Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste discussion May 13, 2020

Lawyer for St. Vincents and Marinwood Citizens from "Clean up Marinwood Plaza, Now" committee address the Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding the Marinwood Plaza clean up. Marinwood Plaza, LLC controlled by Hoytt family has violated order for clean up.  We have been working diligently for seven years to get the toxic waste removed.  During this time the toxic waste has spread over 1/2 mile east on the property of Silveira Ranch and St. Vincents.

Residents’ vigilance on Marinwood toxic cleanup pays off

Editorial: Residents’ vigilance on Marinwood toxic cleanup pays off

Marinwood Cleaners dry cleaners stands vacant at Marinwood Plaza in San Rafael, Calif. on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal) 

POSTED: 07/30/18, 10:21 AM PDT | UPDATED: 15 HRS AGO

6 COMMENTS

Marinwood residents sent a message, loud and clear, to the state board responsible for the cleanup of a toxic spill at a neighborhood shopping center.

The spill is from dry-cleaning solvents used at one of the center’s shops. Today, that shop is one of the many closed stores in the center, as the focus has been on cleaning up the tainted soil and redeveloping the property.

Until recently, the site was seen as a potential location for building affordable housing; but the spill, local opposition and the economy stood in the way of plans. County supervisors, at one time, had agreed to reduce potential housing development on the St. Vincent’s School for Boys and Silveira ranches because of local support for building it on part of the mostly vacant Marinwood Shopping Center property.

Backers of the plan saw the redevelopment as a way to support their local grocery store, and some had visions of expanding some of the community services district’s recreation programs to the site.

But in recent years, after finding the spread of an underground plume of tetrachoroethylene, a compound that had been commonplace in dry cleaning stores, the focus has been on cleaning up the property.

Neighbors focused on the clean-up have found that their definition of clean is different than that of the state Regional Water Quality Control Board, whose staff had recently been prepared to declare the site ready for development.

Some 450 Marinwood residents signed a petition and dozens of emails were sent to the water board urging it not to sign off on the cleanup.

“I asked the board, ‘would you like this your neighborhood?’” said resident Bill Nicholas, who requested that the board do more to address soil vapor found onsite and require additional testing of neighboring Caltrans land.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Editor's Note: Many thanks to Supervisor Damon Connolly for providing important leadership as well as Bill McNicholas of the Clean up Marinwood Plaza Now! citizen committee.

Marinwood Plaza Planning Information

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RWQCB PCE Cleanup hearing for Prosperity Cleaners on 4/11/2017

The California Regional Water Quality Control Board has a hearing to amend the Remediation Action Plan for Prosperity Cleaners in San Rafael, CA 94903. Representatives for Marinwood Plaza, Inc (discharger) the public and affected property owners speak.

Order of Presentation RWQCB - Ralph Lambert presents Staff comments Marinwood Plaza, LLC , Geologica Silveira Ranches Hanson Brigett, St Vincents (Catholic Charities) Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now Committee, Board Question and Answers. Total time appx 2 hours

Photographs of the Toxic waste site known as the Eastern Hot Spot behind Prosperity Cleaners in Marinwood Plaza

A series of groundwater testing sites first established in 2007 revealed high level of contamination.

The wells are located a few feet from the chainlink fence. On the other side is Caltrans Right of Way (Miller Creek Ave. Southbound on ramp.)

The door on the right is the back door to the room where the dry cleaning machinery was kept.  A toxic hot spot was found underneath the machinery and excavated to 15 feet in 2017.  Toxic waste was discovered at a depth greater than 35' ( below the water table).  Treatment was administered in 2017 which dropped toxic levels but still it is above residential standards. The toxic soil vapor remains a threat to Casa Marinwood and workers inside Marinwood Plaza.

The second door to Prosperity Cleaners has been boarded up  and debris remains after work in 2017.

A view from Caltrans property to that shows the toxic hotspot in the foreground and you can make out the back door to Prosperity Cleaners in the background. 

