From 1944 to 1966, chemical companies formulated, packaged, and shipped pesticides, including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dieldrin, in the Lauritzen, Parr and Santa Fe channels of the Richmond Harbor. This left behind a stew of contamination, part of the toxic legacy facing many Richmond neighborhoods.
The amount of chemicals in the harbor, especially Lauritzen Channel, is so high that the site, United Heckathorn — named after one of the chemical companies — was declared a Superfund in 1990, meaning it receives money from the Environmental Protection Agency to be cleaned up. But despite soil dredging in the 1990s, the chemicals remain in the water and fish, which aren’t safe for humans to eat.
On Wednesday, the EPA held a virtual community meeting to explain the site’s history, cleanup efforts to date and to take questions from concerned residents. It was the first of six planned meetings pushed for by local groups to create engagement and transparency as the federal agency plans additional cleanup at the site.
“This is a matter of creating trust, communication and getting an awful lot of questions answered,” said Janet Johnson, a member of the Richmond Shoreline Alliance, which advocates for cleaning up the city’s waterfront. “We’re a frontline community that has always been the last on the list in terms of cleanups.”
Richmond has more than 100 hazardous waste sites and two Superfund sites, In addition to United Heckathorn, there’s the Liquid Gold Oil Corp. Superfund site, a former oil recycling operation at Hoffman Boulevard and South 47th Street. (The EPA is currently reviewing its cleanup of the Liquid Gold site, with a report due in September.)
Cleanup efforts in the harbor took place in 1990 when the EPA dredged and removed an estimated 3,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil at United Heckathorn. It also put in a five-acre reinforced concrete cap on contaminated soil further up from the shoreline. Since then, cleanup of the Parr Channel was determined to have been effective. But samples collected in 2013 and 2016 in the Lauritzen Channel showed concentrations of DDT and dieldrin up to 3,800 times higher than acceptable levels. The contamination was found in sediment, water, mussels and fish, prompting a “Do Not Eat” advisory that still remains in effect.
A 2021 EPA report found that the cleanup has not been “protective of human health” and that a new remedial action will need to be implemented to ensure “protectiveness.” Yet despite these findings, no additional cleanup has been done since the 1990s.
“For many years, no one could get the state or the EPA to pay attention,” said Richmond City Council member Sue Wilson, whose district is located next to the Richmond Harbor. “As a result, people became amateur scientists and started monitoring and tracking levels of contamination. There is an incredible amount of scientific knowledge held by community groups who now have an opportunity to give their input.”
Download the EPA’s Wednesday presentation below
Today Lauritzen Channel houses the Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation, a bulk marine terminal that ships petroleum coke and coal to Japan, Korea and Mexico. That will be phased out by the end of next year, following a settlement between the company and the city of Richmond.
Karen Jurist, an EPA project manager, called United Heckathorn a technically complex site, in part because it’s in an active shipping channel. During work in the ‘90s, cleanup crews were impeded by abandoned pilings, sediment under an old pier and dredge buckets that didn’t have enough teeth to dig into old bay mud, which is more compacted. In addition, discharge from storm drains, groundwater seepage, previously unaddressed shoreline embankments and wood chips from pilings laced with DDT and dieldrin have all contributed to the ongoing high levels of contamination.
Asked why it has taken so long to do additional clean up, Jurist said that the EPA needed to consult with additional experts and do technical reviews before presenting a new solution.
“We want to clean up the site in the most effective way to protect human health and the environment,” she said.
One of the chief concerns for attendees of Wednesday’s meeting is the impact of sea level rise on contaminants. Jurist said that the EPA has considered that and in 2023 completed a climate vulnerability assessment that evaluated how adaptable various treatment technologies are to the impacts of climate change. This included evaluating the capacity of the stormwater system, post storm inspections to make sure the concrete cap covering soil contamination is in place and designing embankments that “consider future sea level rise.”
After completing the new round of meetings, by the end of 2025 the EPA plans to present a feasibility study that includes a proposed cleanup plan. There will then be a public comment period, meaning that work would not start until 2027 at the earliest.
The next community meeting has been scheduled for May 21 and will likely be virtual, although some in-person meetings will also be held. Meetings are also scheduled for June 26 and July 29. Visit the website for further details.
Good report
Thank you Karina!
Lot of old poison around, and Chevron keeps adding more.