HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.a. Receive update on question posed at prior Finance Committee meeting regarding an invoice paid for annual soil cap maintenance Page 1 of 2
Item 4.a.
CENTRAL SAN
May 24, 2022
TO: FINANCE COMMITTEE
FROM: KEVIN MIZUNO, FINANCE MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: PHILIP LEIBER, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER
SUBJECT: RECEIVE UPDATE ON QUESTION POSED ATAPRIL 19, 2022 FINANCE
COMMITTEE MEETING REGARDI NG AN INVOICE PAID FOR ANNUAL
SOIL CAP MAINTENANCE
As part of their review of the Monthly Expenditures packet at the prior month's Finance Committee
Meeting, committee members selected an invoice paid to NRC Environmental Services, Inc. and
requested additional information on the nature of the charges. The invoice (#759898), paid on March 24,
2022, in the amount of $6,457, was for"annual soil cap maintenance" charged to the Central San's
Regulatory Compliance Division. While the invoice outlined the date work was performed (one day) and
separated labor, materials and equipment charges, it did not provide sufficient background information on
why the nature of the issue and why the inspection was needed. Finance inquired with Environmental and
Regulatory Compliance staff and obtained the following additional background on the nature of services
performed and the underlying condition necessitating the contracted inspection and analysis.
In the 1960s, Central San received waste material from Shell to stabilize levees, with most of that material
being spread throughout the treatment plant site at approximately four feet below grade during treatment
plant expansion in the 1970s. The areas with surface exposure included the Surcharge Fill Area and
Basin A South. Several decades later, in the 1990s, Central San entered into a voluntary cleanup
agreement with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and covered the exposed
waste material with a clean soil cap to minimize potential exposure. As a Single Management Waste unit
designated by the DTSC, Central San is required to manage the waste material onsite and the Basin A
South soil cap is inspected routinely throughout the year.
Almost every dry weather season, at least several small (typically <1 foot in diameter) petroleum seeps are
discovered during routine inspections in the soil cap. Staff hires a contractor(in this case NRC
Environmental Services, I nc.)to repair the seeps every year. During the annual seep repairs, the
contractor excavates the petroleum seeps down to one foot below grade, backfills with clean soil, and
compacts as needed. The contractor is also required to develop a Health and Safety Plan, conduct dust
control and ambient air monitoring during excavation, and perform waste characterization testing on the
excavated materials. If hazardous compounds are detected, the contractor will properly transport and
dispose of the hazardous soil in landfills that accept hazardous materials.
The NRC invoice in question is for the 2021 annual petroleum seep repairs in Basin A South. A total of 17
seeps (approximately 37 square feet)were repaired and roughly 1.4 cubic yards of soil was disposed of
as non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste in a Nevada landfill.
May 24, 2022 Regular FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 4 of 172
Page 2 of 2
Strategic Plan Tie-In
GOAL THREE:Fiscal Responsibility
Strategy 2—Ensure integrity and transparency in financial management
May 24, 2022 Regular FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 5 of 172