When the workers in the Prosperity Cleaners plant cleaned machinery, they would dump the buckets of liquid containing toxic PCE into the grassy area next to the chain link fence.  Although the toxic soil has been treated on the Marinwood Plaza side of the fence, there have been NO soil testing and treatment on the Caltrans property.  The discharger claims that the toxic soil has been fully treated but this is preposterous as the toxic waste would tend to run downslope through the chainlink fence and into the ground on both sides.  Unless both sides of the fence are tested and treated  there is NO ASSURANCE that the toxic waste has been fully treated. It may continue to generate toxic soil vapor and pollute the groundwater for DECADES.

Toxic waste is very harmful to pregnant women, children and the immune compromised.  It is vital that ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE is served to protect the health of the most vulnerable.  Marinwood Plaza has been the site of two affordable housing proposals.  It almost got built last time when there was an attempt to cover up the toxic waste issue.  Fortunately, citizens uncovered the data and are now advocating on the behalf of the community, Casa Marinwood, St Vincents and Silviera Ranch.

Marinwood Plaza must remove toxic gas ASAP. RWQCB meeting 3/14/2018

Powerpoint Presentation to RWQCB about Toxic Pollution at Marinwood Plaza on March 14, 2018

Slideshow of the Oxbow Public Market. A model for Marinwood Plaza?

WWW.Oxbowpublicmarket.com

Marinwood Plaza is the perfect place for an Artisan Market.


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Marinwood Plaza RWQCB Hearing FULL 2/8/2017 (Next meeting is Wednesday, March 8, 2017)

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:40 Ralph Lambert RWQCB presentation
00:26:17 Tom Fitzsimmons, Wells Fargo & Dan Matthews, Geologica representing Marinwood Plaza, LLC
00:44:17 Public Comments (Renee Silveira is first speaker)
01:09:14 Board Questions and Comments from Staff
01:12:50 Geologica/RWQCB answers questions to Board

Will Prosperity Cleaners Toxic Waste REALLY be cleaned up?

A large pile of toxic waste is stored behind Marinwood Plaza while awaiting testing results for permanent storage at HazMat facilities.  

Stage one of the clean up of toxic waste at Marinwood Plaza is underway.   The toxic waste contaminates were discovered at 35 feet below the surface.  The waste spread through the water table and can be detected 3/4 mile East on property owned by Silveira Ranch and St. Vincents.  

The excavation was stopped at 15 feet leaving potentially a huge pool of toxic waste at deeper depths. The PCE is heavier than water and migrates downward until hitting bedrock.   Contamination levels near the surface are less than the deeper levels.  PCE breaks down into carcinogenic compounds,  TCE and Poly Vinyl Chloride.  A byproduct is toxic gas that seeps through the soil and into nearby buildings. 

The Clean up Marinwood Plaza Now committee has been working hard on behalf of the community to make certain full clean up happens.  It hasn't been easy and we need your help.   If you can attend meetings, write a note to the Marin IJ and the RWQCB expressing your concerns it will help put pressure that a full clean up is done right.

The Unbalanced Cost of PCE Spills

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Dru Shields

Written by Jeff Carnahan, L.P.G., Senior Project Manager, EnviroForensics.
As seen in the August 2011 issue of Cleaner & Launderer

PDF Version

As nearly all dry cleaners have become keenly aware, the use of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in the textiles industry and the management of wastes resulting from its use have become as heavily regulated as nearly any other industrial chemical to date.  In fact, environmental concerns resulting from the current or historical use of PCE are practically as common as those arising from gasoline stations.  As discovered by an increasing number of dry cleaner owners or operators; however, the amount of time and money that is required to investigate and ultimately clean-up sites that have been impacted with PCE can be several times higher than at typical gas station sites.  Additionally, it seems that PCE releases are on every regulator’s radar these days.  This article discusses a few of the complicating factors about PCE releases that make them so unique. 

