Pacific Southwest, Region 9: Superfund
Serving Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and Tribal Nations
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (building 915)
EPA #: CAT080034234
State: California(CA)
County: Santa Clara
City: Sunnyvale
Congressional District: 14
Other Names: AMD 915 Deguine
Bulletin Board
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Description and History
NPL Listing History
NPL Status: Final
Proposed Date: 06/24/88
Final Date: 08/30/90
Deleted Date:
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. manufactures semiconductor and microprocessor devices on this 5 1/2-acre site. Building 915 was built on former agricultural land in 1973. At that time, three underground acid neutralization tanks were installed north of the building. The building's operations also involved underground storage tanks of waste organic solvents. In 1981, the company identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in wells near the building. VOCs are compounds used in many applications, such as dry cleaning, paint stripping, metal plating, and machinery degreasing. High levels of VOCs present in the on-site soils resulted from leaking tanks and spills during solvent handling. This site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Two other NPL sites have contributed to the contaminated groundwater plume: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. and TRW Microwave, Inc. A third facility, Signetics, Inc., has been removed from the NPL, but the potentially responsible parties are required to participate in the cleanup process under Regional Water Quality Control Board Orders. The closest homes are located 400 feet north of the site. There was contamination from the site that had the potential to reach the deep groundwater that supplies municipal wells within three miles of the site. These wells provide drinking water to approximately 200,000 people in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View.
Contaminants and Risks
Contaminated Media
- Groundwater
- Soil and Sludges
Groundwater contains various VOCs. The soil contaminated with organic solvents has been removed. People who come into direct contact with or ingest the contaminated water may be at risk.
Who is Involved
This site is being addressed through Federal, State, and potentially responsible parties' actions
Initial Actions
Immediate Actions: In 1982, Advanced Micro Devices removed approximately 5,600 cubic yards of contaminated soil and a three-tank underground acid neutralization system with a combined capacity of 4,700 gallons. The soil was transported to a federally approved hazardous waste facility. One of the tanks was found to have a hole in its side. Five additional underground storage tanks were removed between 1982 and 1983. Between 1982 and 1983, five groundwater extraction wells and pumps were installed to stop the migration of contaminants off site. Seven more wells were installed between 1983 and 1985 to provide an additional hydraulic barrier to trap the contaminant plume migrating off site. Water from these wells is being treated by an air stripper and carbon adsorption to remove VOCs. In addition, groundwater extracted from 18 other off-site wells, installed as part of the cleanup activities for the other NPL sites in the area, is being treated by the air stripping tower and carbon adsorption at this site. All construction is completed. Groundwater treatment will continue until established goals for the site are met.
Cleanup Ongoing
Entire Site: In 1991, Advanced Micro Devices completed an investigation, under State supervision, to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site. The EPA chose to continue operation of the existing groundwater extraction and treatment system, which treats the water by air stripping and carbon adsorption, until established cleanup levels are met.
Cleanup Results to Date
Construction of all cleanup remedies has been completed. The removal of contaminated soils and tanks and the continued treatment of contaminated groundwater have reduced the potential for exposure to hazardous materials at the Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Building 915) site.
The Third Five Year Review was completed in September 2009 and concluded that:
In the short-term, the institutional controls are preventing exposure to, and the ingestion of, contaminated groundwater. However, for the remedy to be protective in the long term, the feasibility of alternative remedies or improvements to the existing system should be evaluated in order to ensure effective clean-up. Also, a new environmental restriction covenant consistent with current California law should be recorded to ensure long-term protectiveness.
The addendum to the 2009 Five Year Review concluded the remedy is protective as demonstrated by indoor air sampling results from the August 2011 sampling event. The addendum notes that another sampling event should be conducted prior to the next five year review which is due by September 2014.
Potentially Responsible Parties
Potentially responsible parties (PRPs) refers to companies that are potentially responsible for generating, transporting, or disposing of the hazardous waste found at the site.
Online information about the PRPs for the site is not yet available.
Documents and Reports
|  | ||||
| 08/26/91 | Record of Decision: Overall Site | | ||
| | ||||
| 09/29/99 | First Five Year Review: Overall Site | | ||
| 09/30/04 | Second Five-Year Review Report for the Advanced Micro Devices-915 DeGuigne Drive Superfund Site, Sunnyvale, CA | | |||
| 09/30/09 | Third Five Year Review Report | | ||
Public Information Repositories
The public information repositories for the site are at the following locations:
Regional Water Quality Control Board
San Francisco Bay Region
2101 Webster Street, Suite 500
Oakland, CA 94612
The most complete collection of documents is the official EPA site file, maintained at the following location:
Superfund Records Center
Mail Stop SFD-7C
95 Hawthorne Street, Room 403
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 820-4700
Enter main lobby of 75 Hawthorne street, go to 4th floor of South Wing Annex.
Contacts
EPA Site Manager
Mail Code SFD
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
1-800-231-3075
Mail Code SFD
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
EPA Public Information Center
State Contact
1515 Clay Street
Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612
PRP Contact
Community Contact
Other Contacts
After Hours (Emergency Response)