HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05071991 - S.4 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Contra
FROM:
Supervisor Tom Torlakson
Costa
County
DATE: May 7, 1991 r°sr�coup
SUBJECT: REFER TO ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE THE NEED FOR
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE COUNTY'S ROLE IN COOKS COURT
(OAKLEY). HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Refer to Environmental Affairs
Committee to investigate County's role and involvement in
Cooks Court (Oakley) hazardous waste site. Request an
investigation of the County Health Department's coordination
with the State Health Department with regard to designation
of the site as a "Superfund" site. Request review of
notification procedures, including State notification to
County Health Department and notification to area residents.
Research whether the status of this property was entered
into the County's Land Information System. Research the
role of the Real Estate Agent who handled the sale of the
property after it had been identified as a toxic site, and
determine if requirements for disclosure were handled
properly.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This area had been identified
as containing hazardous levels of lead contamination in
1985 . The property changed ownership in 1987 . The state
did some toxic cleanup in 1989; however, funding ran out and
total cleanup was not completed. The property was fenced
and signage was put in place. In September 1990 the State
resumed cleanup and at that time discovered additional
contamination adjacent to the original site. Notification
to the residents of this area of this additional
contamination was not provided by the State until April
1991 . Some residents claim not to have been notified at
all. An investigation of how .this situation was allowed to
occur should be undertaken immediately and a comprehensive
review of procedures for State-County coordination should be
accomplished to be sure that a situation such as this is not
repeated.}
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: �` YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON May 7, 1991 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT I I IU- ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: Louise. Aiello, CDD ATTESTED ry. X99
Environmental Health PHIL BATC LOR,CLERK OFTHE BOARD OF
County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
BY / . DEPUTY
M382 (10/88)
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`OAKLEY'—''The state health de- ,,.�' ,, r { tt !tat {i ,',u • Jnr
partment madea mistake bY='wait' s "
w °
ing"almost,eight`months'to warn _ tt Homest + ,
some residents here that the ",were
living next to' a hazardous'.waste
site,department officials conceded
y,�,�
� ,�t,aShop'"`; •l ,
this week.
The department discovered kliaz
ardous levels of lead in a vacant lot
behind Gooks Court in early Sep- I
I r t{ i ,It t�lct t Ylt t t1 t {rt�l
tember, but didn't formally notify.
neighborhood residents until April ;t{`' „
' ° +soil samples �
said Jill Singleton,a toxics.special r ;t {,t4 ,i :from the topsa
ist with:the department �� t"' k t `six,nches o!�-I
�,
'The'idepartment; notified.Tony t�!,Y r Yf Yirti t" t earth reu �t�� t
Ratkoyec,resident manager of the.„. n;;t3 .3 t shed �„ concentraon ;
apartments,at Cooks Court,'in Janarage `., tr,. of,lead as;hYgh 4
Singleton said'but,,did not _t r ,i' �'as 8800 Parts t.
make,sure.he told residents. Rat ` Y ;t,r{} „ itt PerMYIlwrjs
iltlhOX IO Ys
kovec,insists that he did ; t ,1�xt;{ {{r �ir� det�ned as 238 '
ni1l ilr � ''t M
But-several residents, including {Y.{'; Y Y rPPM , r
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Patty and Danny'Zuniga Sr.';said_ {;= t- . ,�_. •. • � Hazardous
they never got the message. { ',,, , : r', r` waste Ys�ioo0 3,
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Meanwhile, ,the Zunigas. chil- �Y 4' ,rz{Y {ii'rn e PPM r,
See`COOK, Back Page.