PCE is Heavier than Water

Part of the reason that PCE releases are so challenging to investigate and remediate pertains to the properties of the chemical itself.  The specific gravity of PCE solvent is 1.6230, which means that it is over 60% heavier than water under normal conditions.  This characteristic makes it possible to recover and reuse solvent from mixtures with water in gravity separators.  To demonstrate, let’s first look at the example of how petroleum releases behave in the subsurface. 

Petroleum products, including Stoddard solvent, are less dense than water.  A significant release of gasoline or petroleum solvent will typically travel downward through soils where a portion of the impacts will have a propensity to be caught up in the soil matrix.  Once a petroleum spill reaches the groundwater table it floats and migrates horizontally.  As a result, most petroleum releases are fairly shallow in nature and comparatively simple to reach for remediation purposes. 

Releases of chlorinated solvents, such as PCE, also travel downward.  Once the release comes into contact with groundwater, a fraction of the PCE will start dissolving until its solubility limit is reached.  The remaining portion will continue to travel downward until an obstruction is reached, such as a clay layer, where it may pool and act as a deeper source by continuously dissolving PCE into the water.  If multiple subsurface clay layers exist there may be multiple continuing sources of groundwater impacts.  As a result, releases of PCE can be deep and very complex in the subsurface.  Additionally, if not carefully designed and implemented by an environmental consultant experienced with PCE releases, clay layers may be penetrated by soil borings and pooled solvent may be remobilized into deeper aquifers; making conditions worse.

PCE is Resistant to Natural Breakdown

There are naturally occurring microbes in the subsurface that breakdown organic pollutants into less toxic or non-toxic substances through a process called biodegradation, or bioremediation.  These microbes may directly ingest the pollutant, breakdown it down chemically for use as energy (electron transfer), or give off enzymes that destroys its chemical bonds.  The ability of microbes to use (metabolize) the pollutants depends on the chemical characteristics of the subsurface, and what types of microbes are present.  In most microbes, including bacteria, the metabolic process requires the exchange of oxygen and carbon. 

The biodegradation of petroleum compounds is conducted largely by populations of microbes that thrive in an oxygen-rich subsurface environment.  Recall that most petroleum impacts are present in the upper most part of the groundwater table where oxygen from the atmosphere is more likely to result in high levels of dissolved oxygen.  Therefore, many petroleum releases are already in the process of naturally occurring biodegradation before they are even discovered.  In fact, studies have shown that most petroleum groundwater plumes don’t extend much beyond 400 feet from the source area.  A common and cost-effective remediation strategy in these situations involves simply monitoring the effects until cleanup objectives are reached, which is called Monitored Natural Attenuation.

Conversely to petroleum releases, the type of microbes responsible for the biodegradation of PCE and other chlorinated solvents thrive in a subsurface environment without oxygen (anaerobic conditions).  The most common anaerobic process for degrading PCE is an electron transfer process called reductive dechlorination.  In this process, hydrogen atoms present in the groundwater are substituted for chlorine atoms in the solvent molecule in order to release an electron during the microbes’ respiration process.  For this to occur, it is necessary for there to be an adequate supply of food to sustain the microbe population during the process. 

Using PCE as the primary contaminant during ongoing reductive dechlorination, each time a chlorine atom is plucked off of the parent molecule; PCE turns to trichloroethene (TCE), TCE to dichloroethene (DCE), DCE to vinyl chloride, and vinyl chloride to ethene.  The conditions present in the subsurface can be studied carefully and a remediation plan can be devised that takes advantage of this complicated, naturally occurring process to help achieve cleanup objectives where spills of PCE have occurred.  Many times, anaerobic conditions in the contaminated groundwater must be enhanced and a source of food for the microbes must be delivered to the subsurface to speed up the reductive dechlorination process.  This adds significant cost and time to remediation projects, as compared to the monitored natural attenuation of a petroleum plume.

