I
U.S. Environmental Protesiion Agency
Pacific Southwest/Region 9
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From the Regional Administrator
Dear Readers,
Over the past year, I've seen many of the remarkable environmental successes EPA and our
federal, state, local and tribal partners have accomplished across the Pacific Southwest.
These projects include building safe drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for Indian
tribes, cleanups of toxic mine waste, solar-powered treatment of contaminated groundwater,
and cleaner diesel engines in Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley.
We finalized California's No-Discharge Zone, which protects offshore waters by prohibiting
the dumping of sewage by oceangoing vessels. And our enforcement actions in the Pacific
Southwest last year will result in almost $4 billion in environmental improvements.
Meanwhile, air quality continues to improve in our urban areas. We're working with state
agencies to control pollution in hundreds of water bodies. Sixty-one federal facilities have
accepted our challenge to reduce their environmental footprints.
We're also proud to be part of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong
Communities (SC2), collaborating with other agencies and city officials to spur economic
development in urban areas like Fresno.
We invite you to learn more about our regional priorities at www.epa.gov/region9/strategicplan.
As all environmental issues are at their source local, we want to continue working with you in
your communities to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to protect public health
and the environment throughout the Pacific Southwest.
Jared Blumenfeld
Regional Administrator
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
Cover: The California coast near Santa Barbara
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A Hard Look
at Bay-Delta
Progress
18
Cleaning Up
Perchlorate-
Tainted
Groundwater
Table of Contents
Building
Tribal Water
Infrastructure
Clean Air.
Clean Water.
Clean Land ...,...,...,...,...,. 11
Communities & Ecosystems 17
Island
Landfills Meet
Disposal
Challenges
Fighting
Unhealthy Air
in California
Compliances Stewardship 21
Marine Debris in the Pacific Centerfold
Contact Information Inside Back Cover
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CL EAN AIR
Air Quality Improves Across Region
Since 1970, the Pacific Southwest's population has doubled,
while the distance travelled by motor vehicles has tripled.
Nevertheless, air quality has improved dramatically every-
where - though some areas still have a long way to go.
Decades of work brings results
We all breathe healthier air thanks to federal regulations
stemming from the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the
Amendments of 1977 and 1990 such as the phaseout of
leaded gasoline, and cleaner car and truck engines along
with actions at the state and local level intended to meet or
exceed federal requirements (see charts, page 5).
The trend toward healthier air is evident even in
California's South Coast (the Los Angeles area) and San
Joaquin Valley though these areas still have some of the
nation's worst air quality. Both areas have met clean air
standards for sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide
consistently since 2002. But levels of ozone (smog) and
particulates, despite continuing improvement, have failed to
meet health standards.
Since 2000, there have been new, tougher standards for
ozone and particulates. In the 1990s, health studies found
exposure to ground-level ozone to be harmful at lower levels
and shorter time periods than previously known. Particulate
pollution dust, soot, and aerosols was found to be harmful
at smaller sizes, which can penetrate deeper into human lungs.
For these reasons, EPA more than a decade ago added new
air quality standards for 8-hour exposure to ozone, and for fine
particulates, known as PM2 5. Under the Clean Air Act, states
are responsible for submitting clean air plans to EPA that show
how and when they will achieve the standards.
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EPA spotlight
Fighting Unhealthy Air in California
Fine particulate pollution levels - first measured
in 1999 - had improved by 43% in the South Coast by
2010, but only 14% in the San Joaquin Valley.
Further clean air measures were needed.
New plans set aggressive goals
In 2011, EPA approved California's clean air plans
for the Valley and South Coast, which include
most of California's population. One goal of the
plans is to achieve the national health standard for
8-hour ozone exposure within 12 years.
For the San Joaquin Valley, another goal is to
reduce fine particulate pollution by 34% from
2009 levels, meeting the PM2 5 standard by the end
of 2014. The California Air Resources Board
(GARB) predicts that on average, this will prevent
640 premature deaths per year in the valley.
As part of these plans, CARB had submitted
three of the most innovative mobile source
emissions rules in the nation, including the
In-Use Diesel Truck and Bus rule, which affects
more than 1 million diesel engines in California.
Dozens of local rules were upgraded to further
reduce pollution from specific industries. For
example, a San Joaquin Valley rule regulating
confined animal feeding operations will reduce
smog-forming volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions by 25 tons per day.
This year, EPA is preparing to act on at least 10
more San Joaquin Valley rules, including emissions
limits for fumigants, oil wells and pipelines.
"When the Clean Air Act was signed over 40
years ago, the goal was to make sure every single
American could breathe healthy air," says EPA
Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld. "That
promise has still never been realized in the San
Joaquin Valley, so we're working with CARB and
AIR PLANNERS
Doris Lo, Frances
Wicher and Wienke
Tax (left to right)
have over 60 years of
combined experience
at EPA working on air quality plans, permits, rules
and enforcement. Most recently, the three worked
closely to evaluate ozone and particulate matter
plans for California's South Coast and San Joaquin
Valley, and approve state and local regulations
for these pollutants. Their expertise is much in
demand, as California continues to develop new air
quality plans for more stringent health standards.
the Valley's Air District on a number of actions
to make it happen."
