EPA Progress Report 2006
Pacific Southwest Region
f/EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Pacific Southwest/Region 9
EPA-909-R-06-001
-------
Dear Readers,
Last December we marked EPA's 35th year of protecting public health and the environment.
With our state and tribal partners we have made great progress in these three and a half de-
cades. Our air, waters and land are much cleaner than in 1970. These gains have occurred at
the same time that our population has nearly doubled, miles traveled have nearly tripled and
the region has become an economic hub for much of the country.
This year's report offers many examples of how we have managed to align our needs for
prosperity and environmental quality. It also shows the power of partnership, stewardship,
collaboration, innovation and fair enforcement, focused on environmental results. Partnership
dominated our work in 2006. More than half our annual budget went to support the environ-
mental and public health work of states, tribes, local governments and non-governmental or-
ganizations. Building and supporting the capacity of others and leveraging their unique talents
has enabled us to multiply necessary and durable benefits.
Voluntary effort and creative thinking were the trademarks of the West Coast Collaborative,
and moved us significantly ahead in dealing with one of the region's worst air quality issues—
diesel pollution. Our collaboration with agriculture is moving this important community to
sustainability, as seen in the partnership to utilize new technologies to manage dairy manure.
Reaching across borders, our work with Mexico is creating much-needed infrastructure in
remote communities and eliminating significant public health threats.
On a broader stage, we have begun work with China's State Environmental Protection Agency
to speed the pace at which they will be able to manage the pollution consequences of rapid
growth. The benefits will be felt in our own environment as well as theirs. Closer to home,
many employees of EPA's regional office went to the Gulf Coast to help the federal response
to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Their work showed that our disaster preparedness work pays
off in being able to respond effectively to major catastrophes.
Again this year our enforcement program secured significant commitments to on-the-ground
improvements with big public health benefits, such as major sewer system work in southern
California. In addition, many settling parties undertook supplementary environmental projects,
bringing vital benefits like emergency equipment or access to safe drinking water to local
communities. Under our Superfund program, responsible parties committed more than $100
million to make progress in cleaning up some of the biggest and toughest toxic waste sites in
the country.
As we move forward, we will continue to emphasize partnerships, collaboration, innova-
tion and environmental results in maintaining our steadfast commitment to environmental
protection.
Wayne Nastri
Regional Administrator
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
-------
Contents
Clean Air
Clean Water
Clean Land
8
14
Communities and Ecosystems
Compliance and Stewardship
Responding to Katrina
EPA Field Offices
20
26
32
35
Contact Information
Inside Back Cover
This report is also available on the Internet at www.epa.gov/region09/annualreport
Cover photos of sunrise over Phoenix, Mt. Shasta, and Sonoma vineyards by Dale Mead.
-------
Urban Areas Attain
Clean Air Standards
Phoenix Area Breathing Easier
The best news for the 3.5 million people in the
Phoenix metropolitan area is in the air: it's cleaner.
Last year, EPA redesignated the Phoenix area
(shown above) to attainment of the national health
standards for carbon monoxide (CO) and the one-
hour ozone (smog) standard. The area is close to
attaining, but has not yet attained, the new eight-
hour standard for ozone. Phoenix is the most
recent major urban area in the U.S. to attain the
CO standard. The area had been classified as a
"serious non-attainment" area for both CO and
ozone.
EPA also approved the Phoenix area's mainte-
nance plans for CO and ozone, which lay out spe-
cific pollution control measures intended to keep
the air clean despite anticipated urban growth.
The work that the Phoenix area has done to
achieve the one-hour ozone standard will support
future efforts as the Phoenix air quality agencies
begin work on the eight-hour ozone plan.
Despite these air quality gains, Phoenix residents
still experience the city's "brown cloud" in fall and
winter. The urban haze issue is primarily caused
by finer particulates resulting from combustion
and motor vehicle sources. In addition, the Phoe-
nix area has not attained the health standard for
particulate matter, or PM10. The "brown cloud" re-
mains a challenge for the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality, the Maricopa Association
of Governments and the new Maricopa County
Air Quality Department and will be the focus of air
quality activities during the coming year.
In the meantime, the Maricopa County Air Qual-
ity Department and EPA have been aggressively
enforcing rules that minimize dust. Among them
C
lean Air
-------
Unhealthy Air Days in Las Vegas
PM., Exceedances
'97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05
Graph shows the number of days each year that
participate pollution (PM10) in the Las Vegas area
exceeded the national health standard.
is a new county regulation, which took effect in
2005, that reduces dust from sand and gravel op-
erations in the Phoenix area by an estimated 183
tons per year.
Cleaner Air in Las Vegas
and Reno Areas in Nevada
Nevada has also seen major gains in air quality
in the last several years. Clark County (the Las
Vegas area) went from eight days exceeding the
PM10 health standard in 2002 to zero in 2004,
thanks to dust-control measures in the county's
EPA-approved particulate pollution control plan.
Last year, EPA made a finding of attainment for
Clark County for carbon monoxide (CO), since the
area has been consistently meeting the CO health
standard.
EPA also made a finding of attainment for Wash-
oe County (the Reno area) in northern Nevada
for both the CO and the one-hour ozone health
standards. Together, the Reno and Las Vegas ar-
eas have a population of more than two million
people, the vast majority of Nevada's population.
New PM2 5 Standard Poses Challenges
In 2005, the new national health standard for fine
particulate pollution—PM25—took effect. PM25
is made up of very fine particles of sulfates, ni-
trates and carbon compounds that can lodge
deeply in the lungs, causing a myriad of respira-
tory and heart health problems. The particles can
be emitted directly from combustion or can form
from chemical reactions in the air. These chemi-
cal precursors come from a variety of sources,
including cars, trucks, buses, construction equip-
ment, industrial facilities and power plants. In the
Pacific Southwest Region, only the San Joaquin
Valley and the Los Angeles area failed to meet the
standard.
In California, PM25 tends to be higher in the fall
and winter because nitrates form more readily
in cooler weather and because increased use of
wood stoves and fireplaces produces more car-
bon. This is especially true in the San Joaquin
Valley, where PM25 reaches unhealthy levels dur-
ing the fall and winter. In the Los Angeles area,
by contrast, PM25 pollution can reach unhealthy
levels at any time of year because the huge num-
ber of motor vehicles there emit PM2 5 year-round.
The area reduced its PM25 pollution by 16% last
year, but it was not enough to meet the health
standard.
San Joaquin Valley
Makes Progress
Air quality in the San Joaquin Valley is improving.
Most PM10 monitors within the valley are show-
ing attainment with the PM standard. For ozone,
the valley's air worsened in 2001 -2003, reaching
a peak of 134 days of unhealthy air in 2003. By
2005, however, the number of unhealthy smog
days had fallen to 72.
Unhealthy Air Days in San Joaquin Valley
Ozone Exceedances
8-hour Standard
\
'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05
PM,n Exceedances
a 10
CO
'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05
Graphs show the number of
days each year that ozone
(smog) and particulate
pollution (PM10) in the San
Joaquin Valley exceeded
national heath standards.
3
-------
Top: Sunflowers at Red Rock
Ranch near Fresno, Calif.
Bottom: John Diener, owner
of Red Rock Ranch, with
oil press he uses to make
biodiesel fuel from sunflower
and safflower seeds.
Significant progress in reducing participate pollu-
tion can be attributed to the San Joaquin Valley
Unified Air Pollution Control District's Conserva-
tion Management Practices Program, which re-
quires farmers with 100 acres or more of contigu-
ous land to use crop-specific methods of reducing
particulate emissions. Farmers were required to
implement their pollution prevention measures by
July 1, 2004, and submit their measures to the air
district in permit applications by the end of 2004.
The air district received 6,400 applications cover-
ing 3.2 million acres of farmland.
To help further reduce the valley's air pollution,
EPA has funded two demonstration projects as
part of the West Coast Diesel Collaborative. EPA
has provided $100,000, and other Collaborative
partners $160,000, to the valley-based nonprofit
Sustainable Conservation to demonstrate the
farm-scale use of biodiesel and to test a fuel ad-
ditive that can reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
The additive is made from plant-based oils, such
as sunflower oil. The project will measure reduc-
tions in emissions of nitrogen oxides, CO, particu-
lates, hydrocarbons, and sulfur dioxide.
EPA is also providing $50,000 to Gal State Uni-
versity-Fresno's Center for Irrigation Technology
(with $25,000 in matching funds from partners)
for low-cost irrigation pump efficiency tests, ret-
rofit research, and rebates for retrofit and repair of
inefficient pumps. This project alone is expected
to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the valley by
nearly 20 tons a year. Both demonstration proj-
ects also benefit farms and the environment by
reducing energy costs and greenhouse gases,
and providing new markets for crops that can be
turned into biodiesel.
West Coast Diesel
Collaborative Update
Reducing Diesel Emissions in
the Sacramento Area
In 2004, EPA convened the West Coast Diesel
Collaborative, an alliance of more than 60 federal,
state, and local government agencies, as well as
nonprofit and business partners working together
to reduce diesel emissions from Baja California to
British Columbia. Since the Collaborative's launch
in September 2004, it has funded 28 separate
diesel emissions reduction projects with nearly
$2.5 million in EPA grants and more than $15 mil-
lion in matching funds from other partners.
The Collaborative is part of EPA's nationwide
Clean Diesel Campaign to reduce millions of
tons of diesel air pollution, prevent approximately
21,000 premature deaths and eliminate hundreds
of thousands of respiratory illnesses every year.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson traveled to
West Sacramento, Calif., on August 22, 2005, to
announce the latest $1.4 million in diesel grants.
"The public-private partnership of the West Coast
Collaborative will yield immediate reductions in
existing diesel fleet emissions and advance our
progress toward cleaner air in our cities, ports and
farmland," said Johnson.
The first of these grants, for $211,000, was pre-
sented to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality
Management District for a construction equipment
retrofit demonstration project. Another $774,000
in matching funds is being provided from Collab-
orative partners.
4
-------
The project is measuring the results of the retro-
fit technology in reducing particulate matter and
other air emissions. Once the data are verified,
this technology will be eligible under other grant
and retrofit programs to be installed on a wide va-
riety of diesel fueled vehicles.
Earlier in the year, EPA Regional Administrator
Wayne Nastri joined CalTrans and Amtrak offi-
cials in presenting the Sacramento air district a
$150,000 EPA grant to reduce diesel pollution
from locomotives that move commuter trains
between Sacramento and Oakland. The Cleaire
emission control systems installed on two loco-
motives in this pilot project filter particulates and
transform additional pollutants into harmless
compounds.
"This voluntary project reduces the risk from air
pollution for nearly 20,000 residents who live
along this vital train corridor," explained Nastri. "It
means that the air district will be able to take 220
tons of diesel air pollution out of the air, a signifi-
cant air pollution reduction."
EPA is funding a demonstration project using dif-
ferent technology to reduce diesel emissions from
the Roseville Rail Yard in Placer County, just east
of Sacramento. In rail yards, switching locomo-
tives idle constantly when they're not moving rail
cars around—creating air pollution constantly.
The technology used here is a smokestack emis-
sion scrubbing system used in factories. The
emissions will be captured by placing a hood over
the exhaust stacks of the locomotives while they
are being serviced.
This project, supported by a $39,000 EPA grant
and $100,000 from the Placer County Air Pollu-
tion Control District and other Collaborative part-
ners, is expected to reduce the rail yard's nitrogen
oxide emissions by over 100 tons per year, and
particulates by more than two tons per year.
Container cranes at Port of Long Beach, Calif. Diesel
powered ships, trucks, and freight-moving vehicles at
ports are a major source of air pollution.
Ports of Los Angeles and Long
Beach Focus on Diesel Emissions
After decades of aggressive air pollution control
measures in the Los Angeles Basin, the region's
air is dramatically cleaner, though it still fails to
meet national health standards. The ports of Los
Angeles and Long Beach handle one-third of the
entire nation's container cargo. The ports, with
their ships, trucks and freight-moving vehicles,
are among the basin's largest sources of air pol-
lution. Container traffic through these two ports
is projected to quadruple over the next 20 years,
presenting an opportunity to improve air quality as
older diesel equipment is replaced with cleaner-
burning engines.
EPA was an active participant in a Port of Los
Angeles task force dedicated to ensuring that
there will be no net increase in air pollution from
the port's operations as they expand in the years
ahead. The Port of Long Beach has adopted a
"Green Port Policy" with similar goals. EPA has
provided a $100,000 grant to the South Coast
Air Quality Management District, with more than
$2.1 million in matching funds, to retrofit a loco-
motive servicing the two ports to operate primar-
ily on cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas. This
project is projected to cut annual emissions of
smog-forming nitrogen oxides by about 17 tons,
and particulates by 860 pounds.
EPA has also provided a $75,000 grant to the
Port of Long Beach, with $525,000 in match-
ing funds from other partners, to retrofit three
yard hostlers with liquefied natural gas engines,
and compare their power and effectiveness with
equivalent diesel-powered freight moving vehicles
over a six-month period. The goal is to cut the
yard hostlers' nitrogen oxide emissions by 63%,
and particulates by 80%.
EPA Administrator Stephen
L. Johnson announced $1.4
million in grants aimed at
curbing diesel pollution
as part of the West Coast
Collaborative.
5
-------
Between 2001 and 2004,
Nevada's biggest gold mines
reduced their emissions of
toxic mercury vapors by 82%.
EPA has even put part of a company's air pollu-
tion penalty to work reducing the port's air emis-
sions. As part of a $900,000 legal settlement with
EPA, the ARCO Terminal Services Corp. agreed
to spend $675,000 on a project to demonstrate a
new emissions control technology for rubber-tired
gantry cranes at the Port of Long Beach.
Diesel Collaborative Extended to Hawaii
In November 2005, EPA awarded a $135,000
grant to the American Lung Association of Hawaii
to replace older, dirtier diesel construction equip-
ment engines with newer, cleaner engines to re-
duce air pollution on Oahu and Kauai. The grant
marked Hawaii's first participation in the West
Coast Diesel Collaborative.
The Grace Pacific Corporation will contribute
$592,200 for the project. Grace Pacific employs
numerous diesel-powered vehicles in its quarries
on Oahu and Kauai.
Turning Crops, Restaurant
Waste into Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a sustainable fuel source that reduces
emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydro-
carbons, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide.
Its use can improve air quality and help reduce
dependence on limited energy resources and
imports.
In May 2005, EPA awarded a $75,000 grant to
a group of nonprofit, business and government
organizations in Santa Cruz, Calif., to fund an in-
novative project to convert restaurant wastes into
biodiesel fuel for area transit systems.
The project hopes to demonstrate the economic
viability of a community-based biodiesel collec-
Reduction in Mercury Air Emissions
Reported by Members of the Voluntary Mercury Reduction Program (VMRP)
25,000-
I
1 20,000-
15,000-
10,000-
5,000-
2001 baseline 2002
2003
2004
Year
tion, production and distribution chain using lo-
cally-generated waste vegetable oil.
Partnerships
Nevada Cuts Mercury Air Emissions
by Building on Voluntary Program
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
(NDEP) will require mercury air emission controls
at precious-metal mining facilities through a new
mercury air emissions control permitting program.
The new state permit requirement will apply to
precious-metals mining facilities that process
mercury-containing ore and use thermal treat-
ment processes that have the potential for emit-
ting mercury into the atmosphere.
This state regulatory program will build on the suc-
cess of the EPA/NDEP Voluntary Mercury Reduc-
tion Program for Nevada gold mines that reduced
annual mercury air emissions from 21,098 to
3,755 pounds between 2001 and 2004, an 82%
reduction in just three years. The state program
will include mandatory monitoring, record keeping
and reporting requirements, and improved and
additional mercury air emission controls.
