The Richmond Shoreline Alliance is holding an online meeting on Tue., July 8, to discuss the status of environmental cleanup efforts at the former Zeneca site, a part of south Richmond’s shoreline contaminated with pesticides and other dangerous substances.
Martin Hamann, the group’s independent technical expert specializing in soil, soil vapor, and groundwater contamination, will present an analysis of the site’s cleanup so far. Hamann’s work has been made possible via the alliance’s Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, said a news tip sent to Richmondside by Janet Johnson, co-chair of the Richmond Shoreline Alliance.
Johnson said Hamann will provide:
- An analysis of existing contamination issues;
- An assessment of cleanup strategies;
- An evaluation of what methods are proving effective; and
- A critical examination of approaches that are falling short.
If you go
What: Richmond Shoreline Alliance is holding a meeting about former Zeneca site.
When: Tue., July 8, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Via Zoom. Registration is required.
Details: Martin Hamann, an independent technical expert specializing in soil, soil vapor, and groundwater contamination, will present an analysis of the site’s cleanup progress.
The property sits directly across the water from Costco, 2.5 miles from the Point Isabel dog park, and stretches alongside the popular San Francisco Bay Trail, where bicylists and pedestrians enjoy San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge views. In 2020, the Richmond City Council approved plans to build up to 4,000 units of housing on the site.
The list of toxic substances disposed of or buried there over the past 100 years hits just about every letter in the alphabet: Arsenic, mercury, radium, uranium, DDT and benzene are just a few of the nearly 100 metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds and other substances buried beneath a barrier of thin cellulose and fibers that is topped off with a cement cap.
This barrier was intended to be temporary, critics say, while the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has said that it is adequate.
The site is known by the name of the last chemical manufacturer to operate there — Zeneca Inc. — which occupied it for much of the ‘80s and ‘90s, but the list of responsible polluters dates back a century, including Ford and the Stauffer Chemical Company. Zeneca later merged with the Swedish pharmaceutical company Astra to form AstraZeneca, and the site was sold to a developer, HRP Campus Bay Property, LLC, in 2021.