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Daily,Ledger.Post.,Dispatch, SatuF—oruu
rdoy AprI 27"ai99i i3,
`.! W.orse,F the Aepar, ent glias known aboux Ai
Iead 66 tamtnntidh4fi;the general areas -; -
since'4985 That's when`theyfaundout an
I)ati Ledgproftst Dispatch d Oakley preacher;`=R�'DtCaok;'had used
,., w �ti
j.°land next to Cooks Court to,breakapenold
Dean S Lesher H ; t w a �
Publisher Chalrmaneof the Board car batteries and reclaii the lead4u��the
Robert,G.Smith Mark Stafforint ) 19506 and164s;Same of:the lea&got`buried
Geheral Manager Managing.Editor, .`b the lazed;and entually S * d oUt;unta
1 F� , V•v E
Clay Karam �.Tneresa Keegan the"lot"wheretlf ga chddre layed�
Associate Editor Editorial page Editor ` ' u+
The sta o d Coak not to sell4 the, d ,
k ', l K pxrc i As `.` S:
until',' ecnded�whatto doaboutFsthe{co
�c,�• atzan But nt then appaently drop;d;
l�t)Cla1� t e ball �In late Y98? CooVsaldi`the'�land to
ohn".Thomas,who un turnrented itYta Pa
I ickand,SherrieTiazza'and them tlireeF t
� a'th beft$ c ' dren.;One fine day un late`1988; thea n
i `,". a 's front yard,opened'up�lrke;a s' ,hole
1 ,01� , ���� there was.the Lead a" a �
.-i n f e .1. <,. N'�' zi
`Needles a ��t - zzas�`moved
$ C °the.state;ria longer,4able to'duck itsx duties,:?
o ��s da'se. spent a quarter'of a millianydollars;to haul`
hat is it with the leadheads at'the 640°tons of.dirt„fromIhetsite�BufA en mon
state health department?.Why in ; ey from a;statettoxzcxcieanup fund ran out ti„
the world,did it'take them eight, even though�much of tleleadremaned`
months to warn families of an Oakley r Unableto fuiish the kV. the state funally,
F
neighborhood that.their children were play put`up barbedwu�eandwarning signs v
ing near a toxic.time bomb? ;around theproperty .,�four�years after!!
MMCf{NN”"huF
Basically, it•was•an.oversight," a de- t°firq:*found,Aout'%bdut theproblem k i
partment spokeswoman explained. , I,don:t: The_;departmenresuned.woxk,when
have:a.good explanation;" said another. 'It more.money,became available That's
fell through the cracks. wghein>the,newlytazrntedszte was uncovered
Could it be:that the department forgot �''znfSeptemb6r' which brings uskto;ourycur
,y+ fi .stxry,
about this toxicrentsaga ofegoofed '"�{
hot spot be-. '' ,. k ; iw,
cause-the neigh ,. Now the'feneesare going uournd
p,arthe;
Officials 'admit � � Iot+..,here the Zuruga�children=playedAnd��
borhood is poor #
and largely His-`they lineal `. about" '"
stnll�,this land,tlike�the ald battery site, rein
, marns a health hazard, almpst s><xs years a+r,4
panic, with lit• ; ;ax
tee political contamination at,, since the problem fnrst surfaced s
vk, *S'!p.' '
clout? Slte since Sep- (`There is a perception`out+there that ev
Department{ the` ery,time something lik«nithis,,happens nna >x
officials conced tem�3el'. L nicearea'they clean itu7lickety=spilt;"�
ed this week i, sand"Richard Lujan, executive presidenttof
that they blew tl et.UnitedICouncA of, SparuWSpeak g,4
it by waiting almost eight months to warn _, ganizatnozns° ii
residents of Cooks CourtZhat they'were ilv �
• "But'nfizt's a;n nnority�area, they�wnll'
ing near a vacant lot contaminated by drag theirwYfeet,�
lead. The department has now,ordered 'There are twa ways for of f cials}
blood tests for the children of Patty and
Danny Zuniga Sr , who played occasnonall counter this perception:1Wlieri"theyI out
y t.
A Y ,a place has$beempoisoned,�tell�people '
in the;lot e� about it iniimediately � -�
,Lead poisoning can cause brain damage € s
in: . : '', t, . ;And,.when,the timet}opmes¥to,cleanrnt up '
Department officials admit they knew{r' ; they should get
about contamination.at;the site,since Sep- '
tember,but-failed:to notify-the`resident_ ,
manager of,the'Cooks Court-rental'homes
until'3anuary. They didn't get around to
telling everyone else'until'a few weeks'agq. '