West Oakland Toxics
Reduction Collaborative
In April 2005, EPA staff and community members
of the West Oakland Environmental Indicator Proj-
ect convened the West Oakland Toxics Reduction
Collaborative in Oakland, Calif. West Oakland has
high levels of air pollution because the freeways
that pass through it are adjacent to the Port of
Oakland, where diesel-powered trucks, trains,
and ships are constantly loading and unloading.
About 50 stakeholders are involved, including
community groups and residents, industry, gov-
ernment, elected officials, and nonprofits focused
on environmental justice and community health.
The collaborative is putting together a diesel re-
duction action plan, expected to be completed by
mid-2006.
Tucson Community Air Toxics Project
EPA awarded a $60,920 grant to Arizona's So-
nora Environmental Research Institute (SERI) for a
community-based air toxics project in the south-
ern metropolitan Tucson area and the nearby
communities of Sunflower/Continental and Rillito.
Goals include identifying localized air toxics hot
spots and sources, engaging local residents in
improving air quality, and approaching industry
sectors to achieve voluntary emission reductions.
As a first step, SERI partnered with the Rose
Family Wellness Centers to provide environmen-
tal health training to local residents who volunteer
as "promotoras del barrio"—neighborhood co-
lean Air
-------
ordinators. SERI has completed an inventory of
potential air toxics sources, and is setting up an
air monitoring program to assess hot spots. Air
sample collection devices, known as "buckets,"
are being distributed to neighborhood volunteers
so that when they notice chemical odors, the air
can be sampled and analyzed.
Arizona Clean Fuels Refinery Permit
The proposed Arizona Clean Fuels Refinery in
Yuma, Ariz., would be the first new oil refinery built
in the U.S. in more than 30 years. EPA worked in
partnership with the Arizona Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality during their permitting process
for the refinery, and the permit was issued in the
record time of nine months. This collaboration led
to major reductions of the planned refinery's emis-
sions: 80 tons per year of volatile organic com-
pounds, and 140 tons per year of nitrogen oxides,
both precursors of smog. The refinery still needs
approval from several other agencies before it can
be built.
Air Monitoring on Tribal
Lands, Baja California
Tribal lands are often remote from cities, but many
of the Pacific Southwest's tribes are also affect-
ed by ozone and particulate air pollution. Of the
region's 146 tribes, 48 are located in areas that
fail to meet the national 8-hour health standard
for ozone, and 28 are in areas that fail to meet
the health standard for fine particulates (PM26).
To help tribes protect air quality, EPA supports
tribal air programs: In 2005, the agency awarded
a total of $3.4 million in Clean Air Act grants to
25 tribes in the region. Much of this funding goes
to purchase, install, and operate air monitoring
equipment.
EPA is actively working to help build the capac-
ity of tribal governments to regulate sources of
air pollution located within their jurisdictions. Last
year, EPA trained tribal inspectors by conducting
joint EPA-tribal air permit compliance inspections
at 11 facilities on the Navajo and Gila River Indian
reservations.
The AirNOW Web site, at www.airnow.gov, gives
current air quality conditions everywhere in the
U.S., as well as some locations in other countries.
In 2005, the site gained links to 13 air monitoring
stations in Baja California that measure air quality
along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Current air quality
conditions in this area are now accessible on-line
at www.aire.bajacalifornia.gob.mx/eng. Ten years
ago, EPA worked with the California Air Resources
Board (GARB) and Mexico's SEMARNAT (federal
environmental agency) to install the monitoring
stations. EPA funded the equipment and installa-
tion; GARB funds their operation.
Two of the most pro-
ductive and popular
members of EPA's
Pacific Southwest Air
Division are also "char-
ter employees" of the
agency, having served
EPA since 1971: Jim
Forrest and Julie
Rose. For most of
the years since then,
they've held two key
positions: Jim oversees
input of all air monitor-
ing data throughout
the region into EPA's
national Air Quality System (AQS)
database. Julie assists in processing
EPA's review and approval of state and
local air quality plans. These ongoing
tasks are crucial to targeting pollution
control measures to the areas where
they're most needed.
Jim began working for the federal gov-
ernment as a computer programmer
for the Navy in Washington, D.C. in the
early 1960s, when computers were
as big as school buses, had whirl-
ing tapes, and were fed thousands of
keypunch cards to input data. Today,
he works from a desktop computer to
access air monitoring data for any of
the 50 states.
Nationwide, thousands of air monitor-
ing stations collect data around the
clock, in rural as well as urban areas. In
the Pacific Southwest, they are main-
tained by 35 local air agencies, tribes,
and states. The agencies submit their
data quarterly to the AQS. In 2006, 11
additional tribes are submitting their
data for the first time.
For these new users, as well as peo-
ple in EPA's regional Air Division and
state or local air agencies, Jim sets up
system accounts, user IDs and pass-
words, and walks them through the
system. And as the new data comes
in, Jim checks it for completeness and
accuracy. If a number looks suspi-
cious, he asks the technical contact
questions and checks for errors.
Julie has been the keeper of the Pacif-
ic Southwest states' air quality plans,
technically known as State Implemen-
tation Plans, or "SIPs," since 1972.
These plans detail the pollution con-
trol measures state and local air dis-
tricts adopt to ensure that their area
meets federal air quality standards, or
is on track to meet them by specific
deadlines. Such measures can include
anything from regulating the recipe for
asphalt to requiring car emission in-
spections—it's up to the states and
their agencies to choose them. Major
urban areas generally have volumi-
nous SIPs, and revise them frequently.
California's South Coast district, which
includes the Los Angeles area, has
thousands of pages of control mea-
sures in their SIP. Each SIP revision
goes to EPA for review.
Last year, the Pacific Southwest states
submitted a total of 40 SIP revisions.
Julie reviews Nevada SIP revisions
and helps Air Division staff write Fed-
eral Register notices consistent with
the ever-changing regulatory require-
ments. These reviews determine if
each revision will be effective in meet-
ing federal health standards. Once a
review is complete, Julie helps draw
up Federal Register Notices proposing
EPA's approval or disapproval.
Over the years, Julie has been instru-
mental in streamlining procedures to
expedite review of SIPs. Once they
are approved by EPA, the regulations
in SIPs become federally enforceable.
The work has been essential in achiev-
ing cleaner air throughout the Pacific
Southwest despite huge increases in
population and motor vehicles since
1970.
7
-------
Clean Water
Protecting and Improving
Water Quality
Ensuring the safety and quality of the public's
drinking water and watersheds is of utmost im-
portance. Our bays, rivers, streams and lakes
support critical fisheries, habitat, drinking water,
recreation, and urban and agricultural environ-
ments. Protecting and restoring the waters of the
region is a responsibility EPA shares with its state,
tribal, territorial and local partners, who implement
many federal water programs and share the com-
mitment to improve and restore the health of wa-
tersheds in the Pacific Southwest.
Investments in drinking water and wastewater in-
frastructure and watershed restoration form the
backbone of restoring polluted waters through-
out the region. EPA strives to achieve watershed
restoration by using key program tools such as
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), water qual-
ity discharge permits, the nonpoint source grant
program, and rigorous enforcement.
The TMDL process provides an assessment and
planning framework for identifying pollutant load
reductions or other actions needed to attain water
quality standards that protect aquatic life, drinking
water and other designated uses. TMDLs address
all significant pollutants that cause or threaten to
cause pollution in a water body that the state has
determined to be impaired.
Focus on Watersheds
EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office is involved
in geographic initiatives—such as the CALFED
Bay-Delta Program, the U.S.-Mexico Border and
other high priority watersheds such as Klamath
River and Lake Tahoe.
8 Clean Water
-------
Klamath River System Struggles with
Toxic Algae, Water Diversions
The Klamath River, which starts in Oregon, travels
for approximately 250 miles through California be-
fore flowing into the Pacific Ocean near Crescent
City (as pictured on opposite page). The river is
impounded by six dams—one for water delivery
and five for hydroelectric generation, part of Paci-
fiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project. EPA's two
Pacific coast regional offices have been working
with California, Oregon, and six local tribes to co-
ordinate environmental programs and projects in
water quality, fisheries and watershed restoration.
During the summer of 2005, monitoring by the
Karuk tribe detected a significant and prolonged
bloom of toxic blue-green algae in two reservoirs
on the Klamath River. Water samples taken from
Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs—located in
northern California, near the Oregon border—re-
vealed high levels of the toxic blue-green algae
Microcystis aeruginosa and its corresponding
toxin microcystin. Due to concerns about po-
tential adverse health effects, the State Water
Resources Control Board and EPA joined tribal,
state and federal agencies in warning residents
and recreational users of the river to use caution
when near such blooms. The nutrient-rich waters
of the Klamath River, coupled with the warm tem-
peratures and calm waters in the reservoirs, pro-
vide conditions conducive to the growth of this
species of blue-green algae.
Several water bodies in the Klamath Basin—in-
cluding the Klamath River from Link River to the
Pacific Ocean, as well as the Lost, Shasta, Scott
and Salmon Rivers—are impaired by pollution.
Oregon and California are developing water qual-
ity improvement plans, or Total Maximum Daily
Loads (TMDLs) for several parameters, includ-
ing nutrients, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia
toxicity, temperature and bacteria. EPA is work-
ing closely with the North Coast Regional Water
Board to assist with TMDL development in north-
ern California, and with the Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality on TMDL development
in Oregon. EPA is providing technical and finan-
cial support and is coordinating with tribes and
federal resource agencies.
Protecting the Lake Tahoe Watershed
Lake Tahoe, 12 miles across and more than a
quarter-mile deep, has been gradually losing its
famed clarity since the 1960s as a result of nutri-
ents entering the lake from air pollution, contami-
nated stormwater runoff and soil erosion. As Lake
Tahoe is listed as an impaired water body under
the Clean Water Act (Section 303(d)), EPA is work-
ing with the states of California and Nevada to
develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for
Impaired Waters in the Pacific Southwest
Reported by State, Type of Water Body
Arizona
187,067 total acres
4,980 total miles
6.5% of perennial lake
acres impaired
6.9% of perennial stream
miles impaired
Nevada
533,239 total acres
14,988 total miles
14.4% of lake and reservoir
acres impaired
9.8% of perennial stream
miles impaired
California
1,672,684 total acres
21.6% of lake and reservoir
acres impaired
211,513 total miles
10.6% of stream miles impaired
Chart showing the
percentages of total stream
miles and reservoir acres that
these states have reported
as "impaired" based on their
assessments to date. Hawaii
reports 70 streams and 174
coastal stations showing
impairment, but there is
insufficient baseline data
to compute percentages.
Percentages may change
as water bodies are further
assessed.
Clean Water 9
-------
Lake Tahoe's clarity has been
reduced by sediment and
nutrients entering the lake
from stormwater runoff, soil
erosion and motor vehicle
exhaust.
sediment and nutrients. The TMDLs will identity
how much sediment and nutrient reductions are
needed in order to restore the lake's clarity.
Fifty-four percent of the Lake Tahoe Basin's resi-
dents and visitors get their drinking water directly
from the lake. On May 5, 2005, EPA, the Tahoe
Regional Planning Agency, and the Nevada Tahoe
Water Suppliers Association hosted the first pub-
lic forum to discuss protection of Lake Tahoe as
a drinking water source. At the meeting, EPA an-
nounced a $150,000 grant to the Nevada Tahoe
Conservation District to fund additional staff to
work with local leaders on critical issues such as
runoff pollution, protecting the lake as a drinking
water source, and forest health.
EPA is working with local researchers and agen-
cies to establish a Tahoe Science Consortium to
advise basin agencies on needed research and
monitoring in the basin. On August 20, 2005,
EPA, along with five other federal and state agen-
cies and six research institutions, signed a Memo-
randum of Understanding to establish the consor-
tium. In 2006, EPA is awarding a $240,000 grant
to the University of Nevada, Reno, to support a
director to run the consortium and to develop a
long-term science plan for the basin.
EPA has provided almost $30 million since 1997
to promote water and air quality efforts in and
around the lake, and has a full-time staff person,
Jane Freeman, working with local officials on lake
issues.
Maui Sustainable Farm Plan
Helps Protect Coral
In 2004, as part of the interagency Coral Reef
Task Force, EPA and the USDA's Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service helped develop
Hawaii's Local Action Strategy to Address Land-
based Pollution Threats to Coral Reefs. In 2005,
the Maui Land and Pineapple Co. endorsed the
Strategy and used it as a guide for their plans to
restore and reuse lands formerly used to grow
pineapple.
The company has agreed to restore hundreds of
acres of high-elevation pineapple tracts to native
forest. Lower cultivated lands will be converted
to organic farming, sustainable livestock graz-
ing, a golf course maintained without chemical
pesticides and fertilizers, and adjacent housing.
This conversion of a former pineapple plantation
is expected to reduce polluted runoff that flows
into Honolua Bay, and help restore coral reefs and
marine life.
National Estuary Program Protects,
Restores Coastal Habitat
EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP) in 2005
protected or restored thousands of acres of fish
and wildlife habitat surrounding Morro Bay, Santa
Monica Bay, and the San Francisco Bay-Delta
Estuary. The EPA-funded San Francisco Estuary
Project's many partners have acquired or restored
more than 10 square miles of wetland wildlife
habitat and six miles of riparian habitat for steel-
head trout and other native fish species, including
1,000 acres at Dutch Slough.
On the central California coast, partners in the
EPA-funded Morro Bay NEP acquired 10.3 acres
of coastal dune scrub that had been zoned for
urban development. Instead, the land was added
to the adjacent Montana De Oro State Park. In
Southern California, the EPA-funded Santa Mon-
ica Bay Restoration Authority and its many part-
ners protected 1.2 square miles of estuary habitat,
enhanced more than two square miles of habitat,
and restored 7.4 acres. The project included ac-
quisition of 588 acres of coastal woodland upland
habitat at the SOKA Property in the Malibu Creek
watershed, removal of invasive non-native plants
on 600 acres (nearly a square mile) of Cold Creek
Canyon, and reestablishing aquatic vegetation on
7.4 acres of submerged land.
Safe Drinking Water
Challenges
In 2005, 95% of the population served by public
water systems in the Pacific Southwest received
drinking water that met all federal drinking water
standards. Small water systems will be increas-
ingly challenged by new federal drinking water
rules designed to reduce people's exposure to
disease-causing pathogens and disinfection by-
products. The new rules require additional treat-
ment and controls such as filtration, disinfection
and source protection to reduce exposure to
10 Clean Water
-------
waterborne pathogens while minimizing the risks
from disinfection byproducts.
In addition, EPA's new standard of 10 parts per
billion (ppb) of arsenic in drinking water took ef-
fect on January 23, 2006, affecting nearly 20%
of the water systems in Arizona, California and
Nevada, many of them small systems serving
less than 500 persons. Many of these small sys-
tems, which pump ground water from wells, may
need to install treatment technology for the first
time and must find ways to pay for the treatment.
Water system operators will need to be trained.
Customer rate increases may result from these
additional investments.
EPA is providing training for state, tribal, and water
utility workers, and will collaborate with states and
tribes on compliance assistance and enforcement.
In 2006, EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office
will make available to states $110 million to pro-
vide as loans to help water systems make capital
improvements to meet the new standards. EPA
will also work with states, tribes, and water dis-
tricts to identify alternative funding mechanisms,
including other federal and state programs.
