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Sites in Reuse in California
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 includes many examples of recycling and reuse. An industrial park currently occupies the 280-acre site, which housed several rubber manufacturing plants during World War II. The manufacturing generated a sludge, which was disposed of in six unlined pits and three unlined evaporation ponds on the property. In the 1970s, the site was transformed into the industrial park, and in 1992, EPA became involved when it removed contaminated materials from the waste pits. Since then, EPA cleaned up portions of the site to prepare for reuse after adding the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1997. Toyota Motor Corporation moved onto five acres of the site and remodeled one of the buildings, creating a new corporate campus that supports 800 permanent jobs. At the waste pits, where the contaminated materials were removed, 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 Shell is considering turning these acres into a community center or public open space. These partnerships have led to the reuse of several acres at the Del Amo Facility site.
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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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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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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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Norton Air Force Base*
Under the Base Realignment and Closure Act, the 2,165-acre Norton AFB Superfund site has been converted into the San Bernardino International Airport, and a number of supporting and independent businesses are 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 are more than 20 areas of contamination on the former base. Soil contaminants include PCBs, trichloroethylene, petroleum hydrocarbons, lead and other toxic metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Ground water contamination has affected several municipal drinking water wells. EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1987. Environmental response actions have been completed at 17 of 22 sites at the facility, and the Air Force continues to operate a ground water pump and treatment system. 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.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
Sacramento Army Depot*
The Sacramento Army Depot Superfund site is a former military base seven miles southeast of downtown Sacramento. From 1947 to 1972, paint sludges, oil, grease, trash, solvents, and other industrial wastes were burned and disposed of in on-site burnpits, threatening the safety of ground water. In 1987, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. The site has now been returned to productivity with a Packard-Bell assembly plant and distribution center. A firm called Foodlink also has warehouses at the site. Over 3,400 people are now employed at the location.
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*Facility being closed and redeveloped under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
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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Treasure Island Naval Station (Hunter Point Annex)*
In 1940, the Navy acquired this 936-acre site at Hunter Point and used it for various shipyard activities until 1976. From 1976 until 1986, the Navy leased the property to a ship repair company. During investigations in 1987, PCBs, trichloroethylene and other solvents, pesticides and metals were found throughout the site. These findings led EPA to place the site on its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in 1989. EPA, the Navy, and the State of California are coordinating the environmental investigation, cleanup, and reuse. Sixty-one buildings are on the property, 45 of them former residences. The San Francisco Police Department has its crime lab in one building and seven other buildings are leased by artists and caterers. A metals recycling firm also uses the dry dock to dismantle ships. Plans 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, is an active telecommunications equipment manufacturing facility. Previously, the site was used to manufacture semiconductors. The facility's improper use of solvents and acids in the semiconductor manufacturing process contaminated soil and ground water with volatile organic compounds. In 1990, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. Those responsible for the contamination pumped and treated ground water and removed contaminated soil and underground storage tanks. The site's current occupant, FEI Microwave, was able to operate during the cleanup, retaining jobs and contributing to the local economy.
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