| Current News | |
November 13, 2009 Treatibility Study Update As described in the September 22, 2009 news story a pilot treatibility study designed to degrade residual solvents in the soil and groundwater is being completed near the RFS front gate enterance. Workers at the trucks seen at the former Zeneca site this week began injection of an environmentally safe compound that promotes activity of soil bacteria to enhance natrual degradation of solvents in soil and ground water. The injection work will continue for the next two weeks. Wells on the RFS property along the fenceline are scheduled to have material injected beginning approximately on Monday November 23, 2009.
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October 21, 2009 Huge Storm Brings 4.2 Inches of Rain to RFS On October 13, 2009, the largest October storm to hit Northern California since the infamous Columbus Day Storm of 1962, walloped the Bay Area with heavy winds and record rainfall. At the RFS, a storm total of 4.2 inches of rain was collected in the EH&S rain gauge. The BAAQMD meterological station, located on the west side of the RFS, measured winds averaging 24 miles per hour with a maximum gust of 42 miles per hour during the peak of the storm in the early afternoon prior to frontal passage (http://gate1.baaqmd.gov/aqmet/MetSiteView.aspx?SID=2950). The heavy rainfall brought a short term trash load along with the rainy season real first flush. EH&S staff collected video clips of trash flowing down Meeker Ditch leading into Meeker Slough. Meeker Ditch collects water from the majority of the Meeker Slough watershed (see Meeker Slough Watershed Map). See the following two movies of the Meeker Ditch flow taking during the peak of the storm at around 2:30 PM after almost 4 inches of rain had fallen in the watershed: October 13, 2009 storm Meeker Ditch trash conveyor [3.6 MB Window Media Video file] or on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/karlclappereel#p/a/u/0/U2eW0uVcRiQ Meeker Slough downstream of the Bay Trail bridge October 20, 2009 1:30 PM, 6.4 foot high tide:
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September 22, 2009 Clapper Rail Fledglings at RFS on Video The California clapper rail (Rallus longirotris obsoletus), the federally listed endangered bird species that resides in Western Stege Marsh at the Richmond Field Station, has been captured on video again in recent weeks. What's more, a rare video of two fledged chicks from a late season clutch was filmed on September 17, 2009, has provided photographic demonstration of breeding success in Western Stege Marsh for the second year in a row. To see the videos, go to the Restoration page of this website. To view the video of the fledlings go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0vvzTluXR4 |
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Septebmer 22, 2009 Upcoming Soil Borings and Treatibility Pilot Test Two projects involving soil borings at the RFS will occur in the next two weeks as described below. All work will be completed with EH&S oversight. 1. Two geotechnical borings for the Hydrogen Fueling Station project will be completed on Thursday September 24, 2009. The borings will be located in the area of the former Helipad to the south of building B420 (Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research center). Soil from the borings will be placed in drums and sampled for waste characterization. The work will take no longer than one day. 2. Beginning the week of September 28 , consultants for CSV at Campus Bay will complete a series of soil borings on the perimeter of the Campus Bay Lot 1 area that was excavated in 2008. Around 75 borings will be made in the Lot 1 area, across South 46th St. and along the east side and to the south east of buidling B478. The purpose of the borings is to complete a pilot treatibility study designed to degrade residual solvents in the soil and groundwater. Many of the borings will be used to inject an environmentally safe compound that promotes activity of soil bacteria to enhance natural degradation of the solvents. Some of the borings will be used to collect groundwater to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment. Around 15 borings will be made on RFS property. For more information see the Treatibility Study Work Plan and Work Notice. |
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April 3, 2009 Final Zeneca Site Public Health Assessment Released by ATSDR and CDPH The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR, a Department of Health & Human Services agency) has released the final Public Health Assessment (PHA) for the former Zeneca/Campus Bay property adjacent to the Richmond Field Station. The report, "Public Health Assessment for Evaluation of Exposure to Contaminants from the Zeneca/Campus Bay Site", dated March 16, 2009, was completed in conjunction with the State of California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The PHA was written to look at possible ways people could come into contact with contaminants from the Zeneca/Campus Bay site, to respond to health concerns related to the site, and to help determine what follow-up activities are needed to reduce or eliminate exposure to contaminants. The PHA includes evaluation of historic conditions beginning in the 1940s, conditions during remedial work from 2002 to 2005, and current conditions. Following are the important findings as they relate to the RFS community:
The UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) communicates frequently with regulatory agencies on the status and activities associated with the former Zeneca site and will continue to provide updates to the RFS Community through this website and by email as new information becomes available. |
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RFS CAG Staff Representative: The RFS CAG staff representative is David Kim. David can be reached by email at davidkim@path.berkeley.edu or by telephone at (510) 665-3513. |
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