The letter raises many issues about the lack of progress of the cleanup, the failure to stop contamination from entering Felicita Creek, and the need to add treatment wells to stop further expansion of the plumes, among other issues.
If you are interested, please submit comments to DTSC by Sept 6th. This is a serious issue for our region and one that needs additional action.
If you are new to this issue, here is some background.
The
Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has oversight of the remediation
of hazardous waste released to the environment by the Chatham Brothers Barrel
Yard. As a brief background, members of
the Chatham family owned the property at 2257 Bernardo Ave, Escondido and ran a
hazardous waste processing and collection business for decades.
In
the early 1980’s, massive pollution of the site was discovered and the facility
was closed. The Chatham Barrel yard was listed as a state superfund site and emergency
soil removal action was conducted. Additionally, on-site water remediation has
been on-going for over 20 years.
However,
in the intervening decades, the groundwater pollution has spread significantly
and can now be found under Felicita County Park and many area homes. Further, the contamination is now entering
Felicita Creek in a public area where the public is unwittingly exposed.
In
spite of over 30 years of remedial action, much of it passive through the
adoption of a passive strategy called ‘natural attenuation’, the cleanup
objectives have not been met. It is
clear that more proactive measures must be taken.
Escondido
Neighbors United has filed comments on the
Review. The requests include that DTSC:
1. Direct additional
proactive measures to achieve the remedial objectives;
2. Require additional action
to stop unbated discharges into Felicita Creek;
3. Require signs at the creek
warning of the presence of pollution in public areas;
4. Establish and timeline of
performance for meeting the objectives.
