Source: http://www.marinij.com, February 11, 2016
By: Stephanie Weldy
Marinwood community members gathered this week to call for a faster, more aggressive approach to cleaning up contaminants from a former dry cleaner at Marinwood Plaza.
Some want more teeth in the cleanup proposal headed to regulators; many just want cleanup to get underway as soon as possible, said those who turned out Wednesday for a community meeting. The session, hosted by Supervisor Damon Connolly and the Regional Water Quality Control Board at Mary E. Silveira Elementary School, featured a proposed plan developed by Geologica, a San Francisco-based environmental consulting firm hired by the property owner responsible for cleanup. The proposal will be considered by the water board in the coming months.
PCE, or tetrachloroethylene, and its natural breakdown products, were first discovered in the neighborhood in 2007. Through soil and groundwater, the contaminants have extended from the plaza, at the site of the former Prosperity Cleaners, and underneath the freeway to Silveira Ranch.
Residents, along with Supervisor Damon Connolly, said it is time for a proper cleanup. Members of the Clean-Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee also are pushing for a plan that presents a more aggressive approach.
“We’ve all been frustrated with how this process has been playing out,” Connolly told the audience.
The plan, which would get underway eight months after approval, recommends excavation in the area of the former dry cleaning site to remove soil with contaminants at concentrated levels. It also recommends monitoring of groundwater to ensure a downward trend in the concentration of contaminants through an attenuation process. The same monitoring process is proposed for soil vapors, which are reported as traveling along utility corridors.
Pierre Terrier, a Casa Marinwood resident, said the proposal is a good start but it should be put into motion as soon as possible.
“Let’s not drop this start,” Terrier said. “If we drop this start, then we won’t go anywhere.”
Resident Josh Kimbrough said he was happy to hear that some parts of the proposal could be implemented upon approval, while other aspects would continue to be evaluated and potentially revised. Kimbrough said he would like to see the process begin.
Damien Perry agreed, saying he believed a more extensive cleanup will likely be required, but the plan was on the right track.
Marinwood community members gathered this week to call for a faster, more aggressive approach to cleaning up contaminants from a former dry cleaner at Marinwood Plaza.
Some want more teeth in the cleanup proposal headed to regulators; many just want cleanup to get underway as soon as possible, said those who turned out Wednesday for a community meeting. The session, hosted by Supervisor Damon Connolly and the Regional Water Quality Control Board at Mary E. Silveira Elementary School, featured a proposed plan developed by Geologica, a San Francisco-based environmental consulting firm hired by the property owner responsible for cleanup. The proposal will be considered by the water board in the coming months.
PCE, or tetrachloroethylene, and its natural breakdown products, were first discovered in the neighborhood in 2007. Through soil and groundwater, the contaminants have extended from the plaza, at the site of the former Prosperity Cleaners, and underneath the freeway to Silveira Ranch.
Residents, along with Supervisor Damon Connolly, said it is time for a proper cleanup. Members of the Clean-Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee also are pushing for a plan that presents a more aggressive approach.
“We’ve all been frustrated with how this process has been playing out,” Connolly told the audience.
The plan, which would get underway eight months after approval, recommends excavation in the area of the former dry cleaning site to remove soil with contaminants at concentrated levels. It also recommends monitoring of groundwater to ensure a downward trend in the concentration of contaminants through an attenuation process. The same monitoring process is proposed for soil vapors, which are reported as traveling along utility corridors.
Pierre Terrier, a Casa Marinwood resident, said the proposal is a good start but it should be put into motion as soon as possible.
“Let’s not drop this start,” Terrier said. “If we drop this start, then we won’t go anywhere.”
Resident Josh Kimbrough said he was happy to hear that some parts of the proposal could be implemented upon approval, while other aspects would continue to be evaluated and potentially revised. Kimbrough said he would like to see the process begin.
Damien Perry agreed, saying he believed a more extensive cleanup will likely be required, but the plan was on the right track.