Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City health official updates OCII on Hunters Point remediation amid new allegations about contractor sampling
Summary
Amy Brownell of the San Francisco Department of Public Health briefed the commission on ongoing investigations into alleged falsified radiological sampling by contractor Tetra Tech, emphasized that Parcel A is not implicated per EPA, and told the commission the city will not accept parcel transfers until federal and state regulators and the City confirm cleanup; residents urged 100% cleanup and possible prosecution of contractors.
Amy Brownell, the city’s environmental and engineering technical lead for the Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup, updated the commission on Oct. 4 about the status of remediation and ongoing investigations into contractor sampling practices.
Brownell reviewed the CERCLA-based cleanup framework and listed the federal and state oversight agencies involved — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Regional Water Quality Control Board, and for radiological issues the State Department of Public Health and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) — and explained how new information is incorporated into remediation work plans.
She addressed recent publicity over alleged falsified sampling by the Navy’s contractor Tetra Tech, which regulators uncovered after noticing anomalous data plots. Brownell said investigators found instances where crews used samples from locations known to meet cleanup criteria and labeled them as samples from other locations. The NRC issued a violation and civil penalty over earlier incidents; Brownell said additional, more recent allegations are being reviewed and that the Navy and EPA are investigating the extent and scope and expect to provide a timeframe for resolving the matter.
Brownell emphasized the City’s position that it will not accept land transfers until regulators and the City have confidence in the remedial data and have issued findings of suitability to transfer. She also noted an EPA email clarifying that Parcel A — the hilltop area transferred in 2005 and now developed with housing — is not implicated in the sampling allegations. "We are not gonna accept property until they figure it out and know the extent of it," she told commissioners.
To support the assessment that there is no immediate risk to current tenants and workers in occupied areas, Brownell cited other independent lines of evidence, including a Department of Energy Remote Sensing Laboratory helicopter survey conducted in August 2012 that showed surface measurements at background ranges. Brownell also explained worker protections (dosimeters, controlled work areas and monitoring) and said implicated employees and a supervisor from the earlier incident were removed from the project.
Public commenters and longtime residents reiterated concerns that some areas of the shipyard remain contaminated and urged that cleanup be fully protective; Oscar James urged prosecutors to pursue contractors if they fail to meet cleanup obligations. Brownell and staff repeatedly acknowledged community concerns and said the agencies are coordinating reviews; Brownell noted criminal and civil inquiries are underway and that some investigative details are not public.
What happens next: The Navy, EPA and state agencies will finalize investigative findings and, if needed, corrective action plans. OCII and the Health Department will continue to review regulatory determinations and will not accept affected parcels until regulators sign a finding of suitability to transfer.