Reducing Stormwater Impacts
Taking Action Against Polluted Runoff
Polluted runoff can come from variety of sourc-
es—oil and toxic fluids from industrial sites, auto
wrecking yards, highways, and airports; sedi-
ment from construction sites; livestock manure;
and trash and pet waste from urban streets. In
California, Nevada, Hawaii and Arizona, the rainy
season brings the most polluted runoff, as these
contaminants wash off the land and into nearby
waterways. State and federal law require the
people responsible for industrial pollution sources
to prevent such pollution by preparing and imple-
menting a stormwater management plan.
Hawaii Transportation Department
to Reduce Polluted Runoff
In October 2005, EPA, the Hawaii Department
of Health, and the Hawaii Department of Trans-
portation (HDOT) reached a settlement regarding
H DOT's violations of Clean Water Act require-
ments to prevent polluted runoff. Under the agree-
ment, HDOT will perform an estimated $50 million
worth of actions over the next five years to reduce
pollution in stormwater runoff from highways, air-
ports, and road construction sites. The settlement
requires HDOT to:
• Update and improve its existing plan for storm
sewer management on Oahu highways. This
includes improving removal of sediment and
debris from roadsides and storm drain catch
basins, reducing roadside erosion, and con-
trolling other sources of pollution in its storm
drainage system.
• Set new procedures for controlling storm-
water at highway construction projects. This
will include improved planning of proposed
projects, and inspecting the work of HDOT
contractors.
• Improve management of stormwater at air-
ports. This includes managing operations con-
ducted by HDOT as well as an enhanced pro-
gram of inspections and enforcement against
airport tenants who violate stormwater rules.
These improved stormwater management activi-
ties will lead to cleaner streams and coastal wa-
ters, as well as healthier reefs. On Oahu, H DOT'S
activities will be focused on watersheds upstream
from waters known to be stressed from pollutants
such as sediment, turbidity, or litter.
In addition, under this settlement HDOT will pay
$1 million in penalties. HDOT will also spend
about $1 million to establish a management sys-
tem for the agency's many environmental obliga-
tions at its highways, airports, and harbors, as
well as $60,000 to provide training on stormwater
controls to construction contractors throughout
the state.
Soft Drink Bottler Cleans Up Stormwater
In settling EPA's largest-ever water pollution case
against a soft drink bottler, the Seven-Up/RC Bot-
tling Company of Southern California last Novem-
ber agreed to install a new wastewater treatment
system at its Buena Park facility and carry out
stormwater control plans and inspections there
and at another facility in Vernon, Calif.
A three-year investigation by EPA and the U.S. At-
torney's office found that runoff from the bottling
Tidal wetlands of Morro Bay,
on the Central California
Coast.
Clean Water 11
-------
Wetlands near Limantour
Beach, Point Reyes National
Seashore, Calif.
plants was polluting the Los Angeles and San Ga-
briel Rivers with grease, petroleum by-products,
and acid drink product "rejects"—batches of
drinks that had gone bad and could not be used.
In addition, the Buena Park facility was discharg-
ing acidic wastewater into the Orange County
Sanitation District sewer system and a tributary
of the San Gabriel River. Acidic wastewater can
corrode sewer pipes and damage sewage treat-
ment facilities.
Under terms of a settlement in federal court,
Seven-Up entered guilty pleas to 12 counts of
violating the Clean Water Act and agreed to pay
a $600,000 criminal penalty and a $428,250 civil
penalty. Half of the company's criminal fine will go
to environmental projects administered by Chan-
nel Islands National Park, the National Marine
Fisheries Service, Los Angeles County, and the
California Hazardous Materials Association.
A Hard Look at Auto Wrecking Yards
Poorly-managed auto wrecking yards can release
toxic fluids like fuel, oil, anti-freeze, power steering
and brake fluids, and mercury onto the ground.
When it rains, the toxics either seep downward into
the ground water, or wash off into storm drains,
polluting rivers, creeks, and coastal waters. Last
year, EPA's Pacific Southwest Office stepped up
an ongoing effort to identify junkyard violators and
bring their operations into compliance.
EPA has conducted outreach to the auto disman-
tler community for several years. In particular, EPA
has worked with the industry trade association
in California to improve environmental practices.
Compliance assistance videos, brochures, and
workshops have been developed in multiple lan-
guages to assist owners in understanding the re-
quirements. EPA also brings enforcement cases
against violators: In 2005, the agency fined C&T
Auto Wrecking of Pomona, Calif., $15,000 for
discharging contaminated stormwater into storm
drains which flow to a nearby creek.
Initiating enforcement only for violating permits,
however, would miss an equally important seg-
ment—those facilities that have evaded permit-
ting altogether. In 2005, EPA identified 63 North-
ern California auto wrecking facilities that were
suspected of operating without a stormwater
discharge permit and sent them letters identifying
their responsibilities for preventing pollution. After
further investigation, EPA initiated enforcement
actions against 11 facilities. Thirteen of the 63 fa-
cilities have since applied for stormwater permits
(which require a plan to prevent polluted runoff),
11 have shut down or were sold to new owners,
12 were exempt from permit requirements, and
seven were found to have obtained permits.
Wetlands
Wetlands are essential for flood control, filtering
pollutants, and fish and wildlife habitat, and there-
fore the federal Clean Water Act prohibits filling
most wetlands without a permit. These permits,
issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, can
only be granted when there is no "practicable al-
ternative" to filling the wetland.
Saving "Aquatic Resources of
National Importance"
When wetlands that qualify as "Aquatic Resourc-
es of National Importance" are threatened by a
proposed development, EPA can initiate a dis-
pute resolution process with the Corps and the
developer. One matter resolved last year involved
the controversial Montanera Development in the
Gateway Valley of Contra Costa County, Calif.
Community groups had opposed the develop-
ment for 17 years. The developer agreed to elimi-
nate a planned golf course, reduce the graded
area by 119 acres, save two additional acres of
wetlands and more than a mile of tributaries to
Brookside Creek, plant 12 acres of riparian vege-
tation along creeks, and set aside 1,354 acres for
permanent preservation by the East Bay Region
Parks District and the East Bay Municipal Utilities
District.
Enforcement Cases Protect
Streams and Wetlands
In last year's biggest wetlands enforcement case
in the Pacific Southwest, Adam Brothers Farming,
Inc. agreed to preserve approximately 23 acres
of wetlands, creeks, and riparian habitat on their
property in northern Santa Barbara County and
perform other conservation projects as part of
a $1.15 million settlement. EPA alleged that the
12 Clean Water
-------
company unlawfully filled 70 acres of federally-
regulated wetlands in the late 1990s, including
portions of Orcutt Creek.
The settlement will allow the Land Conservancy of
San Luis Obispo County to purchase and perma-
nently protect two key wetlands parcels: 12 acres
at the Black Canyon Mouth, adjacent to the Gua-
dalupe-Nipomo Dunes wetland complex; and the
Dana Adobe Wetland Complex, a 40-acre par-
cel that includes nearly three-quarters of a mile
of Nipomo Creek. These parcels shelter aquatic
resources similar to the wetlands damaged by
Adam Bros, along Orcutt Creek.
In another case, KB Home of Nevada Inc. bull-
dozed a 160-acre site in southwestern Las Vegas,
Nev., including a tributary to Las Vegas Wash,
without a permit required by the Clean Water Act.
After learning of the violations, KB Home agreed
to fund $193,000 to the Bureau of Land Man-
agement for work on riparian restoration projects
in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation
Area. Projects included fencing Calico and Ash
Springs, expanding the riparian enclosure at
Wheeler Camp Spring and removing tamarisk
and other invasive weeds at selected springs.
The developer also paid an $80,000 penalty. The
restoration projects are ongoing.
In 2004 and 2005, the threatened Delta smelt de-
clined almost to extinction, and numbers of other
fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
also dropped alarmingly. Even more worrisome,
the fish were disappearing despite above-average
river flows, which have previously been associated
with healthy fish populations. EPA ecologist and
fish expert Dr. Bruce Herbold has been work-
ing with scientists, water agencies, and other
stakeholders since 1989 to solve these and other
Bay-Delta fish mysteries, so that
the Delta's complicated water is-
sues can be resolved in ways that
protect the fisheries, including the
popular salmon and striped bass.
Since 2000, Herbold has been
working with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the state Depart-
ment of Fish and Game, and San
Joaquin River water users on the
Vernalis Adaptive Management
Program, which has been testing
the survival rate of juvenile salmon
in the Delta under differing regimes
of river flow and water diversions.
The experiments showed the salmon needed
more freshwater flow in April and May, so the pro-
gram secured state and federal funding of $4 mil-
lion a year for water efficiency improvements by
San Joaquin River water rights holders, to free up
more water for April-May river flows without harm-
ing agriculture.
In the 1980s, such cooperation between water
user groups, water agencies, and fish and wildlife
agencies was unheard of. The state's water poli-
tics were roiled in seemingly endless strife known
as the "Water Wars."
Herbold's first task at EPA was to develop a water
quality standard (as required by the federal Clean
Water Act) that would protect the Delta's beneficial
uses, including fish habitat and fishing. Specifi-
cally, Herbold and EPA colleague Susan Hatfield
put together the scientific backing for a proposed
salinity standard for the Delta.
EPA's proposed salinity standard satisfied all sides
in the "Water Wars"—water users (agriculture
and cities), dam and water supply agencies, fish
and wildlife agencies, sport and
commercial fishers, and environ-
mentalists. Since EPA adopted
the salinity standard in 1994, the
formerly contentious stakehold-
ers have been cooperating, for the
most part, on Delta water issues,
through the continuing CALFED
Bay-Delta Program.
"It's a completely different environ-
ment than 15 years ago," Bruce
says. "CALFED changed the way
state and federal water agencies
[which control the dams and aq-
ueducts] do business."
"There are fewer surprises, because fish biolo-
gists have a chance to comment on proposed
actions by water agencies. Impacts are identified
early, and efforts are made to solve problems," he
says. Bruce enjoys working in this environment,
and he's built a reputation as a bridge between
the engineers, the scientists, and the policymak-
ers. By working to understand the concerns of all
stakeholders, he's helping address the Delta's cur-
rent fisheries crisis in a cooperative manner.
ner.
Clean Water 13
-------
Super-fund Turns 25
in California
EPA marked the 25th anniversary of the Super-
fund law in December 2005. Some of Superfund's
biggest challenges, and biggest successes, have
been at California's 103 Superfund cleanup sites.
The law was created in December 1980 to ad-
dress the thousands of abandoned, uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites across the nation that were
contaminating our land and soil. Since then, EPA
has cleaned up—or overseen cleanup of—hun-
dreds of sites nationwide, including the infamous
Love Canal in New York.
In California, many of the industries that have
driven the state's economy—all the way back to
the Gold Rush—have also left the biggest clean-
up challenges. Superfund sites in the state range
from abandoned mines, to former semiconductor
manufacturing plants in Silicon Valley, to closed
military bases. EPA has removed immediate
health threats at all 103 sites, and currently has
soil or groundwater cleanup systems in place or
planned for the remaining contamination. In Sili-
con Valley, for example, soil has been cleaned up
at all of the 26 sites, but groundwater cleanup will
continue for years in the future.
At the Iron Mountain Mine near Redding (pictured
above), EPA has reduced the amount of heavy
metals and acid mine drainage flowing into the
Sacramento River by almost one ton a day—near-
ly a 95% reduction (see graph, facing page).
In California, EPA has maintained an exceptionally
high success rate in making polluters pay for the
cleanup instead of having to dip into the federal
"Superfund." Responsible parties are funding the
cleanups at nearly 80% of California's Superfund
sites. And in cases where the agency has used
federal funding to get cleanups started rather
than waiting for lawsuits to be settled, EPA has
recouped most of the money spent. In 2005 EPA
reached settlements with polluters that secured
more than $52 million for the San Gabriel Valley
groundwater cleanup sites.
14 Clean Land
-------
In those cases where the "little guy" may get
caught in the liability net, EPA has negotiated hun-
dreds of "de minimis" and "de micromis" settle-
ments to small businesses over the past decade
in order to let small waste contributors cash out
early rather than get entangled in future lawsuits.
These smaller settlements have helped continue
cleanups at sites like the Casmalia site in central
California.
With cleanups well underway, EPA has focused
on redevelopment for many properties that were
once seemingly written off for good. EPA is work-
ing closely with the Department of Defense and
local communities to free up portions of former
military bases that, while listed as Superfund sites,
have plenty of clean property ready for reuse.
EPAs Brownfields Program has already helped
revitalize cities across the Pacific Southwest, in-
cluding Emeryville, West Hollywood and Stockton
in California.
Many challenges remain, but EPA's successes in
eliminating health risks, getting polluters to pay for
their damages, and fostering redevelopment of
sites once they're clean, bode well for the future.
Progress at Superfund Sites
In 2005, EPAs Pacific Southwest Region made
major advances in the cleanup of many sites on
the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).
• EPA has begun construction on soil and
groundwater cleanup at the Pemaco Super-
fund site in the city of Maywood, in Southern
California. A clean soil cover will be placed
over the entire site, and landscaping plants
will be used to stabilize the soil. Contaminated
groundwater and soil vapor will be extracted
using vacuum pumps. The groundwater will
be treated with carbon units, and the soil va-
por will be treated with a flameless thermal
oxidation system. The Pemaco Site is a for-
mer chemical blending facility with soil and
groundwater contamination from volatile or-
ganic compounds, such as tetrachloroethene,
a cleaning solvent, and vinyl chloride. The site
is currently being developed into a city park.
• EPA completed negotiations with Del Monte
on the cleanup of the only private NPL site in
Hawaii. The agreement with Del Monte Fresh
Produce requires the company to clean up soil
and groundwater contamination at the Del
Monte Superfund site in Central Oahu. Under
the terms of the consent decree, Del Monte
Fresh Produce will carry out the EPA-approved
cleanup plan, estimated to cost approximately
$13 million by the time it is finished in 2014.
Cleanup of shallow groundwater at the site
has started by using Koa Haole plants, in a
process called phytoremediation. The treat-
Average Total
G" 5 000 -
O)
O 4 000 -
I
Copper Cone
-^ K) (.
Copper Discharge from Spring Creek
1
-, ..
||
1
[1 n n fl n n n n n . _
O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)OOOOOOO
Year
ment plant for the deep aquifer is operational,
and the deep groundwater in the area will be
pumped and cleaned using air stripping and
carbon filters. The site is part of a 3,000- acre
pineapple plantation in central Oahu that is
leased by Del Monte Fresh Produce.
• EPA began the cleanup of contamination re-
sulting from mining more than half a century
ago at the Lava Cap Mine Superfund site in
Nevada County, northeast of Sacramento, Ca-
lif. The cleanup will prevent contamination of
water and soil from arsenic and other heavy
metals, which are byproducts of historic min-
ing operations. The plan includes cleaning up
mine tailings and waste rock, collecting and
treating contaminated water from the mine,
and diverting the flow of clean surface water
around contaminated tailings.
• Under EPA's oversight, a group of potentially
responsible parties has begun construction on
a $10 million groundwater cleanup project at
the former Omega Chemical Corp. solvent
and refrigerant recycling facility in Whittier,
Calif. The system, which will extract and treat
groundwater from five wells southwest of the
property, is designed to contain the highest
concentrations of contaminants in the under-
ground "plume" of groundwater contaminated
with volatile organic compounds released at
Omega between 1976 and 1991.
• EPA took the lead at the Anaconda Mine
site near Yerington, Nev., and ordered Atlantic
Richfield Co. to begin immediate cleanup work.
EPA's order outlined initial plans for addressing
the six-square-mile mine site, including air and
water monitoring and data collection, estab-
lishing a site security program, monitoring air
for radiation, and tracking down any radiologi-
Discharges of toxic dissolved
copper from the Iron Mountain
Mine Superfund site into
the Sacramento River have
dramatically decreased due to
construction of two dams and
a water treatment plant.
