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Vallejo council approves residential‑standard PCB cleanup at Mare Island site
Summary
Council voted unanimously to authorize cleaning polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)‑contaminated debris at former Building 571 on North Mare Island to residential standards, accepting an approximately $46,000 premium over industrial remediation given remaining fund balances and the city's prior oversight of the demolition.
The Vallejo City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to move forward with cleaning polychlorinated biphenyl‑contaminated debris at the former Building 571 site on North Mare Island to Department of Toxic Substances Control residential cleanup standards.
The action follows staff reports that PCBs were spread across the site during a demolition the city oversaw. City staff told the council the cleanup had been included in the North Mare Island disposition and development agreement. Staff said a $1 million allocation had been set aside for remediation; after project savings and prior expenditures, the fund balance available for the work is approximately $833,000. Cleaning to residential standards would increase costs by about $46,000 compared with cleaning to industrial standards, staff said.
At the meeting a resident, Daniel Boone, questioned why the city had agreed to perform the cleanup in the original development agreement and whether the developer should pay the incremental cost to reach residential standards. A city staff member said there was a dispute about whether the contract required residential cleanup and that staff had been negotiating with Mare Island Company, but recommended proceeding to residential standards to reduce future liability and allow residential reuse without land‑use covenants.
Council members pressed staff about whether the city could pursue reimbursement from the Navy or contractors. Staff said outside environmental counsel and investigators reviewed available records and found insufficient evidence to pursue contractor insurance claims or Navy reimbursement at this time.
Councilmember Matias, who pulled the item for discussion, framed the vote as taking responsibility for a prior misstep and acting in the public interest. The resolution to proceed with the residential‑standard cleanup passed unanimously.
The city indicated the remediation will be managed to DTSC standards and that further public updates will be provided as cleanup work is scheduled.
