Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008

County commits to cleanup of toxic soil

South Merced neighborhood, contaminated decades ago, moves closer to solution

By SCOTT JASON
sjason@mercedsun-star.com

The state water board has ordered Merced County to come up with a long-range schedule to remove cancer-causing chemicals from the soil and groundwater in a South Merced neighborhood.

The county also must hire a toxicologist to evaluate the health risks posed for residents living above the diesel and gasoline-contaminated ground, according to a California Regional Water Quality Board letter the county received Monday.

Decades ago, fuel leaked from underground tanks at a county yard, as well as from the former Leonard Truck Repair site, now Merced Truck & Trailer, leaving petroleum residue and metals in the soil and water. The subterranean pear-shaped plume covers the Canal and Seventh streets area.

"We are sitting on a toxic dump," resident and cleanup activist Ira Jones said. "You track (the dirt) into your homes. The kids play with it."

Jones, who's been pushing the county to remove the contamination, believes that his neighbors have become sick, and perhaps even died, because of the lead, arsenic and other metals found in the ground.

However, county spokeswoman Katie Albertson said there's hasn't been any evidence that the contamination poses health risks for the residents.

Workers will begin removing contaminated topsoil in about two weeks. However, much more work, such as cleaning the groundwater and evaluating the health risks, will need to be done. The entire cleanup project should be done in three to five years, she said.

"We're taking the responsibility for the contamination," she said. "The county is committed to the complete cleanup of the site."

It's spent $140,000 so far in testing and studies, she said. The county plans to apply to the state reimbursements, payments that can go as high as $3 million.

The county's polluting tanks were removed in the mid- to late-1980s, though residents believe they're still buried in the ground because of the concentration of petroleum residue.

The county, unable to produce paperwork to verify the removal, drilled where the tanks would have been and couldn't find evidence they were still there, Albertson said.

The cleanup has remained a contentious issue for residents, who believe the county hasn't been working quickly enough because the neighborhood is on the south side of the railroad tracks, resident and former Merced City Councilman Carl Pollard said.

"They should be looking at the safety issues with the public," he said. "They are supposed to look out for the community -- whether we're rich or poor."

Pollard joined in the cleanup battle while he was campaigning last year and continues to be involved even after losing the election.

"The victory is not until it's cleaned," he said. "I consider it my civic duty to continue on this project."

Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.