Clean Land 15
-------
Groundwater Treated at Baldwin Park,
San Gabriel Valley
-2 3000
t 2500
£ 2000
-5
£ 1500
° 1000
CD
£ 500
o
<
0
ti H KHT-
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr
'02 '02 '02 '02 '03 '03 '03 '03 '04 '04 '04 '04 '05 '05 '05 '05
Groundwater cleanup in the
Baldwin Park area of the San
Gabriel Valley Superfund sites
in California is now providing
drinking water to more
than 35,000 businesses and
residents.
cal contamination at the site. The former mine,
about 55 miles southeast of Reno, produced
copper for the Anaconda Company for about
30 years until 1978. Mining activities resulted
in contamination of the soil and groundwater
with several metals and radioactive materi-
als. EPA is providing funding to the Yerington
Paiute Tribe to assess potential environmental
impacts on tribal lands.
• There are four major groundwater pollution
sites in the San Gabriel Valley, near Los An-
geles, and treatment plants have been built to
pump out and treat the water. These facilities
will have to be operated for years to come.
In 2005, several long term negotiations were
successful in securing the cooperation of re-
calcitrant parties who had contributed to the
pollution. For the Baldwin Park site, EPA final-
ized seven different consent decrees with 16
separate parties who had not paid their share
of past costs, committing $16 million to this
project. At the Puente Valley site, a consent
decree with Carrier Corp. commits $26.5 mil-
lion for the work there, including a penalty for
noncompliance with an earlier EPA order.
Emergency Response in Action
Complementing EPAs long-term cleanup program
is an emergency response unit that mobilizes on
a moment's notice to address everything from oil
spills to tire fires to national emergencies like Hur-
ricane Katrina.
Oil Spill Cleanups, Prevention:
A Record-Breaking Year
It was a record-breaking year in the Pacific South-
west for compliance and enforcement actions to
prevent oil spills. EPA inspected 90 oil or fuel stor-
age facilities in the region in 2005, requiring op-
erators at 18 of them to prove their readiness for
oil spills by conducting unannounced drills—25%
more inspections and 33% more drills than the
previous year. The inspections and drills resulted
in eight EPA compliance orders and 24 penalty
complaints. These enforcement activities are cru-
cial to reducing the environmental damage caused
each year by oil and fuel spills.
When major spills do occur, EPA cooperates
with other federal, state, and local agencies on
cleanup efforts. In March 2005, a landslide on a
steep slope overlooking Pyramid Lake in the An-
geles National Forest, visible from I-5 north of Los
Floating booms were deployed
to collect oil from a pipeline
rupture at Pyramid Lake, Los
Angeles County, Calif.
16 Clean Land
-------
Angeles, broke a 14" crude oil pipeline owned by
Pacific Energy Partners. The resulting spill, esti-
mated at 126,000 gallons, quickly flowed downhill
and into the lake, a drinking water reservoir for the
city of Los Angeles.
EPA conducted the response efforts in a Unified
Command with Pacific Energy, the U.S. Forest
Service, and the state Department of Fish and
Game. They immediately placed floating booms
across the affected arm of the lake to stop the
oil from spreading, and then deployed equip-
ment to vacuum up the floating oil. Still, it took
several months to recover more oil from the lake
and shoreline. Restoration work continued in the
landslide area through the end of the year.
In February 2005, EPA responded to an oil dis-
charge from the Union Pacific Railroad's Ozol
Service Track Area along the Suisun Bay shore-
line at Martinez, about 40 miles northeast of San
Francisco. The area is used for maintenance and
re-fueling. The oil discharge originated from oil-
stained soil and pads surrounding the track. The
oil entered an adjacent storm drain and drained
into Suisun Bay. In June, EPA ordered Union Pa-
cific to improve oil spill prevention measures at the
facility.
Naturally-Occurring Asbestos
in California
In October 2004, at Oak Ridge High School in
El Dorado Hills, east of Sacramento, Calif., news
cameras recorded a bizarre sight: grown men in
protective "moon suits," their faces covered by
respirators, playing baseball. On the dry dirt, they
kicked up dust running the bases, as part of an
assessment of naturally-occurring asbestos haz-
ards. Each of them carried asbestos air-sampling
devices, and the "game" helped them collect
more than 400 air samples and 180 soil samples.
Several schools in the area are built on rock that
contains asbestos, and it can be kicked up into
the air as dust.
Analyzing the samples was technically challeng-
ing, and took several months. In May 2005, an
EPA team presented the results of the investiga-
tion at a meeting attended by 1,000 people, most
of them worried about the asbestos health haz-
ards faced by their children. There were elevated
asbestos levels at three schools. EPA has worked
with the schools, and state and local agencies to
prevent asbestos-laden dust from being gener-
ated by normal school activities.
Using the procedures developed at El Dorado
Hills, EPA sampled asbestos-laden dust at the
Clear Creek Management Area, a rugged 30,000
acre tract in San Benito and Fresno Counties, Ca-
lif., where off-road vehicle recreation is allowed by
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The area
EPA Supports
China's
Environmental
Efforts
In 2005, EPA's Pacific
Southwest Regional
Office began offering
technical assistance
to China on hazardous
waste cleanup and the
formation of regional
environmental offices in
China. EPA's point per-
son in this effort is Lida
Tan, a native of China
who left the country with
her parents at age 17
in 1983. Tan, a project
manager in the regional
Superfund Division, has
assembled a team of EPA specialists
with widely varying experience who are
on call to meet with the Chinese del-
egations and share their expertise.
EPA's China Initiative is a high-level
collaboration between EPA and the
Chinese government. EPA and its Chi-
nese counterpart, the China State En-
vironmental Protection Agency (SEPA),
have negotiated a Memorandum of
Understanding pledging to cooperate
in a number of areas. Tan was instru-
mental in negotiating the portion of the
document dealing with hazardous and
solid waste.
China faces enormous environmen-
tal challenges. Rapid industrialization
has raised standards of living, but de-
graded air and water. The population
is about four times that of the U.S. Two
recent chemical spills have poisoned
long stretches of major rivers, mak-
ing international headlines. But the
Chinese government has indicated it
is serious about enforcing the nation's
environmental laws, and SEPA wants
to take advantage of EPA's experience.
Some observers say China is at a turn-
ing point similar to the U.S. in the late
1960s, when a consensus was emerg-
ing that air and water pollution had
reached intolerable levels.
In November 2005, Superfund Divi-
sion Director Keith Takata and Tan par-
ticipated in EPA and SEPA's first Joint
EPA emergency response specialist Harry Allen
demonstrates monitoring technology to a delegation
from China's State Environmental Protection Agency as
EPA's Lida Tan (center) translates.
Environmental Cooperation Commit-
tee Meeting, at EPA Headquarters in
Washington, D.C. Later that month,
in San Francisco, EPA hosted a 14-
member delegation involved in China's
PCB demonstration cleanup project.
The delegation came to learn more
about PCB cleanup techniques. As a
signatory to the Stockholm Conven-
tion, China has made a commitment
to safely dispose of PCBs.
In December, EPA's China Team host-
ed a SEPA delegation touring EPA's
regional offices to study how they're
structured. Three of the four SEPA
participants are or soon will be Direc-
tor Generals for three of SEPA's five
regional offices — counterparts to our
regional administrators. And in Febru-
ary 2006, the team hosted a 20-mem-
ber delegation from many provinces
and cities, who came to learn about
EPA's emergency response functions.
As this publication goes to press, EPA
Administrator Steve Johnson is plan-
ning a visit to China in April 2006,
where Johnson and his SEPA counter-
part are expected to sign the Hazard-
ous and Solid Waste Annex and Strat-
egy document, making China officially
EPA's newest partner in environmental
protection.
Clean Land 17
-------
Riders with monitoring
equipment and protective gear
prepare to kick up asbestos-
laden dust in the Clear Creek
Management Area to measure
what ATV enthusiasts might be
breathing into their lungs.
has thin soil composed mostly of the underlying
serpentine rock—one of the largest naturally-oc-
curring asbestos deposits in the world. As in El
Dorado Hills, EPA contractors wore protective
"moon suits" as they simulated recreational ac-
tivities while gathering dust samples. They drove
off-road vehicles on unpaved roads and trails,
drove SUVs, hiked, and pitched tents. The results
showed unhealthy asbestos levels in the air. EPA
worked with the BLM to close the area to off-road
vehicles during the annual dry season, when the
soils create dust more easily.
The area is part of the Atlas Asbestos Mine Su-
perfund site. Even though the mine site itself has
been cleaned up and no longer poses a risk to
human health, risks posed by naturally-occurring
asbestos outside the mine site boundary must be
assessed before the site can be removed from
EPA's National Priorities List.
Brownfields: The Road
to Revitalization
EPA's Brownfields Program works to assess, clean
up and redevelop potentially contaminated lands.
Last year, EPA issued $6.35 million in grants to
26 entities in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii,
and tribal lands to help local governments start
these projects.
On October 11, 2005, San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom and former mayor Willie Brown
stood before a crowd of jazz musicians and sup-
porters as they broke ground for a new 12-story
development in the city's Fillmore District that will
house a 420-seat jazz club, a jazz heritage cen-
ter, 80 residential units, restaurants, and a parking
garage. But before construction could begin, the
first step was to break up an asphalt parking lot
on the site, and excavate and remove petroleum-
contaminated soil. EPA helped clear this obstacle
with a $200,000 petroleum Brownfields grant to
the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.
The Fillmore District was once known as "the
Harlem of the West," since it was a center of Af-
rican-American culture in the 1940s and 1950s,
when black musicians were not allowed to play in
whites-only downtown nightclubs. Instead, they
played in black-owned clubs in the old Victorian
homes of the Fillmore. But the neighborhood
withered in the mid-1960s when redevelopment
condemned block after block to demolition, and
left many lots vacant for decades. A smaller Afri-
can-American community is still there, and turned
out in force for the groundbreaking. City officials
and residents are hoping the new development
will re-energize the neighborhood. Construction is
now underway.
Last year, EPA officials joined local governments
to celebrate the completion of EPA-funded petro-
leum Brownfields cleanups in Culver City, Calif.,
and Tucson, Ariz.
In Southern California, Culver City opened a new
off-leash dog park on a former petroleum-contam-
inated oil well site. A $250,000 EPA Brownfields
grant made the assessment and cleanup pos-
sible. A number of canine attendees participated
in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
In December 2005, EPA's Pacific Southwest
Waste Division Director Jeff Scott joined the may-
or of Tucson in a Brownfields event celebrating
the completion of an underground storage tank
cleanup that made way for a new high school.
Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup shut off the soil va-
por extraction unit, officially ending the site clean-
up activity. The site, located in Tucson's Historic
Warehouse Arts District, will be redeveloped into
an alternative high school with an arts focus.
For more on Brownfields in the Pacific Southwest,
see 'EPA People' on the opposite page.
Safely Managing
Hazardous Waste
EPA's hazardous waste program, organized under
the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), works to protect human health and
the environment by reducing the generation of
hazardous waste, and by ensuring that its trans-
port, storage, and disposal is done safely. Under
RCRA, hazardous waste is tracked and docu-
mented "from cradle to grave" so that waste gen-
erators and handlers can be held accountable.
Last year, EPA's Pacific Southwest Office took
24 administrative penalty actions against facili-
18 Clean Land
-------
ties whose mishandling of hazardous waste was
endangering their workers and surrounding com-
munities. These waste handlers were required to
clean up hazardous waste releases, ship hazard-
ous waste to permitted facilities, close or replace
leaking containers, properly train their personnel,
develop plans for emergencies, and pay a total of
$378,220 in fines.
Two of the facilities also completed environmen-
tal projects as part of their legal settlements. One
purchased life-saving equipment for the local
fire department and air and weather monitoring
equipment for a local environmental agency. The
second conducted a series of free seminars on
waste management for facilities that generate
hazardous waste (auto shops, welding shops,
photo shops, etc.).
EPA People
•
EPA's Brownfields Program grew out of an unintended effect of
the 1980 Superfund law: At many former commercial sites, land-
owners were eager to sell to developers, but potential buyers
did not want to get stuck with cleanup costs if the site turned
out to be contaminated with toxics. So landowners couldn't sell,
properties stayed vacant, and developers built on "greenfields"
outside cities, worsening urban sprawl.
According to EPA Pacific Southwest
attorney Bill Keener, there were lots
of blighted sites like this in California
and Arizona—languishing because
of the stigma of contamination. In
the early 1990s, Bill joined an EPA
national workgroup seeking ways to
resolve liability issues and remove
barriers to redevelopment. Keener
and the workgroup came up with a
policy and model document called a
Prospective Purchaser Agreement,
which requires new property own-
ers to make upfront contributions to
cleanup costs, but frees them from additional liability.
Since Bill concluded the region's first such agreement, he became
the "go-to guy" for creative legal solutions in the Brownfields are-
na. Bill joined EPA as a Superfund attorney in 1987, after leav-
ing his private practice. For several years before coming to EPA
he volunteered as director of the Marine Mammal Center in the
Marin Headlands, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the res-
cue of sick or injured seals and sea lions.
Over the past decade, accord-
ing to EPA's Pacific Southwest
Brownfields Team Leader Carolyn
Douglas, the team's nine employ-
ees have issued and managed
149 assessment, cleanup and job
training grants to cities, tribes, and
states throughout the region. Re-
volving loan fund grants to Arizona,
Nevada, and Hawaii have helped
these states establish their own
Brownfields programs.
Carolyn has been with EPA's Super-
fund Division in the Pacific Southwest since 1989, when she left
the Naval Supply Center Oakland, where she worked on environ-
mental compliance and small cleanups. At EPA, she worked on
Superfund site assessments, tribal grants, and helped develop
Nevada's State Superfund Program, before she was named
Brownfields Team Leader in 2005.
The team's work involves outreach events for potential applicants,
reviewing 60-70 applications per year, issuing 20-30 grants,
working with the grantees to make sure the money is spent ef-
fectively, and leveraging funds from other sources to complete
cleanups. When the job is done, state or tribal Brownfields pro-
grams certify that sites have met cleanup standards and are
ready for redevelopment.
Carolyn cites a West Hollywood Brownfields site as one of the
program's most recent successes. A decade ago, it was a corner
frequented by drug dealers and addicts. Today, it's the site of a
Target store and several other stores, whose sales tax revenues
help the city provide vital public services.
Bobbie Kahan has been a
member of the Brownfields
Team since its inception in
1995. Bobbie has managed
grants that spurred redevel-
opment of sites slated for af-
fordable senior housing in San
Francisco's Bayview Hunters
Point neighborhood, a com-
mercial/residential develop-
ment in Los Angeles, a beach-
front trail in Ventura, and a
health clinic in East Palo Alto.
In her work, Bobbie also encourages eligible organizations to ap-
ply for Brownfields Job Training grants. The grants are intended
to ensure that residents of low-income and minority communi-
ties around Brownfields sites get some of the jobs associated
with cleanup and redevelopment. Unemployed people learn skills
needed to work on hazardous waste cleanups, lead and asbes-
tos removal, and construction. With one two-year grant, the City
of Los Angeles in partnership with the Los Angeles Conservation
Corps trained 48 people and placed all of them in jobs. In San
Francisco, Young Community Developers trained 50 people and
placed 48 of them in jobs.
After 31 years in EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office, Bobbie
is planning to retire in June 2006. She's very proud that her son,
Howard Kahan, "will carry on my environmental ethic"—he was
recently hired to work for the region's Water Division, at EPA's
Southern California Field Office.