Clean Technology for Cleaner Air
Advances in technology have brought far cleaner
engines to new diesel trucks and locomotives. Now
the challenge is to get cleaner engines into existing
vehicles, which last for decades, and to speed
adoption of other clean-tech advances.
Collaboration speeds deployment
EPA is making grants to vehicle fleet owners to
hasten the replacement of dirty diesel engines,
especially in areas with unhealthy air, like the
South Coast and San Joaquin Valley.
In January 2012, EPA announced $7.9
million in grant funds to help fund cleaner
diesel engines throughout the Pacific Southwest
as part of the West Coast Collaborative. One of
these grants helped pay for cleaner locomotives
in the San Joaquin Valley, like the diesel-electric
hybrid pictured at right. It's not only cleaner,
but uses 50% less fuel than its predecessor on a
freight line between Lodi and the Port of
Stockton, Calif.
In February, EPA partnered with CARB, the
South Coast Air Quality Management District and
the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District to convene in Bakersfield with local
governments, vehicle fleet owners, and dozens of
innovative companies to accelerate development
and deployment of cleaner technology for
trucks and buses, including battery-electric,
fuel cell, and hybrid vehicles. California's first
electric school bus made its public debut there.
In parts of the Los Angeles area, diesel
emissions from beer and soft drink delivery
trucks are a significant part of the problem. To
help ratchet down these emissions, EPA issued
a $1.5 million grant to the South Coast Air
Quality Management District to help pay for
cleaner engines on beverage trucks in the
heavily-impacted Boyle Heights area. The new
fleet hit the roads in February 2012.
This new diesel-electric hybrid locomotive, purchased
with partial funding from EPA, is cleaner and
uses 50% less fuel than its predecessor on
a freight line in California's San Joaquin Valley.
Far right: Improved air quality in Los Angeles.
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Air Quality Trends
Ozone (smog) Levels,* 1980-2010
PM (fine particulate) Levels,* 2000-2010
iui hiHpmi Vjlfc-y, CA
Va ley.f-^
*Blank areas in graph mean that air quality met national health
standard during that period. For details on the data sources,
go to www.epa.gov/region9/air/trends
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CL EAN WAI
California's Impaired Waters
II
California has expanded water monitoring to more rivers,
streams and lakes than ever before, more than doubling its
list of polluted waters. EPA is working with the state's
Water Boards to complete and implement hundreds of
pollution control plans for these waters.
More waters tested, found polluted
Of California's 3 million acres of lakes, bays, wetlands and
estuaries, more than half have been assessed, with 1.6
million acres failing to meet water quality goals. Of these,
1.4 million acres still need pollution control plans known as
TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Loads).
Of the state's 215,000 miles of shoreline, streams and
rivers, about 45,000 have been assessed, with 30,000 miles
not meeting water quality goals. The most common
contaminants are pesticides, bacteria, dissolved metals, and
oxygen-depleting nutrients.
Waterways added to the impaired list in 2011 include
portions of the San Joaquin River, where high temperatures
threaten salmon and trout.
The listings lead to development of TMDLs or other
actions for these water bodies to restore them to swim-
mable, fishable conditions. Work is already underway to
address waters currently listed.
The data show:
More beaches, both inland and coastal, are on the list
because bacteria reached unsafe levels for swimming.
Trash impairment listings have increased by 76% due to
better reporting. California's Trash Policy, now under
development, will address impacts to wildlife and the
Pacific Ocean.
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EPA spotlight
California's statewide sport fish monitoring
has increased by 24% the number of
waterways with fish that are unsafe to eat,
often due to mercury levels.
Waters impaired by pesticides increased 36%.
California's Irrigated Lands Regulatory
Program has achieved reduced pesticide
levels in surface waters.
www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/impaired-waters
Restoring Napa River Watershed
In the Napa Valley, which has some of the nation's
most valuable agricultural land, 40 vineyard
owners are transforming 135 acres of riverbank to
wildlife habitat to prevent floods and erosion and
to restore salmon runs.
EPA grant builds on local stewardship
EPA and Napa County pooled nearly $3.3 million
in federal, state and local funding to restore water
quality as well as riparian and aquatic habitats in
the Napa River watershed.
Steelhead trout and Chinook salmon
populations in the Napa River have suffered steep
declines as a result of sediment clogging the river
and covering spawning gravel. Erosion has also
degraded the river channel, severely reducing
habitat for young fish. The 55-mile-long river is
also prone to winter flooding.
"The Napa River represents one of the most
important watersheds within the San Francisco
Bay-Delta estuary for the recovery of regional
steelhead and salmon populations," says EPA
Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld. "This
$1.5 million EPA grant will help manage erosion,
improve spawning gravel, and create habitat."