PCE Vapors are Persistent and Mobile

Not only is PCE resistant to natural degradation when it is dissolved in groundwater, it also can remain in the subsurface in its vapor phase for a long period of time without breaking down.  As all dry cleaners know, the volatile nature of PCE means that it will evaporate from a liquid to a vapor easily; that is one of the characteristics that make it such a good cleaning solvent.  However, once PCE is released to the subsurface it also volatilizes and disperses through unsaturated soils.  If the vapors reached an occupied structure and migrate into the occupied space, vapor intrusion (VI) has occurred.  VI concerns are at the top of most every regulator’s list of concerns since PCE is considered a probable carcinogen, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of revising and finalizing its guidance on the issue.

The petroleum hydrocarbon compound Benzene is a major component of gasoline spills, is also very volatile and is a known carcinogen.  In the presence of oxygen, once again, benzene vapors have been shown to naturally degrade in the subsurface environment.  As a result, the occurrence of VI concerns resulting from releases of petroleum products is limited.  Since PCE vapors do not readily breakdown, they have been known to travel great distances from even minor solvent spills.  Many dry cleaners are located close to their customers in highly populated areas, and as a result the risk of VI to occur from a subsurface release is compounded.  The VI exposure pathway is an extremely complicated process, which requires a sophisticated and knowledgeable environmental professional to adequately investigate and address. 

Although the cost of investigating and addressing VI issues can greatly affect the total dollar amount of PCE remediation projects, the potential cost of third-party legal concerns related to off-site migration of PCE vapors are typically not even quantified. 

These are only a few of the reasons that releases of PCE from neighborhood dry cleaners are commonly so much more expensive to address than those from the typical corner gas station.  It is crucial that owners and operators of dry cleaning operations that have historically used or presently use PCE be aware of all potential funding sources; such as historical insurance policies, or even potentially redevelopment clean-up grants.  Only a few states actually have remediation trust funds established for cleaning up dry cleaner sites.  If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having the financial responsibility for a release of PCE to the subsurface, be sure to consult with an environmental professional that fully understands the special issues related dry cleaner sites and can make smart, cost-effective decisions. 

Pressure Mounts in Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste Case As Water Board Looks For Answers

Pressure Mounts in Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste Case As Water Board Looks For Answers  

Toxic Waste was discovered at Marinwood Plaza in 2009 (or earlier) and has not been cleaned up yet.

SUMMARY: In a Regional Water Board hearing last week, residents, their County Supervisor, and members of the Water Board took a property owner to task for missing deadlines, lack of a project manager, and failure to demolish the building as ordered by the state.
   
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - February 13, 2017 - Residents of Marinwood, an unincorporated neighborhood in Northern Marin County, along with their county supervisor, Damon Connolly, testified in front of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board last Wednesday during the Regional Water Board Meeting and redirected a usually low-key status update to focus on several concerns related to the Marinwood Plaza PCE cleanup project. Issues they addressed included a missed February 1st deadline for soil excavation at the source and a failure to follow state ordered building demolition. Following testimony by “interested parties,” Members of the Water Board then voiced their own concerns about the handling of the project and asked the property owner’s representatives for details about cleanup.  

Following a status report presentation by the Water Board’s assigned staffer, a total of seven “interested parties” came forward to comment on the situation. Rene Silveira, representing her family’s farm, Silveira Ranch, was the first to come before the board, and in a quivering voice, delivered a heartfelt plea, saying, “As I stand here right now, PCE is continuing to migrate toward and onto our property...and that is a very troubling thought, especially since no remediation has yet been done on our property...It really does worry us to think that that we’re going to be waiting another year and a half, or more perhaps, before any actual remediation is conducted on our property.”  

