reduce groundwater contaminant concentrations.
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