Clean Land 19
-------
Healthy Approaches
to Agriculture
Thousands of square miles of agricultural land in
fhe Pacific Soufhwesf provide food and fiber for
fhe nation and for worldwide export. Good stew-
ardship of working agricultural lands can benefit
the environment by preventing polluted runoff to
rivers and streams and providing seasonal wildlife
habitat. EPA supports the industry's stewardship
efforts by fostering collaborative, innovative ac-
tions that show the way to a sustainable future.
EPA also works with its state and local regulatory
partners to ensure that agricultural practices don't
harm the environment or threaten public health.
EPA provides compliance assistance to educate
members of the agricultural community about
their obligations under federal environmental reg-
ulations and cost-effective ways to comply.
Promoting Sustainable Agriculture
In the context of the University of California's
Sustainable Agriculture Research Program (UC-
SAREP), EPA has been working with some of the
most forward-thinking, innovative farmers, com-
modity groups, food processors, and university
researchers to field-test crop-specific sustainable
farming practices. In 2005, EPA issued $1.6 mil-
lion in grants for this purpose to California farm
groups, leveraging $2.67 million in grants from
the state government, other federal agencies and
foundations. California farmers funded by these
grants have achieved impressive results.
From 2002 to 2005, growers associated with
the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission
reduced acreage treated with the high-risk pes-
ticides propargite and simazine by 55% and 72%
20 Communities and Ecosystems
-------
respectively, through a new self-assessment work-
book that promotes sustainable practices. During
a similar period, growers on the Central Coast
Vineyard Team decreased use of herbicides and
nearly eliminated the use of chlorpyrophos and
diazinon through Integrated Pest Management
(IPM)—the use of non-toxic or less-toxic pest
management strategies. Similarly, the Sonoma
County Grape Growers Association reduced
their use of nine high-risk pesticides by 32% and
their acreage treated by 31 % between 1999 and
2003, through a grower-to-grower IPM education
program. These methods show the potential for
similar results throughout California's 826 square
miles of winegrape vineyards.
EPA grants totaling $519,000 over the past de-
cade have funded similar efforts by California al-
mond growers, who produce three-quarters of
the world's almonds from nearly 900 square miles
of orchards. Numbers are not yet available for
results after 2000, but from 1991 to 2000, use
of highly toxic organophosphate pesticides on al-
mond trees during their dormant season dropped
by 77%.
For more on sustainable agriculture efforts, see
'EPA People' on page 25.
Assessing Dairy Manure Technologies
Dairy manure can pollute ground and surface
waters with nutrients, salts, bacteria, and or-
ganic matter; it can also pollute air with ammo-
nia, methane, odors, and smog-forming volatile
organic compounds. This is of particular concern
in California's San Joaquin Valley, home to more
than a million dairy cows.
In 2005, EPA led the Dairy Manure Collaborative,
a diverse group of dairy industry stakeholders,
in seeking solutions to the manure management
problems in the valley. A first step was to find
combinations of technologies that could address
dairy manure's air, water and solid waste impacts.
The group reviewed more than 70 technologies
and issued a report assessing the environmental
and economic performance of the first 44 of them
in late 2005. This year, these technologies are
being tested in dairy manure management pilot
projects.
Protecting Endangered Species
With support from EPA, California has taken a gi-
ant step forward in assuring that agriculture will
not jeopardize endangered species. The California
Endangered Species Project has created a Web
site that provides California pesticide users with
use recommendations that protect listed species.
The site allows pesticide users to specify which
pesticide they plan to use and where, to deter-
mine if there are local use restrictions designed
to protect any endangered fish and wildlife. It also
includes the life histories of listed species, and
how to identify them. With this information, the
California pesticide user can be assured that the
chemicals that they are using are not going to
harm endangered species. To see how it works,
go to www. calpip. cdpr. ca. gov/cfdocs/calpip/
prod/main, cfm
Protecting Consumers
Shipments of produce in the U.S. are subject to
inspection to determine if they have unsafe or il-
legal pesticide residues. On the Pacific islands of
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and Yap,
however, the local governments had no trained
inspectors. EPA arranged for a Hawaii Depart-
ment of Agriculture inspector to do joint inspec-
tions with local authorities on these remote is-
lands to address the most egregious violations of
pesticide laws and also to build their capacity to
conduct inspections, take residue samples, and
obtain lab analyses.
On American Samoa, the lab results showed resi-
dues of illegal pesticides on food crops, indicating
that farmers were using pesticides not intended
for food crops, or using too much. The American
Samoa EPA used its enforcement authorities to
stop several farms from selling their pesticide-
contaminated produce. The agency has warned
farmers throughout the territory that they must
verify that the pesticides used on vegetables are
approved, and are used in proper amounts.
U.S.-Mexico Border
Environmental and public health needs in the U.S.-
Mexico border area include drinking water and
wastewater services, waste disposal, and air pol-
lution reductions. EPA has been actively engaged
with agencies in Mexico, as well as with state
and local partners, in significantly improving en-
vironmental conditions. These partnerships have
This covered lagoon is part of
a new biogas energy system
funded by the California
Energy Commission at Joseph
Gallo Farms, a dairy in Atwater,
Calif. The decomposing
manure creates biogas—
primarily methane and carbon
dioxide—which is piped to
generators and burned to
generate 700 kW of electricity.
Communities and Ecosystems 21
-------
Monitoring system to measure
air pollution from diesel trucks
crossing the U.S.-Mexico
border.
resulted in investments in water infrastructure,
waste disposal and diesel emissions reductions,
leading to substantial achievements in 2005.
Investing in Water Infrastructure
EPA's border water infrastructure program works
to provide affordable drinking and wastewater
services to border communities in the U.S. and
Mexico. The program and its binational partners
have so far certified 54 projects at a total cost
of $1.5 billion, with a third of the funding com-
ing from EPA's Border Environment Infrastructure
Fund. Last year's prioritization process identified
135 eligible projects representing $900 million in
need; 26 of these projects were selected for de-
velopment and construction funding.
The three major border sister-city pairs continue
to be a high priority for EPA's Pacific Southwest
Region:
• In Tijuana/San Diego, four new projects to
provide water and wastewater services to
colonias in the Tijuana area were selected to
receive assistance. Work also continued on
the $42 million Tijuana Sana project, which
focuses on eliminating sewage overflows and
leaks in the Tijuana River watershed and will
benefit more than 1.3 million people.
• In Mexicali/Calexico, considerable progress
was made on the $30 million Mexicali II proj-
ect, which will collect and convey up to 20 mil-
lion gallons of raw sewage a day away from
the New River to be treated at a new waste-
water treatment plant in Las Arenitas. Another
wastewater collection and conveyance proj-
ect, Mexicali IV, was selected to receive devel-
opment and construction assistance.
• In Nogales, Sonora/ Nogales, Ariz., three BEIF
grant agreements were signed in December
2005, awarding over $70 million for projects
valued at more than $100 million. These proj-
ects will upgrade the water distribution and
wastewater collection systems in Nogales,
Sonora, and the wastewater treatment plant
just north of Nogales, Ariz. They also will great-
ly help to reduce fugitive wastewater flowing
across the border and contamination levels in
the Nogales Wash and Santa Cruz River.
Supporting Border Tribes
Last year, EPA and the Pala Band of Mission Indi-
ans used $36,000 of EPA funding to assess drink-
ing water quality in seven indigenous communi-
ties in Baja California, just across the U.S.-Mexico
Border. The results showed contamination with E.
coli and coliform bacteria at levels unsafe not only
for drinking but for swimming. As a result of the
findings, EPA provided $66,000 and the Mexican
government spent $900,000 to build safe drinking
water supply systems and evaluate ground water
as a source for these communities.
Between 1996 and 2003, EPA's Tribal Border
Infrastructure Program provided $28.4 million in
funding for drinking water and wastewater proj-
ects in the U.S. within 62 miles of the U.S.-Mex-
ico Border. By 2005, these projects had brought
safe drinking water to 7,765 tribal homes and
built sewage collection and treatment systems for
1,888 homes.
One environmental issue unique to Border area
tribes is trash left by undocumented immigrants.
Remote stretches of desert have been littered with
discarded clothing, plastic bags, drink cans and
bottles, food wrappers, and miscellaneous items.
Last year the Tohono O'odham Nation, whose
land area is as large as Connecticut, cleaned
up 84 sites, removing an astounding 40 tons of
trash.
Reducing Diesel Emissions
In the first phase of the San Diego-Tijuana Die-
sel Retrofit Project, EPA provided more than
$200,000 to retrofit a dozen heavy-duty diesel
trucks involved in shipping goods between the
U.S. and Mexico with emission controls. EPA
provided another $200,000 to test technologies
for measuring emissions from trucks crossing the
border near Nogales, Ariz., including remote sens-
ing units, opacity testing equipment, and portable
emission monitors. And Mexico pledged to phase
in low-sulfur diesel fuel over the next five years,
starting with the six border states, which include
Baja California and Sonora.
Cleaning Up Abandoned Tire Piles
The cleanup of abandoned scrap tire piles is a sig-
nificant binational border priority. The tire piles are
potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and
other organisms that are vectors of disease such
as the West Nile virus. In addition, smoke from tire
pile fires can pose a severe public health threat.
So far, more than 2.1 million tires have been re-
moved from along the border in the Pacific South-
22 Communities and Ecosystems
-------
west, including 420,000 tires from the Innor tire
pile and three-quarters of the 1.2 million tires at
Centinela in Baja California last year. The Innor
scrap tires were reused as fuel in a local cement
plant as a result of a collaboration agreement
among EPA, SEMARNAT (Mexico's Environment
Secretariat), the State of Baja, the municipality of
Mexicali, and the private sector.
Tribal Accomplishments
EPAs Pacific Southwest Region has 146 Indian
tribes. Of these, 131 received a total of $40 mil-
lion in EPA grants for their environmental pro-
grams in 2005. Working in partnership with EPA
and the Indian Health Service, tribes have made
great strides in building and operating environ-
mental infrastructure, such as drinking water and
wastewater treatment systems and air monitor-
ing equipment. EPA also provided training to tribal
environmental staff, and certified tribal inspectors
to perform compliance inspections of oil and haz-
ardous waste facilities and pesticide use. And EPA
is cooperating with six tribes planning to build ca-
sinos or permit industrial facilities, to ensure that
these projects minimize environmental impacts.
In 2005, Pacific Southwest tribes and EPA cleaned
up 158 dumps and 13 leaking underground fuel
tanks, piped safe drinking water to 1,249 addi-
tional tribal homes, and recycled a million pounds
of waste. Eighty-five tribes routinely monitor their
air or water; 54 have recycling programs.
While the numbers are impressive, they just hint
at the results on the ground. For instance, in
2005 the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe cleaned up
and closed approximately 30 dumps, including
three major sites, on their reservation northwest
of Reno, Nev. The dumps had littered the land-
scape with household waste, medical waste,
dead animals, and discarded water heaters and
appliances. The tribe removed the trash to solid
waste landfills or recycling facilities. Near Fallen,
Nev., the Fallen Paiute-Shoshone Tribe complet-
ed a treatment plant that removes arsenic from
the groundwater, providing a safe drinking water
source for the community.
Forty-one Pacific Southwest tribes now have their
own environmental regulatory programs. EPA and
tribal regulators across the region conducted 600
inspections of pesticide use, and collected $1.25
million in fines from polluters. The Hualapai Tribe
in the Grand Canyon enacted water quality stan-
dards and supporting tribal ordinances to provide
an enforceable means to change wildlife manage-
ment and ranching practices to prevent pollution.
Such measures include putting fencing around
natural springs to keep livestock, deer, and elk
from muddying and polluting them.
Providing training for tribal environmental field staff
has been a high priority. Last year, for example,
EPA conducted 19 underground storage tank in-
spector trainings with over 156 tribal participants.
EPA and the tribes cooperated on inspecting 79
underground storage tanks, and issuing 17 field
citations. The increased enforcement in recent
years has gotten results. Over the last three years,
underground tank compliance rates at the Navajo
Nation jumped from 2% of facilities inspected to
54%.
Last year, tribes used EPA and other funding to
initiate 60 watershed restoration projects and
complete 45 of them. For example, the Torres
Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribe, near California's
Salton Sea, broke ground for an 85-acre, $1.5 mil-
lion wetland project that will improve water qual-
ity and provide wildlife habitat. The Hualapai Tribe
restored riparian wetlands, built fences in grazing
areas, and removed feral animals around springs.
And the Fallen Paiute-Shoshone Tribe received a
grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for
mechanical removal and piling of invasive salt ce-
dar on 800 acres within the tribal wetlands.
Pacific Islands: Making
the Water Safer to Drink
In the past, unreliable drinking water delivery sys-
tems in Guam have been frequently contaminated
with bacteria from sewage spills. These contami-
nation incidents resulted in "boil water" notices
sent to residents. Last year, however, improve-
ments to the island's drinking water and waste-
water treatment systems, along with EPA over-
sight of the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA),
resulted in the safest drinking water Guam has
experienced in decades.
Torres-Martinez Desert
Cahuilla Tribe officials break
ground for an 85-acre wetland
restoration project near
California's Salton Sea. The
project will improve water
quality and provide wildlife
habitat.
Communities and Ecosystems 23
-------
The GWA improved its management by hiring
a new chief engineer on loan from EPA, and in-
creasing the number of certified operators at its
wastewater treatment plant. Better generators,
pumps, and motors were installed; the disinfec-
tion system was improved. As a result of all these
changes, sewage spills were reduced by 90%.
Saipan, an island with a population of 70,000 in
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, not far from Guam, has a different drinking
water problem: Water only comes out of the tap a
few hours each day. Last year, EPA worked with
the Department of the Interior and the CNMI gov-
ernment to support improvements to the drink-
ing water system in Saipan following a $1 million
congressional appropriation. This funding helped
Saipan drill new wells, establish a leak detection
system, and install better water meters to dis-
courage waste. Drinking water is still not avail-
able around the clock, but water in the system
increased by 25%.
EPA's Pacific Islands Office has in recent years
placed four staff people in the islands' own en-
vironmental agencies in American Samoa and
Guam. Last year, EPA doubled the staff assign-
ments to the islands, with three each in Ameri-
can Samoa and Guam, and two on Saipan. The
additional staff helped make these drinking water
improvements happen. In addition, EPA engi-
neers travel to Palau and the Marshall Islands to
assess problems in their drinking water systems.
These efforts, in partnership with the islands'
water agencies, will result in safer drinking water
for more than 300,000 people on these distant
islands.
Environmental Reviews Protect
People, Species, Wetlands
Under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), federal agencies must prepare an Envi-
ronmental Impact Statement (EIS) on any pro-
posed agency action that might significantly affect
the environment. If there is a significant impact,
agencies must analyze alternatives, and identify
the one that best minimizes impacts.
Actions that require an EIS include land manage-
ment plans by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bu-
reau of Land Management, mining permits, dam
construction and operation, and construction of
federally-funded highways. Since more than half
of the Pacific Southwest Region's land is feder-
ally-owned, the region has more than its share
of EISs—in fact, 20% of the nationwide total. In
2005, EPA's Pacific Southwest Office completed
reviews of 109 EISs.
In one significant project, the regional Environ-
mental Review Office worked with the Bureau of
Land Management to ban off-road vehicles during
the dry season at the Clear Creek Management
Area near Hollister, Calif., after EPA found hazard-
ous levels of naturally-occurring asbestos in the
air resulting from dust kicked up by the vehicles
(for details, see Clean Land chapter).
In another part of California, EPA analyzed a pro-
posed tree-thinning project to reduce fire hazards
in the Plumas National Forest, north of Lake Ta-
hoe. To avoid potential impacts to spotted owls
and northern goshawks, EPA recommended
avoiding tree-cutting in watersheds that are al-
ready degraded, and limiting activities in Riparian
Habitat Conservation Areas. As a result, the U.S.
