South Bay Asbestos Area

Description and History

The 550-acre South Bay Asbestos Area site is located on the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay. Portions of the site served as dumping areas for over 30 years. Three landfills located within the site boundaries (the Santos Landfill, the Leslie Salt Landfill, and the Sainte Claire Corporation Landfill) received asbestos wastes from an asbestos-cement pipe manufacturing plant, located 4 miles south of the site, that operated from 1953 until 1982. Residents reportedly used waste asbestos pipe to drain excess water from their properties before curbs and gutters were installed. Several areas may have been filled with asbestos-containing soils transported in by residents to raise the elevation of their property and to improve flood protection. As a result of heavy rains in 1983, Coyote Creek flooded the site. The City of San Jose built a levee around the town to pump out the floodwater. The levee material was taken from the Raisch Quarry in southern San Jose and was later found to contain asbestos. Asbestos also was found in the Guadalupe River levee, the ring levee, and in surface soils around the town. Approximately 1,700 people live in Alviso. Most water is provided to South Bay residents through public supply systems that draw groundwater from the deep aquifer. The majority of private wells draw water from the less-protected shallow aquifer. The ring levee lies within the 100-year flood plain of the Guadalupe River and was built on portions of wetland areas adjacent to Alviso. The levee also abuts wetland areas next to a National Wildlife Refuge.

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Contaminants and Risks

Past studies indicated that the air was polluted with asbestos due to the disturbance of asbestos-contaminated soils, caused primarily by heavy truck traffic. Groundwater in the shallow aquifer contains asbestos. Site soils are contaminated with asbestos. The wetland areas adjacent to Alviso have been threatened. The greatest health threat to people is the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers. Once asbestos fibers enter the lungs, the fibers can be trapped in the body. Asbestos fibers also may be ingested through contaminated food and water.

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Who is Involved

This site is being addressed through Federal, municipal, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

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Investigation and Cleanup Activities

This site is being addressed in three stages: initial actions and two long-term remedial phases focusing on cleanup of the entire site and of the ring levee.

Initial Actions: In 1983, the Santa Clara Valley Water District removed asbestos wastes from the Guadalupe River levee. From 1986 to 1987, the EPA paved a lot at the George Mayne School and an unpaved portion of Spreckles Avenue, removed a debris pile and stabilized a trail at the Environmental Education Center, and applied polymer sealant to the ring levee. The levee since has been sprayed annually by the City of San Jose. In 1992 and 1993, the levee was sprayed twice a year. The asbestos contaminated ring levee was removed in 1993.

Entire Site: The final cleanup remedies selected to address contamination of the entire site include paving the asbestos-contaminated truck and industrial yards, wet-sweeping Alviso streets monthly, removing asbestos debris, installing landfill covers, implementing deed restrictions, and maintaining and monitoring the site. The design of the cleanup technologies was completed in 1992. Four truck yards have since been paved, and maintenance inspections and repairs take place on an annual basis. An ambient air study for asbestos was conducted in 1994 to assess the effectiveness of these cleanup efforts. Results of the study showed that there was no significant adverse health threat to the residents of Alviso due to asbestos fibers in the air. All construction was completed in 1993. Landfill covers meet applicable clean soil cover requirements, and deed restrictions will be implemented during 1997 to control site property use. The City of San Jose is wet-sweeping the streets on a monthly basis.

Ring Levee: The EPA had decided to build a vegetated soil cover to address the asbestos-contaminated ring levee. However, this remedy was revised via a Consent Decree signed in 1990 requiring the City to remove the contaminated levee and restore the wetlands after an alternate flood control project is devised and in place. The flood control project, which was completed in late 1995, includes Coyote Creek channel improvements. The asbestos-contaminated ring levee was removed in 1993 and replaced with a levee made with clean soil. The removal of the levee and the wetlands restoration are scheduled to take place by early 1997.

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Cleanup Results to Date

Removing asbestos wastes, paving of the lots, and removing the asbestos-contaminated ring levee have reduced the potential of exposure to contaminated materials at the South Bay Asbestos Area site.

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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.

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Documents and Reports

Administrative Records
		Removal AR
Fact Sheets
	12/01/05	Five-Year Review Completed
	07/01/07	EPA WILL CONDUCT ADDITIONAL ASBESTOS SAMPLING

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Community Involvement

Public Meetings:

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Public Information Repositories

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Additional Links

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Contacts

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