SR-05-13-2014-3BCity of
City Council Report
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: May 13, 2014
Agenda Item: �3—B
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Manager, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Case Closure of Environmental Clean -Up Activities at the Municipal Bus
Lines Yard
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a Covenant and Environmental Restriction on Property (Covenant) with the
California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region (Board) in order
to close the low- threat underground storage tank case located at the Municipal Bus Line
(BBB) yard.
Executive Summary
The Santa Monica BBB site located at 1620 Sixth Street has been the subject of soil
and groundwater assessments and various remediation activities since 1987 due to
petroleum contamination from various piping leaks and spills from the operation of
storm water clarifiers, oil -water separators, and underground storage tanks. Since the
identification of these contaminants, the City has conducted extensive investigation,
assessment, monitoring, and remediation of the soil and groundwater at the site.
On March 22, 2013, the City submitted a low- threat underground storage tank closure
request to the Board. On January 21, 2014 the Board responded that a Covenant and
Environmental Restriction was required to be recorded for that portion of the BBB yards
where free product in the groundwater continues to persist. The identified portion of
Assessor Parcel No. 4290- 010 -906 would have a land use restriction (LUR) attached to
it stating that no residential, hospital, school, child or community care uses can be built
on that parcel in the future unless a variance is granted by the Board or the Covenant is
terminated.
The intent of the Covenant is to protect the present and future public health and safety,
and the environment from the hazardous materials remaining on site. The remainder of
the site has no land use restrictions. The City would no longer be required to conduct
periodic environmental monitoring and reporting to the Board for the site. In order to
close the site the City would need to remove the remaining groundwater monitoring
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wells and submit a final closure report. Site closure would result in savings of
approximately $149,000 per year.
Background
Since discovering soil and groundwater free product at the BBB yards the City has had
to sample a network of groundwater monitoring wells at the site and submit routine
reports describing the progress being made towards remediation. The City has reached
significant milestones towards eliminating levels of free product in the soil and lowering
the presence of free product in the groundwater through extensive remediation and
clean -up. The presence of free product in the groundwater is at a point where it no
longer presents a significant threat to human health or the environment.
Attachment A to this report is a site map showing the property boundary of the BBB
yards, the burdened property related to the covenant and LUR, and the panhandle
portion of parcel 4290 - 010 -906 excluded in the covenant and LUR.
History of Monitoring and Clean -Up Activities
Since 1987, the City has conducted extensive soil and groundwater investigations and
cleanup activities at the BBB yard. Thirty -one groundwater monitoring wells were
originally installed to monitor the groundwater beneath the entire site. The remedial
systems included a free - product and groundwater extraction system, an air /ozone-
sparging (injection) system, and a mobile dual -phase extraction system. Since 2001
approximately 250 gallons of free product (diesel petroleum hydrocarbons) were
removed through these remedial systems. Soil sampling in 2006 confirmed that free
product in the vadose zone (area between top of the ground surface and water table)
was mitigated. In 2009, 20 groundwater wells were abandoned and removed from the
Big Blue Bus property because of development at the site. Due to a persistent sheen of
diesel in one of the monitoring wells located in parcel number 4290 - 010 -906
surrounding the former water clarifier the Board required the City to continue with its
groundwater monitoring and cleanup activities. In 2012, the City conducted two rounds
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of chemical oxidant injection through five injection points into the groundwater
surrounding the former clarifier in an attempt to eliminate the thin sheen of petroleum
hydrocarbons. This process was unable to remove the remaining sheen which ranges
in thickness between 0.01 and 0.03 feet. After determining that there are no other
reasonable remedial actions that can be performed to eliminate this remaining thin layer
of petroleum hydrocarbon the City submitted a request for closure to the Board for the
BBB site.
Discussion
Terms of Covenant and Environmental Restrictions on the Property
The Board has agreed to close all parcels other than 4290 -010 -906 without
restriction. Parcel 4290 - 010 -906 would have a land use restriction (LUR) attached to it
stating that no residential, hospital, school, child or community care uses can be built on
that parcel in the future unless a variance is granted by the Board or the Covenant is
terminated. The Board has also agreed to exempt the "panhandle" of that parcel, which
extends southeast beneath a portion of the SWASHLOCK facility along Olympic, from
the LUR (see site map in attachment A). Therefore the existing housing use and any
future development or renovation of that portion of the site will not be affected by the
LUR. Once closure is granted, the City will no longer have to conduct periodic
groundwater monitoring on the entire site and can abandon all of the remaining
monitoring wells. And as there are no restrictions on the remainder of the site, it could
be potentially developed in the future per the Downtown Specific Plan.
The purpose of the Covenant is to protect present and future public health and safety
and the environment from low- levels of gasoline, diesel, and methyl tertiary butyl ether
(MTBE) in the groundwater. The covenant permits the City to develop the parcel
identified in the covenant with industrial, commercial and /or office space. The following
types of development will not be permitted under the Covenant:
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a. Residences for human habitation;
b. Hospitals;
c. Public or private schools for persons under 21 years of age;
d. Care community centers for children or senior citizens, or other uses that
would involve the regular congregation of children or senior citizens.
The Covenant requires the Board to approve any excavation permits planned within
parcel 4290 - 010 -906 along with an appropriate and fully implemented Health and Safety
Plan for any excavation conducted. In addition the City would not be permitted to drill,
bore, otherwise construct or use a well for the purpose of extracting water for any use.
If the site is ever leased or sold any agreement must state that the land contains free
product in soils and in the groundwater under the property, and must refer to the
Covenant and Environmental Restriction on the property.
Staff does not anticipate any future development of housing on parcel 4290 - 010 -906.
This Covenant does not place any development restrictions on the remaining property
located at the BBB site, thus allowing the City to proceed with any potential
developments identified in the Downtown Specific Plan.
Timeline for closinq the site
On June 25, 2013, Council authorized continuing the contract service agreement with
ICF Consulting (8913), in an amount not to exceed $185,000, to complete the activities
associated with closing the BBB site. It will take ICF approximately three to six months
to remove the remaining monitoring wells and submit a final closure report to the Board.
Once the closure activities have been completed the City will no longer require the
services of a consultant for environmental assessment, remediation, or monitoring at
the BBB site.
rd
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action. Site closure would result in savings of approximately $149,000
per year for the BBB site.
Prepared by: James Velez- Conway, Senior Sustainability Analyst
Approved:
Dean Kubani
Manager, Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
Attachment
A. Site Map
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Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
T:- "z-'-, 5 ° b
Delineation of Burdened Property
Big Blue Bus Facility
1620 6" Street
Santa Monica, CA
Reference:
Covenant No. 9898 (CCS)