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Grand jury warns groundwater rise could mobilize toxins at Hunters Point; regulators and Navy send written responses but many residents demand independent study
Summary
The civil grand jury found that shallow groundwater rise tied to sea-level rise poses unexamined risks at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and recommended a city-led groundwater-rise study and broader oversight. The Navy and federal regulators submitted written statements; Department of Public Health said it will use the CERCLA five-year review and consider additional expertise.
The San Francisco civil grand jury told the Board of Supervisors' Government Audit and Oversight Committee on Sept. 15 that emerging science on groundwater response to sea-level rise has not been fully integrated into the Superfund cleanup at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.
"Rising groundwater can destroy infrastructure and bring buried poisons into contact with human beings," the jury said in its presentation, noting that Navy groundwater data are limited and not readily usable by outside scientists. The jurors recommended the city commission an independent, in-depth groundwater-rise study and create a committee drawing city expertise into the CERCLA process.
President Walton told…
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