Marin County Supervisor, Damon Connolly, also addressed the board with a calm but forceful message highlighting that the February 1st deadline for the completion of source area soil excavation and cleanup had lapsed. Referring to it as a “blown deadline given the ample time line for clean up is very disappointing, and in fact, inexcusable,” Supervisor Connolly made it very clear that he and his constituents are looking for enforcement action from the Water Board. Public backlash directed at the property owners continued from there with almost all speakers repeating a common refrain, requesting a full and proper cleanup and many of them demanding penalties.  
As soon as the comment section for the agenda item had wrapped up, Water Board members began questioning both the hydrogeology firm contracted by the property owner and Wells Fargo Real Estate Investment Manager, Tom Fitzsimons, about the matter. Board member Kissinger began by asking about the size of the excavation site and verification of the size and depth. Assigned Water Board staff member, Ralph Lambert, explained that his lack of “Level C” hazardous materials certification prevented him from fully inspecting the contamination site. From there, Mr Kissinger pressed on asking Mr Lambert for details about whether demolition of the building where the dry cleaner operated was required, to which Mr Lambert responded, “...it’s mentioned...but that was only a means to get to the soil, the important part is...the dirty soil.”    

Board members also quizzed Wells Fargo’s Tom Fitzsimons about his role in the property and why he was there representing the owners. New to the Water Board, Jayne Battey, joined in lamenting, “I would really have liked to see the owners here today.” Toward the end of the question and answer portion, board member, Steve Lefkovits, pointedly asked, “Who’s the project manager ultimately responsible for the time line?” When Mr Fitzsimons explained that it’s really the owners, Marinwood Plaza LLC, and presumably its president, Lee Hoytt, Mr Lefkovits persisted, asking: “Is there a specific person who’s overseeing all the work?”  

The presiding Vice-Chair, Jim McGrath, in an attempt to keep things on track interrupted and reminded everyone that the actual scope of the agenda item was to get a progress report on the remediation action plan addenda recently submitted by the property owner’s geology consultants  

But the tough questions kept coming as board member, Dr Newsha Ajami, struggled to understand the delays, stating: “...it troubles me me to see that you guys did not come to the conclusion a lot earlier to take on Plan B[internal only demolition] and you were still trying to demolish the whole building, which was obviously, it was a cost savings measure, but it wasn’t essential to what we wanted here. Why didn’t that decision come earlier?”  
But before Mr Fitzsimons could even answer, new board member, Jayne Battey, piled on, asking, “If you knew in October that you weren’t going to make February [the deadline], was there any effort to contact staff or the board to let us know that you were not going to be compliant? Mr Fitzsimons of Wells Fargo responded by explaining some of the history of getting bids and how future plans for the plaza, once sold, will almost certainly include full demolition of the structure without answering the question of whether they updated the Water Board in a timely manner of the changes. Board member Battey continued, returning to the topic of collecting bids for demolition, claiming, “I have a lot of experience in this area and it’s hard for me not to believe that people really did the best they can do.” Documents available from the Water Board’s website show that starting in November 2016, Wells Fargo was required to provide biweekly progress reports in writing. None of the biweekly reports submitted indicated anything about expected delays in meeting the February deadline.   

As the Marinwood Plaza portion of the meeting drew to a close, the Water Board’s Executive Officer, Bruce Wolfe, explained that the next steps will include revising its original cleanup order to bring it up to date with current developments. This revised cleanup order will be circulated for public comment and, barring any hurdles, be approved. In his testimony to the board, Mr Wolfe indicated that enforcement against the two violations is being considered. The Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee indicated they are in the process of submitting a formal written request to Mr Wolfe to press for adding enforcement and penalties to next month’s agenda.  

About The Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste Spill  

Originally discovered in 2007, a case with the SF Bay Regional Water Board was opened in 2008 as a result of one or more PCE spills that occurred on the property by former dry cleaning businesses. California law holds the property owner responsible for any and all cleanup caused by such a chemical spill. The Marinwood Plaza owners were ordered by the Regional Water Board to supply an approved remediation plan by September 1st, 2016 and clean up the source of the PCE plume by February 1st, 2017. While a cleanup plan has been submitted, it was late adn hasn’t yet been approved. The source excavation cleanup is still incomplete. California Water Code Section 13350 allows the Regional Water Board to impose fines of up to $5,000 per violation day. Oversight committee members say they will be demanding the maximum fine allowed.    

