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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 10181988 - S.1 - - - - . _ -_ ._.- _ :_. ---- S. 1 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Supervisor Nancy Fanden Contra l October 11, 1988 for action CoSta -October 18, 1988 DATE: Count/ REQUEST FOR STATUS REPORT ON RECENT J SUBJECT: ACID SPILL AT THE FORMER M9RCITLES POWDER WORKS SPECIFIC REOUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) S BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION REQUEST: That -the Environmental Health Department be requested to furnish the Board of Supervisors with a status report on the recent acid spill that sent a toxic cloud over Hercules and Rodeo. It is further requested that the report cover what the county is contemplating to do about other tanks at the plant that contain potentially hazardous wastes. BACKGROUND: Local residents living near the former Hercules Powder Works Plant were evacuated from the area when an acid spill sent a toxic cloud over the surrounding community. The cause of the spill, as reported in the local press, appears to be the result of an attempted theft or deliberate sabotage. The Hercules police are still investigating the leak. Attached is a copy of the West County Times article, as reported in their Saturday, October 1, 1988, edition. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT:._ YES SIGNATURE: ACTION OF BOARD ON - October 18, 1988 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER X_ while considering the above request, the Chairman recognized the following person to speak: Liz Starkey, 602-4 Nike, Hercules, representing Friends of the Red Tail Hawks, thanked Supervisor Fanden for placing this request before the Board and in addition to the questions listed on Attachment 1, presented two additional questions to be addressed in the status report from the Environmental Health Department: 9. Is Hercules Properties going to be required to file a business plan? 10. Are they going to be fined for the time that they did not have their business plan on file? Therefore, IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the Health Services Director is REQUESTED to report on the recent acid spill in Hercules/Rodeo area and the proposed safety measures relative to hazardous wastes stored in tanks at the former Hercules Powder Works Plant as requested above, and to respond to questions submitted by the Friends of the Red Tail Hawks on Attachment 1 and the two additional questions listed herein. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT II 3 I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. mac:: Health Services DirectorATTESTED October 18, 1988 Environmental Health 'Pfiil-Batchelor, C!Prk of the Board of County Administrator Supervisors and Gounty Administrator M3e2/7-03 BY DEPUTY 2Q—West county Times Saturday.October 1,1988 Cleanup of acrd spillway under at powder plant . . By Michael Hytha ist Bruce Benike. Starr writer The solutions may contain haz- HERCULES—Cleanup work be- ardous impurities that might require gan Friday at the former Hercules the remaining waste liquid to Abe Powder Works following an acid trucked to a toxic waste dump, said spill that sent a toxic cloud over Stewart.Benike said that possibility, `Hercules and Rodeo earlier this which would be much more expon-• week. sive, is unlikely. A company hired by Hercules Properties Inc., owner of the 167- Benike said the neutralization acre plant at the end of Railroad Av- Process should be completed within enue, neutralized acid caught in a a week. Cleaning up the contami-. concrete sump and scraped up soil nated•soil is a higher"priority,,he. near the two tanks that leaked sev- said. eral hundred gallons of nitric acid "We're pushing them to cleanup Tuesday afternoon. The work will the spill immediately," Benike said. i continue over the weekend. "As far as neutralizing the acid (in The company, Thorne Environ- the tanks), we're pushing them to , mental of Hercules,has also devised do it, but it's not a problem if it a plan for neutralizing the remain- takes a week or so." ing acid in the two tanks so it can Benike said the county is also be disposed of, said Tom Stewart, contemplating what to do about oth- spokesman for Hercules Properties. er tanks at the former dynamite That process,which has been ap- plant that contain potentially haz- proved by the county Environmental ardous wastes. Health Department, is set to begin The caustic wastes in three tanks Monday. The plan calls for mixing should be taken care of by mining the roughly 3,000 gallons of nitric them with the acid, Benike said. acid remaining in the tanks with However, there is also at least one caustic solutions in tanks elsewhere tank containing an ammonia solu- on the site. tion and another containing acid The acid and alkaline solutions sludge. There are also compressed will neutralize each other, possibly gas cylinders.that may pose a dan- allowing the mixture to be disposed ger. of through the sewer system, said Hercules police are still investi- county occupational health special- gating the cause of the leak:_ TO: �w BOARD OF ,SUPERVISORS FRo" '. Contra Supervisor Nancy Fanden Costa DATE: October 18, 1988 County ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR STATUS REPORT ON SUBJECT: ACID SPILL AT THE HERCULES POWDER WORKS SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION REQUEST: Liz Starkey, a representative of the "Friends of the Red Tailed Hawk, " has requested that the following comments be incorporated and addressed in the request for a status report on the recent acid spill at the former Hercules powder works . County Issues: 1) Is there a "City/County Agreement for Hazardous Materials Incident Response" signed with the City of Hercules? 2) County Health Services Dept. is responsible for "safe- guarding the public health and the environment from the impacts of hazardous material incidents. " 3 ) County D.A. is required to investigate hazardous incidents, including illegal storage. 4) Has a "Hazardous Material Inspection Program/Plan" been prepared? 5) In the Program/Plan, is the Health Services Dept. re- quired to inspect properties to identify problem properties or City Fire Dept. ? 6) Was HPI notified by County Health Services Dept. to dis- close hazardous products and to prepare a "Hazardous Material Business Plan"? 7 ) Has Health Services Dept. determined that the cleanup is now complete? 8) Did State Dept. of Health Services approve removal of hazardous material? ATTACHMENT 1 CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: