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State Water Board staff review UST, site cleanup and DOD programs; GeoTracker and risk tools get upgrades
Summary
Board staff gave an annual update on underground storage tank cleanup, the broader site cleanup and Department of Defense cleanup programs, and GeoTracker data tools. Staff highlighted thousands of closed sites, ongoing PFAS investigations, upgrades to GeoTracker reporting and new risk‑assessment support for community communication.
Sacramento — State Water Resources Control Board program managers updated the board Oct. 7 on three core cleanup programs overseen by the board: underground storage tank (UST) cleanup, the broader site cleanup program (SCP) and Department of Defense (DOD) cleanup sites. Staff summarized caseloads, recent initiatives on PFAS and vapor intrusion, and planned GeoTracker enhancements to speed oversight and public transparency.
Why it matters: Point‑source contamination investigations and cleanups protect drinking water sources and enable safe reuse of properties. Board staff noted that while UST petroleum cases have fallen to a small fraction of historical cases, complex chlorinated solvent plumes and PFAS detections present long‑running technical and funding challenges for cleanup.
What staff told the board - Caseloads: Staff said the board and regional offices collectively manage roughly 7,100 contaminated properties. The UST program has about 42,000 historic cases with roughly 1,300 still open; the site cleanup program has about 15,000 cases with roughly 5,100 open; the DOD program has about 6,000 cases and roughly 1,800 open. Many site cleanup cases are complex and funding‑limited. - PFAS and investigative orders: Beginning in 2019 DWR and the board issued investigative orders to airports, landfills, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), chrome platers and bulk fuel terminals to check for PFAS. Staff said regions have made steady progress, and that the division continues to coordinate with the Division of Drinking Water’s disadvantaged community sampling project. - GeoTracker upgrades: Program staff described new GeoTracker modules: a tank removal/unauthorized release reporting module required for certified unified program agencies starting Jan. 1, 2026; prioritization tools for stalled UST cases; and an incoming interactive map and repository to flag cleanup sites vulnerable to sea‑level rise and groundwater rise. Staff told the board GeoTracker remains the central public data tool for cleanup oversight. - Risk assessment and community engagement: Staff showcased work supporting vapor intrusion evaluations and community risk communication. Senior staff described a case in Orange County in which a multiple‑lines‑of‑evidence human health risk assessment, followed by an in‑person community meeting, helped secure public confidence and enabled case closure activity.
Funding and challenges: Staff said the UST cleanup fund and federal EPA funds have enabled many cleanups, but that costs and workload remain a challenge. The site cleanup program’s subaccount (SCAP) provides limited grants. Staff warned that the UST fund faces long‑term pressure as fuel patterns shift and that chlorinated solvent and PFAS cleanups often require higher cost, long‑term remedies.
Next steps: GeoTracker enhancements, expanded vapor intrusion technical guidance, continued tribal and community engagement, and coordination with DOD and DTSC were listed as priorities for the coming year.
Ending: Board members thanked staff for the overview and emphasized the programs’ importance to environmental justice, local reuse and public health protection.