Video recording of February Water Board Meeting 


The RWQCB February meeting agenda 
  
Original RWQCB cleanup order from Feb 2014: 

Letter from Marin County Supervisor to Regional Water Board 

Property Owner’s Request for Extension to 1 March: 

The RWQCB follow-up order from June 21st 2016 
   
The original RWQCB April 19th 2016 order is here:   

Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee info:

rgraham02@gmail.com

Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste meeting Feb 8, 2017 Full meeting

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:40 Ralph Lambert RWQCB presentation
00:26:17 Tom Fitzsimmons, Wells Fargo & Dan Matthews, Geologica representing Marinwood Plaza, LLC
00:44:17 Public Comments (Renee Silveira is first speaker)
01:09:14 Board Questions and Comments from Staff
01:12:50 Geologica/RWQCB answers questions from the Board

Marinwood Citizens to Ask State Board to Fine Toxic Waste Discharger

The Prosperity Cleaners Clean up site where citizens were barred from entry and virtually no oversight occurred from either the RWQCB or the community.  All cleanup data was provided by Geologica who has delayed the work and gave wildly misleading information about the scope of the spill to the community in 2012.

Ralph Lambert, of  the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) answers questions about the clean up.

The California Regional Waterboard of the San Francisco Bay Area issued a report in 2011 titled, “Dry Cleaner Status Report” profiling the “emerging significant threat of PCE.” Under a section titled, “Emerging Threat to Groundwater and Human Health,” they wrote:

PCE spilled or released by dry cleaners poses a significant threat to groundwater and human health in our region. PCE is a highly toxic chlorinated solvent and is classified as a probable carcinogen. PCE is heavier than water and tends to be highly mobile when it reaches groundwater.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - On Wednesday, February 8th, The Cleanup Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee will appear before the very same Waterboard to ask that the state enforce an order, which required the Marinwood Plaza owners to clean up the source of a PCE plume on the property by February 1st. California Water Code Section 13350 allows the Regional Water Board to impose fines of up to $5,000 per violation day. Oversight committee members say they will be demanding the maximum fine allowed.

In a letter dated April 19th, 2016, the property owner, Marinwood Plaza LLC’s president, Lee Hoytt, and their real estate manager, Tom Fitzsimmons of Wells Fargo, were instructed to complete excavation, testing, and submit a report by the February deadline. It’s still unclear at this point when the excavation will be finished. Named as “Prosperity Cleaners, Marinwood Plaza,” the Waterboard’s Wednesday meeting agenda calls for a status update on the situation.

In a public letter to the Regional Water Board sent on Friday, Feb. 3, Supervisor Damon Connolly, expressed frustration with the missed deadline, writing: “I have stated consistently over the course of the last two years that this process has dragged on for too long.”

He goes on to request application of “Administrative Civil Liability” as set forth in California Water Code Section 13327. Supervisor Connolly also points out in his letter, “Plaza owners were given generous, ample time to execute this cleanup. While the timeline for on-site excavation was finalized in April of 2016, work did not begin until January of 2017…”. According to his office, Supervisor Connolly is planning to attend the meeting on Wednesday personally.

“We’ve been in frequent contact with the Waterboard staff over the past couple of weeks voicing our many concerns. When we asked why the building wasn’t demolished, Waterboard staffers didn’t have a lot to say. We also don’t understand why the Waterboard doesn’t have a hazmat certified staff member, because the site was never inspected. They weren’t even going to measure the excavation depth until we requested it.” observed Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee Chair, Bill McNicholas.

According to EPA information from 2012, more than 90 percent of rivers and streams assessed by the state are too polluted for drinking, fishing or swimming. The source of the Marinwood plume is only about 700 ft from Miller Creek and has already been found to have contaminated soil on the opposite side of the 101 freeway ¾ of a mile away.