Forest Service has reduced by 1,800 acres the
forest area that will be clearcut or thinned. The
Forest Service also agreed to reduce dust and soil
erosion by changes to road-building practices in
the area.
EPA also reviewed an EIS on the proposed U.S.
93 highway bypass around Boulder City, Nev. The
area provides habitat and movement corridors
for the desert bighorn sheep. There, EPA worked
with the Federal Highway Administration and the
Nevada Department of Transportation to establish
a 500-acre wildlife preserve, protect wildlife move-
ment corridors, and fund continued monitoring of
the bighorn sheep population.
In California, EPA worked with CalTrans and the
Federal Highway Administration to revamp an in-
teragency guidance for analyzing the cumulative
impacts of road projects. The guidance is avail-
able online at www.dot.ca.gov/ser/cumulative_
guidance/purpose, htm.
Building Capacity in
Communities
To promote long-term community-based solutions
to environmental problems, EPA works to build lo-
cal capacity within communities to deal with envi-
ronmental issues. Such "capacity building" efforts
paid off in the urban Southern California commu-
nities of Pacoima and Barrio Logan last year.
In Pacoima, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, 200
Latino and African-American families took advan-
tage of an EPA Collaborative Problem-Solving
grant to make home improvements that reduced
their risk of lead poisoning. The community group
involved, Pacoima Beautiful, also surveyed local
physicians and found that only 28% of low-in-
come children were being tested for blood lead
levels because physicians mistakenly thought
there was no danger. The group persuaded 25
doctors to get training on lead poisoning preven-
tion and screening.
24 Communities and Ecosystems
-------
In Barrio Logan, a low-income Latino neighbor-
hood in San Diego where an EPA/Cal-EPA/En-
vironmental Health Coalition pilot project began
in 2000, many local residents were concerned
about the health effects of large trucks parked on
neighborhood streets that would idle for hours,
pumping diesel exhaust into the air. The residents
worked with city government staff to develop a
simple but effective way to virtually eliminate truck
idling: They changed street parking to diagonal
spaces too small for the big rigs, posted more
"No Parking" and "No Idling" signs, and worked
with traffic enforcement officers to ensure that the
new rules were enforced. Trucks stopped park-
ing in the residential area, allowing residents to
breathe easier.
Reducing Exposure to Toxics
Lead Still a Health Hazard to Kids
Lead-based paint hasn't been available in the U.S.
for use in residential buildings since 1978, but it
was so universally used earlier that it's still around
in more than half our homes and schools—and
still has the potential to poison young children.
Children can also be poisoned if anyone in their
home is scraping or sanding lead paint from the
walls. Lead poisoning can lead to learning disabil-
ities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, and brain
damage in children.
To address this widespread hazard, EPA and the
State of California since 1999 have accredited
training providers and created a workforce of over
7,000 lead paint professionals. Between 2000
and 2005, 13,300 lead paint abatement projects
in the Pacific Southwest Region removed over
580,000 pounds of lead from more than 19 million
square feet of painted surfaces. However, this ac-
counted for only a small fraction of the estimated
2.4 million homes in the region that may still have
lead paint on their walls.
Before removing lead-based paint from homes,
workers must take special precautions to mini-
mize any risks to human health and the environ-
ment. For a list of EPA-certified lead paint remov-
ers in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii, go
to www. epa. gov/region09/toxic/lead/firms. html
EPA requires that anyone selling or renting resi-
dential property built before 1978 provide infor-
mation to prospective renters or buyers about
lead-based paint used in the buildings. Landlords
who fail to comply are subject to enforcement ac-
tions which may require lead paint abatement in
addition to penalties. For example, last year EPA
cited a San Jose, Calif., landlord for 292 violations
of lead disclosure rules. To settle the charges, the
landlord agreed to remove lead paint from 21 old-
er units where children live, at a cost of $138,539,
and pay a penalty of $15,393.
TRI Enforcement Leads to
Reductions in Toxics
Public disclosure through the Toxics Release In-
ventory (TRI) is a powerful incentive for facilities
to reduce their use and emissions of toxic chemi-
cals. Enforcement is needed to ensure compli-
ance, however. In 2005, EPA's Pacific Southwest
Region settled 31 TRI enforcement cases, result-
ing in disclosure of 125 million pounds of toxic
releases, and penalties of nearly $500,000.
After the enforcement actions, three facilities re-
duced their use of certain toxic chemicals. Profes-
sional Finishing of Richmond, Calif., substituted
less-toxic acetone for methyl ethyl ketone, poten-
tially reducing air releases by 204 pounds annually.
Berg Lacquer Co. of Los Angeles has substituted
acetone for toluene and xylene. Dionex Corp. of
Sunnyvale, Calif., is planning to phase out its use
of lead compounds by 2010.
EPA People
Karen Heisler joined EPA in 1992.
As a senior member of the Agriculture
Program, Karen brings a dedication
to sustainable agriculture, a strong
background in pesticides policy, and
an understanding of the diversity of
the California agricultural community
to her work.
In her job with the Agri-
culture Program, Karen
helps the Region and the
Agency to address four
broad areas related to ag-
riculture: (1) strategic plan-
ning for agriculture-related
activities, (2) better cross-
program, cross-regional,
and HQ/Regional com-
munication (3) support
of sustainable agriculture
partnerships, (4) promotion of regional
and national agriculture policies that
better position the Agency to promote
positive environmental and public
health benefits.
Currently, Karen is working on an ef-
fort to link market-based incentives to
innovation in agricultural production.
Recognizing that economic viability
is key to engaging innovation, the Ag
Program is working with Protected
Harvest, a non-profit organization,
to develop environmental production
standards and certify producers in sev-
eral California commodities, including
stone fruit, strawberries, winegrapes,
and processing tomatoes. Certifica-
tion based on data-driven standards
allows producers to secure a market
position based on value
of good food and good
practices, and rewards ef-
fective stewardship.
Karen's commitment to
sustainable agriculture ex-
tends beyond her work at
EPA. As a member of Live
Power Community Farm,
Karen participated in the
development of a novel
mechanism for public-pri-
vate agricultural land tenure, a model
that has been replicated several times
since. Karen's fifteen years of volunteer
support to small farms and communi-
ty food security projects have culmi-
nated in her becoming co-director of
Pie Ranch, an educational farm center
that inspires urban and rural residents
to know and take intimate part in the
food they eat, its healthy production
and its history.
Communities and Ecosystems 25
-------
wardshi
•-"•• T-:i
fJU 11
Upholding Standards,
Speeding Progress
Strong standards, consistently and fairly enforced,
are the foundation for almost all of what gets done
to protect public and environmental health. The
history of the Pacific Southwest is rich with exam-
ples of federal, state and tribal regulators working
together to assure compliance with national and
local requirements. Broad compliance not only
achieves results in terms of environmental qual-
ity, but also assures the essential economic "level
playing field" for those who invest in compliance.
In the Pacific Southwest, EPA and its fellow regu-
lators have worked together to provide the public
health protection brought by compliance with en-
vironmental rules. They have used that foundation
to partner with industry, advocates and the pub-
lic to move beyond compliance in many creative
ways, with often substantial gains in public health
protection. In 2005, work on these closely allied
fronts produced significant progress.
Compliance Assistance,
Strong Enforcement Get Results
This past year, EPA and its partners continued
to provide a broad presence through inspection
programs targeted to significant public health
threats and in response to citizen concerns. This
compliance monitoring work was supplemented
with focused compliance assistance designed to
make sure those who have a duty to comply with
environmental rules know what they must do and
where to get technical help if needed. Through a
variety of traditional and creative approaches, EPA
has been able to reach out to many remote areas
(such as tribes, outer islands and border commu-
nities) and often unite regulated entities with their
communities to find solutions.
For enforcement, the year started strong with
landmark settlements in Southern California for
more than $2.6 billion in sewer system upgrades
(see last year's report, where these cases were
previewed, for more details). More than 436 en-
26 Compliance and Stewardship
-------
forcement actions through the rest of the year
garnered an additional $385 million in funding to
clean up and prevent pollution caused by viola-
tions. Collection of $6.5 million in penalties as-
sured that polluters gained no advantage over
those who invest in compliance.
Public communication via the Web and the news
media played a strong role in getting the compli-
ance message out—both demonstrating sound
results to local communities and putting indus-
try groups on notice that they would be held ac-
countable. The introduction of a new and easy-
to-use "citizen complaints" badge on EPA's Web
sites also served to strengthen partnerships with
the public in identifying and addressing serious
violations.
For more information on enforcement activi-
ties in the Pacific Southwest, visit www.epa.
gov/region09/enforcement.
If you've seen something that leads
you to believe an environmental
violation has occurred, report it
to EPA by going to www.epa.gov
and clicking on the badge with
the words "Report Environmental
Violations."
Environmental
Violations
Supplemental Environmental
Projects Improve Health,
Environment
In settling enforcement actions, EPA often nego-
tiates settlements that include commitments to
upgrade equipment to permanently reduce pollu-
tion. In some cases settlements include additional
projects, known as Supplemental Environmental
Projects (SEPs), to benefit nearby communities.
In 2005, companies in the Pacific Southwest
Region spent a total of $14.2 million in SEPs as
part of EPA enforcement settlements. These proj-
ects, which go beyond investments needed for
compliance with environmental regulations, offer
a unique opportunity to further our nation's goals
for a cleaner, healthier envrironment.
Reducing Pollution
• Saint-Gobain Containers Inc. agreed to resolve
Clean Air Act violations at its Madera, Calif.,
facility, reducing smog-causing air emissions
by 400 tons per year. The company agreed
to spend $13.8 million to install and operate
air pollution control equipment and will also
further reduce pollution as part of a $1.2 mil-
lion supplemental environmental project. This
precedent-setting settlement establishes the
most stringent nitrogen oxide limit for a con-
tainer glass furnace in the country. Residents
of the San Joaquin Valley will benefit from
cleaner air.
• Chevron USA Inc. will reduce diesel emissions
from fleet vehicles at its oil refineries in Califor-
nia and Hawaii. In addition, Chevron will reduce
odors and air emissions at its refineries in El
Segundo, Calif., and Kapolei, Hawaii, contrib-
ute $100,000 for emergency response equip-
ment for the El Segundo Fire Department, and
provide a 29-year, rent-free lease of five acres
to the city of Richmond, Calif., for emergency
training exercises. The estimated cost of the
refinery modifications is $1.5 million.
• The Seven-Up Bottling Co. will replace the
existing fleet of gasoline vehicles at its Sac-
ramento, Calif., plant with propane forklifts
and other alternative fuel vehicles, at a cost
of $135,000. The project is part of a settle-
ment to resolve stormwater and wastewater
violations.
• As part of a settlement involving lead paint
disclosure violations, a San Jose, Calif., land-
lord agreed to perform lead abatement work.
The owner will conduct lead inspections and
risk assessments as well as lead abatement
where hazards are found in 21 rental units in
San Jose.
Restoring Natural Environments
• Los Angeles will undertake several environ-
mental projects to restore streams and wet-
lands and to capture and treat polluted storm
drain flows. The $8.5 million projects are part
of a $2 billion settlement in one of the largest
sewage cases in U.S. history.
• As part of a settlement with construction
company Colorado Structures and Wal-Mart
Stores, Inc. for stormwater pollution preven-
tion violations at a store construction site, the
Bentonville, Ark., retail giant will purchase a
Central Valley vernal pool habitat for protec-
tion. Violations at the Sacramento, Calif.-area
store construction site polluted a nearby creek
with sediment.
• The San Gabriel Valley Superfund site's Pu-
ente Valley agreement calls for a groundwater
treatment system and an innovative environ-
mental project to convert a former duck farm
to community open space. (For more informa-
tion about groundwater treatment at the San
Gabriel Valley site, see pg. 16.)
Supporting Public Health
• Romic Environmental Technologies, a haz-
ardous waste facility, will purchase life-saving
equipment for the Gila River Indian Commu-
Compliance and Stewardship 27
-------
Dockside news conference
to announce $25 million
penalty for oil pollution—the
largest ever for deliberate oil
discharges from a ship.
nity Fire Department and air monitoring and
meteorological equipment for the Gila River In-
dian Community Department of Environmental
Quality. The company was also fined $67,888
for multiple hazardous waste violations at its
facility on the Gila River Indian Reservation
in the Lone Butte Industrial Park in Chandler,
Ariz.
• Chemical Waste Management will purchase
emergency response equipment for the Kings
County, Calif., Environmental Health Ser-
vices Department. The project was part of a
$47,500 settlement regarding the company's
alleged failure to conduct monthly monitoring
at one of four RGB disposal units at its Kettle-
man City facility.
• Anvil Cases, Inc. donated emergency response
equipment to the Santa Fe Springs Fire De-
partment. The project was part of a settlement
with Anvil Cases, of the City of Industry, Ca-
lif., for allegedly filing chemical release forms
late, a violation of the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Act.
Training for Handling Hazardous Materials
• The Arizona Department of Transportation
agreed to finance seminars conducted by
the Environmental Information Association
on asbestos regulatory compliance training
to contractors, charter schools, and building
owners.
• Long Beach City College will perform an envi-
ronmental project that will improve hazardous
waste handling by other area colleges. The
college will present seminars to 11 area school
districts to get the word out about proper ways
to handle hazardous waste.
EPA Prosecutes
Ocean Oil Dumpers
EPA investigations into illegal discharge of pollut-
ants to U.S. waters last year resulted in two ship-
ping companies being ordered to correct pollu-
tion violations on their vessels worldwide and pay
large fines.
EPA investigates allegations of criminal wrongdo-
ing under various environmental laws, including
data fraud, illegal disposal of hazardous waste,
illegal importation of certain chemicals; tamper-
ing with a drinking water supply; mail fraud, wire
fraud, conspiracy and money laundering relating
to environmental crimes.
Evergreen Pleads Guilty to
Container-Ship Pollution
The U.S. Department of Justice announced
criminal charges in Los Angeles last year against
Evergreen International, S.A., one of many Ever-
green-related companies involved in the container
ship business. The charges included concealing
deliberate, illegal discharge of waste oil, causing a
negligent discharge into the Columbia River, mak-
ing false statements, obstruction of Coast Guard
inspections, and failing to maintain an accurate Oil
Record Book.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, Evergreen
paid $25 million, the largest-ever amount for a
case involving deliberate pollution from a ship,
and pleaded guilty to 24 felony counts brought
in Los Angeles; Newark, N.J.; Portland, Ore.; Se-
attle; and Charleston, S.C. Of the total, $10 million
will be divided equally and used for environmental
community service projects in each of the five ju-
dicial districts where the violations took place.
Moller-Maersk Ordered to Develop
Environmental Compliance Plan
A.P. Moller-Maersk Company of Denmark, which
operates a fleet of over 200 vessels worldwide,
was ordered to develop and carry out a fleet-wide
environmental compliance program. The com-
pany pleaded guilty and was fined $500,000 as
a result of a criminal investigation conducted by
EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard into waste oil in
the overboard piping of the Motor Vessel Jane
Maersk.
The investigation also uncovered evidence of
false entries in the ship's oil record book. The
false entries concerned the operation of the ship's
incinerator which, in part, is used to burn waste
oil sludge. In a related court action, the ship's
second engineer was sentenced to four months'
community confinement for his role in conceal-
ing and destroying key documents related to the
investigation.
