This article was updated to clarify that the information came from a variety of sources and that one of the facilities is in San Pablo.
A Richmond city council member Tuesday shared an update about the Kennedy High chemical testing, including the possibility that it could be coming from a known tetrachloroethylene (PCE) plume at the Miraflores senior housing development about a half a mile away.
But Miraflores isn’t the only known source of the potentially dangerous chemical, according to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). It’s currently investigating five active PCE sources in the city and one in San Pablo.
Council member Sue Wilson sent an email Wednesday morning detailing her conversation with Ian Utz at DTSC and several other sources. The DTSC is the agency that originally ordered the WCCUSD to test the soil at the Kennedy High construction site.
The WCCUSD said soil test results obtained July 31 were positive for PCE and although there is no immediate threat to public health, the district on Monday announced it was shutting the campus down until air testing could be completed. Sources have told Richmondside those test results may not be available until close to the first day of school, Aug. 18, so a town hall meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss the situation.
Kennedy High town hall meeting
What: A presentation by WCCUSD, DTSC and city officials
When: Thur., Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Where: Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza
Details: You can also see it livestreamed via the WCCUSD YouTube channel
Also on Thursday, the Richmond Shoreline Alliance is hosting an in-person discussion of AstraZeneca, a contaminated site near Marina Bay, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Harbor
Master’s Office, 1340 Marina Way South.
The city, out of an “abundance of caution,” also closed the Richmond Swim Center, which is located at the 4300 Cutting Blvd. campus.
In her email, Wilson explains how PCE was commonly used by dry cleaners until 2023 and said the state is addressing 700 PCE contamination cases but expects that number to reach 10,000. The cleanup is complicated, Wilson said, because the “make polluters pay” approach isn’t effective if the offenders are small businesses that cannot afford the fines.
Remediation measures for chemical vapor contaminations entail approaches such as: increasing ventilation; sealing building foundation cracks; using air purifiers; and installing ventilation systems under buildings to prevent vapor-forming chemicals from getting into the indoor air.
“For a longer-term solution, the school board is working to incorporate vapor intrusion prevention into the plans for the Kennedy High buildings that are under construction,” Wilson said.
Miraflores PCE plume: More studies needed
Wilson’s email also discussed the Miraflores PCE plume, which is along Interstate 80 just south of the Macdonald Avenue Target.
The site, once home to the city’s Japanese-American flower growing industry, was contaminated from a dry cleaner. Soil work was completed in the 2010s but further testing is needed as the vapor has traveled southwest several blocks in the shallow groundwater, at least to Wall Avenue, according to a March 2025 community presentation.
The presentation explains how the vapor, a carcinogen that can cause various health problems, depending on the level and length of exposure, can come from the outside air and/or infiltrate buildings through sewer lines and foundation cracks.
Under its Discovery and Enforcement program, the DTSC selected 112 dry-cleaning sites for “Round 1” enforcement efforts — five of those are in Richmond and one is in San Pablo. Investigation work began in 2022 and is expected to be completed this year.
Among the six, one of them, the former Dana Cleaners, was just .7 miles west of Kennedy High at 429 S. 34th St.
Wilson said she was told that officials are investigating whether the PCE in the soil at Kennedy High is part of the same PCE plume that was detected near Miraflores senior housing.
She learned that it’s unclear how cities will fund PCE cleanup efforts, stating that of the DTSC’s 2021 $500 million budget for cleaning up pollution in disadvantaged communities, $152 million was earmarked for investigating PCE contamination. That’s not expected to come close to covering it.
Wilson said she plans to investigate whether the city can file a lawsuit against such chemical manufacturers.
“I want them to pay to clean it up,” she wrote.
Probably trichloroethylene not tetrachloroethylene
PCE is perchloroethylene
Both solvents demyelinate your nerves and turn you into a crazy person — permanently