Fellow Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee member, Stephen Nestel, voiced his concern about the pollution stating, “I don’t want to penalize the Hoytts. I’m satisfied with a full clean up. But, as far as we know, they didn’t actually dig deep enough, and that violates the state’s order.”

Bill McNicholas of the Cleanup Marinwood Plaza Now Committee: Reports on his meeting concerning Marinwood Plaza

 Report from Bill McNicholas on January 11, 2017

“Steve Grant (St. Vincent's), Rob Graham and I (Cleanup Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee) just returned from the RWQCB meeting in Oakland today. First, I delivered a letter from Supv. Connolly to the directors. An update for you on what is happening at the Plaza. 

First, the District Staff is reviewing the comments on the cleanup on Siveira Ranch and St. Vincent's and staff will be presenting to the directors at the February 8, 2017 RWQCB meeting.. 

Second, and most important to us as Marinwood Community, is that the cleanup of the cleaners has started this week. That being removal of lead and asbestos. It should be noted that Hoytt is not going to be demolishing the Plaza sans the market, but doing the cleanup of only the cleaners without demolition--other words-less expensively. The contractor has placed an enclosed conex box at the big door behind the cleaners and he has sealed off the opening all around it to avoid atmospheric exposure. Tentatively, this will be accomplished by 1/16/2017 to allow the digging and removal of the contamination under the cleaners. Per staff at the RWQCD, Hoytt will be removing the contaminated soil and concrete and piling in in back of the cleaners until a waste site gives permission to deliver the contaminated material. This waste pile will be tarped at night, exposed during the day, until such action takes place. Based on the winds and rain that we have experienced over the past week,. there is a strong possibility of the tarp coming off. If that occurs, we could have contaminated material being blown into the surrounding area, including the market, and the runoff going into the storm drains, and even Miller Creek.

 In my opinion, this is not a great scenario for public health and safety. Hoytt has until February 1, 2017 to a completion report meeting the acceptable standards for cleanup submitted to the RWQCD. Cleanup Marinwood Plaza Now Oversight Committee, at the meeting today, voiced concerns that failure to comply in full with the executive order, that Hoyt be penalized per regulations since Hoytt has had since April 19, 2016 to comply with this date. 

In addition, I brought up the Eastern Hot Spot behind the cleaners where the cleaning solvent was dumped, still no plans to clean that up and the monitoring well reading is 34 ug/l which is 7 times acceptable level for drinking water. RWQCD staff said that the soil met the standard, but the reading in the ground water wasn't a concern. In addition, Rob Graham spoke to the contaminated waste pile. The Oversight Committee will be attending the February 8, 2017 RWQCB meeting along with representatives from Silveira Ranch and St. Vincent's. 

I anticipate that Supv. Connolly will also be in attendance. We would appreciate additional members of the community attending with us. The more the more effective is our concerns. I will be providing additional information on the meeting time. I will continue to post updates on what is happening at the Plaza. 

You may also present your concerns and comments to Mr. Bruce Wolfe, Executive Officer, RWQCD, Bruce.Wolfe@waterboards.ca.gov.”

Marin IJ Editorial: Progress needed on Marinwood clean-up

The Marinwood Plaza shopping center property has contaminants left by a former dry cleaner. The Savemor liquor store, one of the last businesses there, closed earlier this year. (IJ archives) 

POSTED: 12/01/16, 1:08 PM PST | UPDATED: 13 HRS AGO

0 COMMENTS

Neighbors of the Marinwood Plaza shopping center want an underground toxic plume cleaned up now, not later.

That’s understandable.

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board has established clean-up deadlines it expects the plaza’s new ownership to meet. Warning that the owners could face fines should help ensure progress toward cleaning up the toxic waste by next fall.

The plume is a remnant of a dry cleaner that was open in that tiny shopping center for years. PCE, or tetrachloroethylene, has been detected in soil tests and the toxic waste has spread underground, moving 2,700 feet under Highway 101 and to privately held lands on the east side of the freeway.