Cargo Ship Engineer Jailed for
Concealing Oil-Tainted Water Dumping
The chief engineer of the M/V Katerina was
sentenced to eight months in jail for bypassing
28 Compliance and Stewardship
-------
the ship's oil-water separator, a critical water-
pollution control device. He tried to conceal the
bypass when the ship came into port at Long
Beach, Calif. The ship operator, DST Shipping,
Inc., of Greece, pleaded guilty to two felony
charges and paid a $1 million fine.
Partnering to Prevent Pollution
S. Phoenix Industry Challenge/
Good Neighbor Partnership
On March 8, 2005, EPA joined with industry, city,
county and Arizona state officials to launch a vol-
untary partnership aimed at reducing air pollution
and preventing chemical releases in the South
Phoenix area.
Goodrich-Aircraft Interior Products hosted the
event at their South Phoenix facility. The Indus-
try Challenge/Good Neighbor partnership seeks
to reduce emissions of more than 30 hazardous
air pollutants by 20% by 2007, and to enhance
safety procedures to avoid accidental releases.
"This partnership shows that, working together,
we can keep jobs in the community and have a
healthy environment," said EPA Regional Admin-
istrator Wayne Nastri. "When industry is willing to
explore ways to further reduce their emissions
and enhance their safety practices, we all win."
More than 20 industries have joined the alliance
of businesses and regulatory professionals re-
sponsible for environmental health and safety
performance in the South Phoenix area. Com-
panies joining the voluntary program range from
locally-owned businesses to larger corporations,
including pool companies, electronics manufac-
turers, fiberglass manufacturers, metal finishers,
and aircraft product manufacturers. In addition,
industries that store ammonia, chlorine and nitric
acid will handle these chemicals more safely.
The partnership grew out of the South Phoenix
Multi-Media Toxics Reduction project initiated by
the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) in 2003. EPA provides technical assis-
tance to industry to help them meet their emission
reduction and accident prevention goals.
For more information go to www.phoenixindus-
trychallenge.com
Northrop, Exide Honored for
Hazwaste Reduction Efforts
In December 2005, EPA honored Northrop Grum-
man Space Technology and Exide Technologies
for participating in the National Partnership for En-
vironmental Priorities, which aims to reduce use
of toxic chemicals and generation of hazardous
waste.
EPA created the partnership to reduce 30 high
priority chemicals—including dioxins and mercu-
ry—by 10% by the year 2008. These chemicals
persist in the environment for many years.
Northrop Grumman is going beyond compliance
with hazardous waste regulations to voluntarily re-
duce trichlorobenzene use at its Redondo Beach,
Calif., microelectronics manufacturing facility.
Exide operates a battery smelter/recycling facility
in Vernon, Calif., one of six similar plants in the
U.S. The facility has committed to boost its lead
recycling rate from 97.5 to 99% of its lead input,
thus reducing the lead emitted each year in its
blast furnace slag by 130,000 pounds. Last June,
Exide's Vernon facility was the nation's first battery
smelter/recycling facility to join the partnership.
Promoting Greener Computers
EPA's Pacific Southwest Region led a national
effort on electronics product stewardship, fa-
cilitating a multi-stakeholder process to create a
system to help purchasers buy environmentally
preferable computer equipment. The Electronic
Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
includes a set of strict environmental criteria ad-
dressing the product's entire life cycle, a verifica-
tion procedure to ensure that a product meets the
criteria, and an easy-to-use tool for purchasers to
find products that meet the standards. In 2005,
EPA finalized the criteria as an American National
Standard, and selected a host organization to run
the registration, verification and marketing of the
tool to purchasers and manufacturers.
The goals are to give institutional buyers of com-
puters and other electronics a way to reduce
environmental impacts such as energy use and
hazardous waste, while giving the electronics in-
dustry an incentive to build "greener" products.
The standard is already harnessing the purchas-
Dawn Kominsky of
Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. signs
the Strategic Partnership
Agreement on March 8, 2005
at the kick-off of the South
Phoenix Industry Challenge/
Good Neighbor Partnership.
Maricopa County Supervisor
Mary-Rose Wilcox, Arizona
State Representative Leah
Landrum-Taylor and EPA
Regional Administrator Wayne
Nastri look on (I to r).
Compliance and Stewardship 29
-------
ing power of large organizations to accomplish
these goals.
Seven federal agencies have committed to using
EPEAT in upcoming computer buying contracts,
representing roughly $17 billion in purchasing
power. The state of California has also adopted
EPEAT as their guide for buying environmentally-
preferable electronics.
H2E: Health Care Industry
Reduces Mercury Use
Kaiser Permanente's Hawaii Region Waste Mini-
mization Team and 15 California health care or-
ganizations won awards in 2005 for their achieve-
ments as part of H2E, EPAs hospital pollution
prevention partnership. By the end of the year, 25
additional hospitals in the Pacific Southwest had
joined, making commitments to "Make Medicine
Mercury-Free."
EPA People
Greg Lovato of EPA's Pacific South-
west Waste Division has a difficult
task—helping 100 local agencies in
California clean up contaminated soil
and ground water from 15,000 leak-
ing underground fuel storage tanks.
He's not alone: Some front-line proj-
ect managers at local agencies find
themselves directing investigation
and cleanup work at over 100 sites
in addition to other
responsibilities.
Greg, who works out
of EPA's Southern
California Field Office,
helps local agencies in
three ways. Together
with Matt Small of the
Underground Storage
Tank program, he orga-
nizes staff workshops,
where he advises them
on prioritizing sites and
increasing efficiency.
Greg and Matt also
help establish dialogue
between the agencies and the respon-
sible parties. In addition, they secured
EPA funding for eight contract employ-
ees who work in the local agencies to
lighten the workload.
At EPA's regional office, Greg has been
recognized for his "creativity in moti-
vating individual parties to participate"
in investigating and cleaning up leak-
ing underground tanks and pipelines.
Some of the parties have been major
oil companies and refineries.
"We look at the [ground water] data,
and present a defensible argument on
why participating would expose them
to lower risk, and lower cost. The
companies are ready to do the work if
they know that we know what needs
to be done, and we can back it up. It's
a matter of fair dealing, and communi-
cating our plans clearly
to all stakeholders.
They don't want to be
caught shutting down
drinking water wells."
That's a reference to
Greg's experience
working with the Los
Angeles Regional Wa-
ter Guality Control
Board several years
ago on the Santa Mon-
ica MTBE issue. Some
of the city's drinking
water wells had to be
shut down because
they were contaminated with the fuel
additive MTBE. Major oil companies
agreed to pay for replacement water
after extensive ground water data in-
dicated that most of the MTBE came
from their facilities.
After 13 years at EPA, Greg will bring
his expertise to his new position at the
Nevada Division of Environmental Pro-
tection this spring.
H2E, a joint project of EPA, the American Hospital
Association, American Nurses Association, and
Health Care Without Harm, has joined forces with
California's Department of Toxic Substances Con-
trol (DTSC) and Department of Health Services
(DHS) to eliminate the use of mercury, cut health
care waste, and phase out the use of persistent,
bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals.
The California DTSC and DHS provide local train-
ing and on-site assistance to help hospitals reach
H2E goals. Activities include expanding mercury
reduction efforts to include clinics and medical of-
fices, promoting reprocessing of single use medi-
cal devices, and working to keep pharmaceutical
waste out of wastewater.
For example, Catholic Healthcare West adopted
a mercury-free purchasing policy, reducing overall
waste by 9%, energy use by 7% and hazardous
waste by 23%, despite growth in facilities. CHW
also started organic gardens, composted food
waste, and began using biodiesel fuel.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland,
Calif., recycled 757 tons of paper, cans, bottles,
and more than 50% of its construction and de-
molition materials. An equipment reuse program
saved the facility $53,500, and included 10 truck-
loads of equipment donated to international relief
programs and the auctioning of old equipment
that would otherwise be disposed of.
For more information on the program and other
award winners, go to www.h2e-online.org
Performance Track Facilities
Cut Waste, Smog
Performance Track is an EPA voluntary partner-
ship that encourages facilities in both the private
and public sectors to go beyond regulatory com-
pliance to achieve superior environmental perfor-
mance. In just one year, 2004, 21 facilities in the
Pacific Southwest made good on earlier Perfor-
mance Track commitments to cut their generation
of solid waste by an impressive total of 117,000
tons, without reducing production.
Two facilities, Rohm and Haas in La Mirada, and
Ricoh in Santa Ana (both in Southern California),
reduced smog-forming nitrogen oxide emissions
by 12.5% (a total of 1.1 tons per year), even
while increasing production by 41% and 70%,
respectively.
In 2005, Performance Track membership in the
Pacific Southwest grew 35%, from 34 to 46 facili-
ties. New members include facilities operated by
Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola,
and Forever Resorts (a concessionaire in state
and national parks).
30 Compliance and Stewardship
-------
Meeting Solid Waste Challenges
EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge
EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge focuses
on achieving a 35% recycling rate of municipal solid
waste, reducing priority and toxic chemicals, sup-
porting reuse and recycling of industrial materials,
and supporting electronics product stewardship.
In the Pacific Southwest, EPA funded a nonprofit
Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative (see
story below). EPA also worked with partners to re-
duce the use of solvents with high levels of smog-
forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs), by
demonstrating alternative products. These efforts
led to a reduction of 60 tons of VOCs per day in
Los Angeles' South Coast air basin.
EPA worked with partners on the development of
a "Design for Deconstruction" manual for build-
ers to facilitate the reuse and recycling of build-
ing materials during construction and demolition.
EPA also promoted both the safe recycling of
electronic products and the safer design of elec-
tronic products. In addition to working with fed-
eral facilities in the Pacific Southwest to recycle
thousands of tons of electronic equipment, EPA
helped develop the Electronic Products Environ-
mental Assessment Tool (see "Promoting Greener
Computers," above).
Recycled Products Purchasing
Co-op Saves Money, Resources
Approximately 44 million tons—or 48%—of the
paper generated in this country each year ends
up in landfills. To save trees, energy, and reduce
landfill waste, EPA encourages paper recycling
through voluntary partnerships like the Recycled
Products Cooperative (RPC). Started through an
EPA grant, the cooperative is a self-sustaining ef-
fort that uses group purchasing power to offer re-
cycled paper at competitive prices.
Joining the RPC is free to anyone, from large com-
panies and organizations like IKEA and the city of
San Diego, to individuals. Buying small quantities
of paper can be expensive. Since RPC buys in
bulk, its members can purchase recycled paper at
a lower cost that meets—or even beats—regular
paper prices. Through the efforts of the RPC, 500
organizations and more than 120 businesses and
universities have started using recycled paper. In
just six months of 2005, the RPC sold 7,527 tons
of postconsumer recycled paper.
In the past four years, the RPC has led to savings
of:
• More than 60,000 forty-foot tall trees
• 71 Olympic sized swimming pools full of water
(17,702,050 gallons)
Supai Falls, near the
Havasupai Tribe's village of
Supai, in the Grand Canyon.
• 151,329 pounds of carbon dioxide, nitrous
oxide and other pollutants
• 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity.
For more information, go to www.recycledprod-
ucts.org
Mules, Helicopters to Help Havasupai
Recycle in Grand Canyon
The Havasupai Tribe lives on tribal land at the bot-
tom of the Grand Canyon, and the famous image
of its waterfall is a scene of seemingly idyllic isola-
tion. The only way to get there is by horse, mule,
helicopter, or a long walk through the dry canyon.
Despite the remoteness of the community, how-
ever, the residents—and approximately 30,000
annual visitors—buy and use many items from
outside the village of Supai. Because the village
is at the bottom of the canyon, it's much easier to
bring materials in than to haul them out.
For a century, the cans, bottles, packaging, appli-
ances, and everything else discarded has gone to
an open dump near the village. But the dump was
a growing eyesore as well as a source of air pollu-
tion, since the waste was regularly burned. Some
of the heaviest metal items were airlifted out two
years ago by helicopter.
EPA developed a series of waste management
options for the tribe, providing detailed cost infor-
mation with input from the Indian Health Service
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. After thorough
evaluation, in August 2005, the tribe decided on
a plan to haul trash out of the canyon via mule
and helicopter, with a strong emphasis on recy-
cling. This waste management plan will enable
the tribe to close the dump and to utilize existing
mule hauling enterprises, owned and operated by
members of the Havasupai Tribe.
Compliance and Stewardship 31
-------
EPA Aids Recovery from
Devastating Hurricanes, Floods
In August and September 2005, southern Loui-
siana was hit with two hurricanes, Katrina and
Rita, which destroyed lives and property along the
state's coastline, in the city and suburbs of New
Orleans, and up to 100 miles inland. In emergen-
cies like this, EPA serves as the lead federal agen-
cy for the cleanup of hazardous materials, includ-
ing oil spills. EPAs regional office in Dallas, Texas,
coordinated response efforts by EPA personnel
from around the nation. By the end of the year,
68 people from EPAs Pacific Southwest Regional
Office had worked from two to six weeks in the
disaster area—nearly 10% of regional EPA staff.
The hurricanes presented a very real test of EPAs
efforts since 9/11 to enhance preparedness for
emergencies that require a national response. Ev-
ery regional office has plans to back up EPAs re-
gional response in a major emergency anywhere
in the U.S. These preparations enabled EPA staff
from all regions to assist the South Central Re-
gional Office by quickly taking pre-assigned plac-
es in the federal government's unified Incident
Command Structure in Louisiana.
For the cleanup work, EPA partnered with the
U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Department
of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). These three
agencies cleaned up dozens of oil spills and col-
lected both industrial and household hazardous
waste all over southern Louisiana. In the first days
after Katrina hit, EPA was also involved in collect-
ing floodwater samples and testing them for con-
taminants. As the waters receded, EPA drinking
water specialists fanned out across the affected
area assessing drinking water systems and help-
ing operators provide safe drinking water to re-
turning residents.
Drinking Water Specialists
Rush to New Orleans
Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina flooded
New Orleans, seven drinking water experts from
EPAs Pacific Southwest Regional Office joined
25 EPA staff from around the nation assigned to
test 400 local drinking water systems in southern
Louisiana.
The EPA staff joined with state and local drinking
water experts to form 25 teams, each with a list
of water systems to assess. Once they found the
locations and gained access, the teams checked
32 Responding to Katrina
-------
the physical infrastructure for damage, and took
water samples. Many water systems sustained no
physical damage but were contaminated due to
earlier power outages, which allowed floodwaters
to leak into the pipes.
EPA staff advised operators of the contaminated
systems on how to flush out the systems, check
for leaks, and take more samples for lab testing.
Once a system tested clean, operators faced the
challenge of notifying customers—but phone lines
were down in many places and there was no mail
service. Some water system operators simply
painted a sign on a piece of plywood and posted
it on the nearest highway.
Despite the challenges, the 25 teams covered
about 95% of the 400 systems in the first week.
In the second week, they covered the rest, and
made follow-up visits to systems that were con-
taminated or damaged. Getting new pumps and
generators to replace those knocked out by flood-
ing was another challenge.
According to EPAs Barry Pollock and Brian Smith,
two of the seven drinking water specialists sent
by the Pacific Southwest Water Division, condi-
tions in those first weeks were often "chaotic,
communication was difficult, and we were work-
ing 14- to 16-hour days." But they accomplished
their mission of assessing water system damage,
thus helping prevent the spread of water-borne
diseases in the hurricane-stricken area.
Cleaning Up Oil and Toxic Spills
Within days of the hurricane, four on-scene coor-
dinators from EPAs Emergency Response Team
in San Francisco were on the ground to help ad-
dress toxic threats. The hurricane left a mess-
not only sewage-polluted floodwaters and debris
from ruined buildings, but a series of oil spills
across southern Louisiana that totaled tens of
thousands of barrels. Emergency responders and
other environmental specialists from the Pacific
Southwest Region's Response Support Corps
joined with other EPA personnel, the Coast Guard
and LDEQ to locate the spills, assess needs, and
clean them up.