Credit Supervisor Damon Connolly for keeping pressure on the state to demand compliance with its clean-up order. His determination to make sure there is progress has helped make it a higher priority with the state board. see Article HERE

Marinwood Residents protest the Delay cleanup of Marinwood Plaza toxic waste

Video of the RWQCB meeting comments protesting the delayed and inadequate response from Marinwood Plaza, LLC that is under order to commence the clean up of the toxic waste at Marinwood Plaza (aka. Prosperity Cleaners). They have not kept to schedule of the executive order and are finding new reasons to delay. The RWQCB staff is being petitioned by the community to commence cleanup immediately. The community is unanimous. Clean up Marinwood Plaza now!

Here are the fimes various speakers:

00:23:13 Bill McNicholas
02:38:06 Ray Day
10:33:09 Robert Graham
14:46:00 Dave Trotter (Attorney for Silveira Ranches)
20:29:29 Stephen Nestel
23:38:42 Michael Van Zant, Hanson Brigett, LLP ( Attorney for St. Vincents School for Boys) 
25:55:09 Comments from the RWQCB staff and Board members

Prosperity Cleaners Toxic Waste meeting video April 13, 2016

Power point slides from the Clean Up Marinwood Plaza Now committee.

Full Prosperity Cleaners Toxic Waste meeting  video April 13, 2016 at the RWQCB   

CNN: 'Erin Brockovich' town still poisoned

Remember the Julia Roberts movie, "Erin Brokovich"? It was about a terrible hexavalent chromium contamination in Hinkley, CA by PGE . I understand the caseworker for RWQCB on Marinwood Plaza was a consultant that worked in the case for PGE during that time: 

It takes guts and determination to get environmental justice. Will you stand with your neighbors?

More on Hinkley, CA HERE

EDITOR'S NOTE: The cleanup plan of Marinwood Plaza must be rejected.  The polluter has not even defined the how far the toxic plume and soil gas has spread.  They now want a "conditional approval" that may delay full cleanup for DECADES.  Come to the meeting on Wednesday, April 13th in Oakland, CA.  See details below:

Five Minutes to understand the Basics of the Marinwood Plaza Toxic Waste Problem

Only a few drops of PCE can poison an entire pool.

The original "spill" reported in July 2013 was reported as "only a few pounds" by Geologica and the spill less than a few hundred square feet.  It is now estimated to be 1/2 mile to the East and we still not have full defined the plume. We estimate hundreds of pounds may have spilled since the business began in 1965.
Geologica is recommending only to remove a 10' x 10 x 15' deep section of toxic soil. The known plume is well over 500,000 square feet and they will only remove 100 square feet?  RIDICULOUS!

This is the size of "a few pounds" of PCE. It is about 1 pint or .47 liters.

The Geologica Remedial Action Plan is incomplete and relies on inaccurate and incomplete data for its recommendations.  Worse still, it does not have a start date which means that they are asking the board to permanently delay remediation until after a buyer is found. Meanwhile NO ACTIVE REMEDIATION has occurred since 2011 while TOXIC WASTE has spread.  This is not acceptable.

Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene)

127-18-4

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Hazard Summary-Created in April 1992; Revised in December 2012

Tetrachloroethylene is widely used for dry-cleaning fabrics and metal degreasing operations. Effects resulting from acute (short term) high-level inhalation exposure of humans to tetrachloroethylene include irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes, kidney dysfunction, and neurological effects such as reversible mood and behavioral changes, impairment of coordination, dizziness, headache, sleepiness, and unconsciousness.  The primary effects from chronic (long term) inhalation exposure are neurological, including impaired cognitive and motor neurobehavioral performance.  Tetrachloroethylene exposure may also cause adverse effects in the kidney, liver, immune system and hematologic system, and on development and reproduction. Studies of people exposed in the workplace have found associations with several types of cancer including bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma.  EPA has classified tetrachloroethylene as likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

For a complete report see the EPA Website HERE

And of course there is the politics of Toxic Waste........