One of the largest spills resulted from a ruptured
above-ground oil tank at the Murphy oil storage
facility in Meraux, La., that spilled 25,000 bar-
rels of oil into a flooded residential neighborhood.
When the waters receded, they left a two-inch-
thick layer of oil-contaminated mud. The cleanup
involved spreading sand onto the oil layer to cre-
ate a sand-oil-mud mixture, which was then bull-
dozed, scooped into dump trucks, and taken to a
hazardous waste landfill.
To locate other spills, EPA on-scene coordina-
tor Tom Dunkelman joined a Coast Guard team
that flew over oil tank farms, refineries, well plat-
forms, and other industrial facilities in planes and
helicopters, looking for the telltale sheen of oil on
water. Once located, the spills were mapped and
ground teams sent in to assess the damage by
taking water and soil samples. The top priorities
for cleanup were waterways, where oil had to be
contained to keep it from spreading. Workers in
boats deployed booms and skimmers to corral
and collect the oil.
Hazardous waste from flooded businesses also
had to be cleaned up. Drums partially filled with
chemicals had floated away on floodwaters and
had to be retrieved, sampled, the chemicals iden-
tified, and properly disposed of.
And finally, as homeowners returned to formerly
flooded areas and began removing mounds of
ruined furniture, appliances, carpets, wallboard,
and flooring, EPA staff collaborated with LDEQ
to organize household hazardous waste curb-
side pickups. In each neighborhood, homeown-
ers were given flyers asking them to separate the
household hazardous waste—paints, solvents,
cleaning fluids, etc. —from the rest of their debris,
to prevent it from being mixed with the main body
of trash headed for solid waste landfills. As of
spring 2006, cleanup work was still underway.
An EPA team takes samples of
floodwaters in New Orleans,
September 2005.
Workers move a drum at a
hazardous waste collection
center near New Orleans.
Thousands of small containers
of waste were collected,
sorted, and consolidated into
larger containers like this, then
taken to a hazardous waste
landfill.
Responding to Katrina 33
-------
EPA People
As Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) Coordinator for EPA's Pacific
Southwest Office since 1991, Cheryl
Henley has dealt with plen-
ty of rush requests to cre-
ate maps—but nothing like
her experience coordinating
mapping for EPA, the Coast
Guard, and the Louisiana
Department of Environmen-
tal Quality at the Incident
Command Center in Metai-
rie, La., in October 2005.
"Ordinarily, we get a couple
of weeks of lead time," says
Henley. "But there, the urgent map re-
quests had to be completed the same
day, and even the low-priority ones
had to be done by the next day."
The workload was staggering. By the
end of the year, the GIS unit produced
more than 6,000 maps. Each day,
dozens of staff from the three agen-
cies went into the field with Global
Positioning System (GPS) units, plot-
ting the location of hazard-
I ous waste, oil spills, and
cleanup work. The GPS
units were brought back
to the Command Center,
the data downloaded, and
updated maps for field use
generated for the next day's
7 a.m. meeting.
Cheryl's team also generat-
ed maps showing pipelines,
churches, fire stations, and
other locations agency staff had to
find in the response effort, as well as
maps illustrating the "big picture" to
show progress to Incident Command
officers, the news media, and staff as
they rotated in for duty tours of two to
three weeks.
Community Involvement Coordinators
Help Returning Evacuees
A crew of 30 EPA Community Involvement Coor-
dinators from around fhe nation, including eighf
from fhe Pacific Soufhwesf, arrived in Louisiana in
lafe September 2005, just as area residents who
had evacuated were beginning to return home.
This EPA team's initial task was to find out what
environmental information residents in this area
needed most, and then deliver that information.
By interviewing residents, the EPA team found
that their most frequently-asked questions were
how to deal with mold in homes that had been
flooded, and how to make sure their water was
safe to drink. Existing EPA fact sheets on these
topics were revised for the hurricane-damaged
area, translated into Spanish and Vietnamese (to
serve the 40,000 Vietnamese Americans in coast-
al Louisiana), and printed in three languages plus
pictograms for the illiterate. Kim Hoang, a Viet-
namese speaker from EPA's Pacific Southwest
Superfund Division, led the outreach to the Viet-
namese community.
Mass communication faced several hurdles. Elec-
tricity was out, and there was no mail or newspaper
delivery. The team built a communication network
from scratch, by driving to rural churches, police
and fire stations, and other community meeting
places and enlisting the help of priests, ministers,
firefighters, police officers, and others with exist-
ing social networks. Some EPA staffers stood
on the roadside and handed leaflets to people in
passing cars; others stood outside churches on
Sunday morning. Radio public service announce-
ments were also used, since returning residents
listened to their car radios for news.
Starting In late October, EPA staff used the distri-
bution network to advertise household hazardous
waste collection. Some worked in New Orleans,
collaborating with local nonprofits. By late Janu-
ary 2006, EPA and LDEQ had distributed more
than a million flyers on drinking water, private
well testing, and EPA efforts to collect household
chemicals and Freon from junked refrigerators
and air conditioners, recycle damaged electron-
ics, remove chemical drums, and collect flood-
damaged firearms and ammunition for disposal.
Leadership and Support
Staff Play Key Roles
EPA's response efforts could not have succeeded
without support staff and managers to keep track
of people and materials, make arrangements for
meals and housing, and compile and distribute
data from thousands of water and soil samples.
Tasks ranged from directing operations in situa-
tion units and other cross-agency teams to finan-
cial accounting and contracting. These jobs were
further complicated by the constant arrival and
departure of personnel from around the nation.
Information from hundreds of EPA, Coast Guard, and
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality staff
and contractors in the field was compiled at offices like
this to prioritize and coordinate cleanup work.
While much work remains, EPA and its state and
federal partners have made a significant contribu-
tion to helping millions of people in the hurricane-
stricken area by providing safe drinking water and
cleaning up oil spills and hazardous wastes. The
challenges have been enormous, and the lessons
learned will help EPA respond to the nation's next
major emergency, which may well be in the Pacific
Southwest.
For more details on EPA's ongoing response ef-
forts in Louisiana, go to www.epa.gov/katrina
34 Responding to Katrina
-------
EPA's Field Offices in the Pacific Southwest
EPA's main regional office in the Pacific Soufhwesf is in down-
town San Francisco, but there are also three field offices that put
EPA staff in key geographic locations: the Southern California
Field Office, in Los Angeles; the San Diego Border Liaison Office;
and the Pacific Islands Contact Office, in Honolulu.
The Southern California Field Office
More than 20 million people-
nearly half the entire popula-
tion of the Pacific Southwest
Region—live in the Southern
California counties of Ven-
tura, Los Angeles, Orange,
San Diego, Riverside and
San Bernardino.
Taken together, these coun-
ties represent a large, global-
ly significant population and
economy, with challenging
environmental issues. EPA opened a field office in Los Angeles
in 2004 to better manage environmental programs, projects and
issues in this densely populated area.
Among the important environmental issues in Southern Califor-
nia are the adverse impacts associated with the growth of in-
ternational trade—the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles
together are the third largest port complex in the world—and the
movement of goods. Other challenging issues include the worst
air quality in the nation, water quality problems at the beaches
and inland waterways, ground water contamination, waste dis-
posal capacity limitations, numerous Superfund sites undergo-
ing cleanup, emergency response needs, and environmental law
enforcement.
The tremendous growth in the population of Southern Califor-
nia not only makes dealing with these problems more difficult, it
makes managing them all the more important to ensure a safe
and healthful environment for an increasing number of Southland
residents. The Southern California Field Office provides a local
EPA presence to work directly with state and local agencies,
businesses, non-profit groups, press and news media, and the
public to more effectively address these problems.
Contact:
Steven John, Office Director
john.steven@epa.gov
The San Diego Border Liaison Office
EPA's San Diego Border Liaison Office was established in 1994
to support binational efforts to address environmental problems
along the U.S.-Mexico border. The office plays a central lead-
ership, diplomatic, and planning role for the Pacific Southwest
Region on U.S.-Mexico border affairs.
The Border Office's func-
tions include developing and
implementing policies and
funding strategies that lever-
age resources and promote
measurable environmen-
tal improvements along the
U.S.-Mexico border. The of-
fice also supports the U.S.-
Mexico Border Program
(Border 2012) and serves as a liaison with state and federal co-
chairs and the 26 U.S. border tribes on program implementation
and accountability.
EPA staff here provide information to stakeholders including
non-governmental organizations; state, local, and federal gov-
ernments; tribes; business groups; academic institutions; citizen
groups; and the general public. In addition, the Border Office
helps facilitate community feedback to EPA decision-makers
about border programs.
Contact:
Tomas Torres, Office Director
torres.tomas@epa.gov
The Pacific Islands Contact Office
Located at the crossroads of
the Pacific, EPA's Pacific Is-
lands Contact Office (PICO)
in Honolulu serves as a liai-
son between EPA and the
State of Hawaii, and other
Pacific Islands, including the
U.S. flag territories of Guam,
American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the North-
ern Mariana Islands. The office also serves as a base for EPA
staff and environmental officials of the Pacific Islands during tem-
porary duty in Hawaii.
PICO's Dean Higuchi serves as EPA's spokesperson in Hawaii,
and connects the Hawaii news media with EPA staff in San Fran-
cisco and Washington, D.C. PICO also conducts outreach to Ha-
waii schools, colleges and community groups, and participates
in environmental events. PICO helps the public, as well as local
governments in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, to access EPA's
extensive environmental information resources.
Contact:
Dean Higuchi, Public Affairs Specialist
higuchi.dean@epa.gov
Addresses and phone numbers for these offices can be
found on the inside back cover.
EPA Field Offices 35
-------
m
/ c
CALIFORNI
Region 9's home page at www.epa.gov/region09
News from EPA's Pacific
Southwest/Region 9 Office
Web Site Celebrates 10 Years of Growth
The Pacific Southwest area of the EPA Web site (pictured above)
has changed quite a bit since it went live in early 1996. It has
evolved into the agency's primary communication tool in the re-
gion and an indispensable information resource for the public and
EPA partners.
On an average day in February 2006, regional Web pages were
viewed nearly 45,000 times—a far cry from less than 300 ten
years ago. Web site visitors can subscribe to receive press re-
leases by email, browse a featured area on agriculture issues, and
read all EPA comments on environmental impact statements in
the Pacific Southwest. It's all at www.epa.gov/region09
Regional Office Now ISO 14001 Certified
In June 2005, EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Office became
certified under ISO 14001, the international standard for Environ-
mental Management Systems (EMSs). The regional office is the
third EPA facility nationally to implement an EMS, and the second
regional office to do so.
An EMS is a systematic approach to managing and improving en-
vironmental performance. Certification includes an independent
audit to ensure facility-wide commitment to pollution prevention,
continuous environmental improvement and compliance with en-
vironmental laws. Regional EMS efforts in 2005 included battery
recycling, halting purchases of products with toxic chemicals and
switching to environmentally preferable janitorial products.
Richmond Laboratory Gets Upgrades
Staff and contract technicians at EPA's regional laboratory in Rich-
mond, Calif., have been supporting EPA's field work in the Pacific
Southwest since 1994. The lab's routine work includes chemical,
biological, and physical analyses of samples—more than 10,000
of them in 2005. In addition, the Richmond Lab became the third
EPA lab in the nation to receive accreditation under EPA's national
laboratory accreditation system.
Recent upgrades at the lab include a new mobile trailer with in-
struments to measure mercury in the air. This mobile mercury
monitor was used to investigate air emissions of mercury from
-------
gold mining operations in Nevada, as well as tracking atmospheric
mercury deposition in waterways.
The lab also has a new technique for measuring bacterial contami-
nation of water, new chemicals of concern in living tissue (such as
endocrine disrupters), and biological warfare agents such as anthrax
spores. It's called Polymerase Chain Reaction Technology, an ex-
tremely sensitive method of analyzing DMA fragments.
A Great Place to Work
The Pacific Southwest Regional Office was
honored in 2005 as the best place in the nation
to work for EPA—and the second best small
agency or regional office in the entire federal
government—based on feedback from employees.
The top three small agencies/regional offices were the Federal Me-
diation and Conciliation Service, with a ranking of 81.2, EPA's Pacific
Southwest Regional Office, at 80.5, and EPA's Pacific Northwest Re-
gional Office in Seattle, at 78.4.
The Best Places to Work rankings (at www.bestplacestowork.org)
were made by the Partnership for Public Service and American Uni-
versity's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation.
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Pacific Southwest/
Region 9 Contacts
Phone Inquiries
415.947.8000
or 866.EPA.WEST (toll-free)
Email Inquiries
r9.info@epa.gov
EPA Web Site
www.epa.gov
For Pacific Southwest Issues
www.epa.gov/region09
Offices
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
EPA Pacific Islands Contact Office
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 5124
Honolulu, HI 96850
808.541.2710
EPA San Diego Border Office
610 West Ash St., Suite 905
San Diego, CA 92101
619.235.4765
EPA Southern California Field Office
600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1460
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213.244.1800
To Obtain This Report
Order from EPA's Environmental Information Center
at 415.947.8000, or 866.EPA.WEST (toll-free),
email r9.info@epa.gov or view and print from the
Internet at www.epa.gov/region09/annualreport
®EPA
Printed on 100% recycled paper, 50% post-consumer
content—process chlorine-free
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 2006-571-426
-------
EPA Pacific Southwest/Region 9
Environmental Information Center
Web: www.epa.gov/region09
Email: r9.info@epa.gov
Phone: 866.EPA.WEST (toll-free)
415.947.8000
Office of the Regional Administrator
415.947.8702
Wayne Nastri, Regional Administrator
Laura Yoshii, Deputy Regional
Administrator
Bridget Coyle, Acting Civil Rights Director
Steven John, Southern California Field
Office Director
Office of Public Affairs
415.947.8700
Sally Seymour, Director
Public Information/News Media Relations
Partnerships: State, Congressional Liaison
Compliance Assurance Coordination
Office of Regional Counsel
415.947.8705
Nancy Marvel, Regional Counsel
Legal Counsel
Civil and Criminal Enforcement
Defensive Litigation, Ethics
Air Division
415.947.8715
Deborah Jordan, Director
Planning, Permits, Rulemaking
Enforcement, Technical Support
Radiation & Compliance Assurance
Grants & Program Integration
Superfund Division
415.947.8709
Keith Takata, Director
Site Cleanup, Brownfields, Oil Pollution
Federal Facilities and Base Closures
Emergency Response & Planning
Community Involvement, Site Assessment
Waste Management Division
415.947.8708
Jeff Scott, Director
Pollution Prevention, Solid Waste
RCRA Permits/Corrective Action
RCRA Inspections & Enforcement
RCRA State Program Development
Underground Storage Tank Program
Water Division
415.947.8707
Alexis Strauss, Director
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Marine Sanctuaries Act
Communities and Ecosystems Division
415.947.8704
Enrique Manzanilla, Director
Agriculture Program, Environmental Justice
Pesticides, Toxics, TRI
Environmental Review/NEPA
Tribal Programs, Pacific Islands
U.S.-Mexico Border Program
Stewardship/Performance Track
Policy and Management Division
415.947.8706
Jane Diamond, Director
Budget, Finance/Grants/Contracts
Strategic Planning, Science Policy
Laboratory & OA/QC, Facilities
Information Resource Management
Health & Safety, Human Resources
Southern California Field Office (Los Angeles)
Pacific Islands Contact Office (Honolulu)
San Diego Border Office (San Diego)
©EPA
U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest/Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Official Business Only
------- |