The grant builds on more than two decades of
local stewardship involving landowners, Napa
County, elected officials and partner agencies.
The project will help restore water quality by:
restoring river function to improve fish habitat
eradicating invasive Giant Reed and planting
native riparian trees
assisting ranchers in reducing erosion, and
implementing practices to reduce sediment
runoff from rural roads and stream crossings
The project is one of dozens funded by EPA in
the San Francisco Bay Area to implement TMDLs
and watershed plans (see map, next page).
www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/napariver
Building Tribal Water Infrastructure
Many areas on tribal lands still lack basic drinking
water and wastewater services. With federal
funding, construction is underway or completed on
12 drinking water projects and 42 wastewater
treatment projects.
Recovery Act projects benefit 16 tribes
With funding from the 2009 American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act, EPA issued grants to more
than a dozen tribes totaling $30.7 million to
build drinking water and wastewater facilities in
areas lacking adequate infrastructure. EPA is
working with the Indian Health Service and the
tribes to oversee construction.
The drinking water projects are providing
potable water in areas where local springs and
groundwater supplies are insufficient or have
unsafe levels of arsenic, uranium, fluoride or
ERSKINE BENJAMIN II
Erskine Benjamin
oversees EPA funding
to Indian tribes to build
wastewater and drinking
water facilities. His big-
gest project this year is
a secondary wastewater
treatment system under construction on the Tule
River Indian Reservation near Porterville, Calif. It will
replace 268 home septic systems, many of which are
old and failing. Erskine joined EPA in 2009 and has
bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from
the University of Florida in Gainesville and the Georgia
Institute of Technology.
bacteria. Some homes at Navajo Nation and Hopi
Tribe are receiving piped water for the first time.
By January 2012, the completed facilities
had brought safe drinking water to more than
3,000 tribal homes, and improved wastewater
treatment facilities to serve over 2,400 homes.
More than 11,000 homes will be served when
all projects are finished.
On the Navajo Nation, EPA funded 26 septic
tank and drainfield replacement projects in 25
communities. The new septic tanks are made from
85%-100% recycled plastic and the drainfields are
made from 100% recycled materials.
At the White Mountain Apache Tribe's
reservation in Arizona, the White River Surface
Water Treatment Plant allows 1,667 homes to
supplement a declining well field with river
water. The system's innovative design features
will save the tribe $54,000 annually in energy
costs compared to a traditional treatment plant.
Map: For more information on EPA-funded water
projects in the San Francisco Bay watershed, visit
www.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/sfbaywqfund
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CL EAN .AND
Mine Cleanups: A Toxic Legacy
Mining has historically pumped up the economy of western
states, but left thousands of abandoned mines, some of them
releasing toxics into the environment. EPA helps clean up the
worst of them.
New Idria: Halting mercury, acid mine drainage
About 150 miles southeast of San Francisco, Calif., New Idria
(pictured at left) was North Americas second most productive
mercuiy mine. Though out of sight and out of mind to Bay
Area residents, its runoff polluted creeks, wetlands, and even
San Francisco Bay.
New Idria's acidic water flowed over waste rock and
tailings, picking up highly toxic, bioaccumulative mercury,
and moving it into creeks and wetlands that are a magnet
for wildlife in this arid region, including the California
Condor and San Joaquin kit fox.
In 2011, EPA re-routed acid mine drainage around
waste rock and tailings into a limestone splash pad and
retention pond, removing contaminants and acidity.
While additional work will be needed, EPA has reduced a
dangerous source of mercury pollution in the San Joaquin
River and San Francisco Bay.
Skyline Mine: Removing radioactive dirt
At Oljato Mesa, near Monument Valley on the Arizona-
Utah border, EPA contractors toiled for 200 days in 2011
to move 25,000 cubic yards of radioactive mine waste to a
repository near the abandoned Skyline Mine.
The site was one of more than 500 abandoned uranium
mines investigated by EPA and the Navajo Nation in the
Story continues, p. 14
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North Pacific
Subtropical
Convergence Zone
;ro:
/
Wesi
Western Garbage Patch
itornia
Eastern Garbage Pa$£h or
N. Pacific Subtropical High
North Equatorial
As much as 80% of marine debris
is from land-based sources
Starting as litter, it gets washed into storm drains and
streams, enters the ocean, and breaks down into smaller
pieces that are mistaken for food and eaten by fish and
wildlife, often killing them. Some of it washes up on beaches;
the rest drifts endlessly as tiny particles in the ocean gyres.
sties are the predominant type of marine debris in the Pacifi
Plastic is estimated to represent between 60% and 80% of the
tal marine debris in the world's oc
EPA's Pacific Southwest Region has developed a Marine Debris Strategy,
using existing EPA resources and working with an array of partners to
address the problem - both on land and in the open ocean. The strategy
includes waste minimization and trash reduction from stormwater
discharges, as well as investigating potential cleanup approaches in the
ocean. EPA is also working collaboratively to monitor migration of debris
from the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
Image credits / This page: NOAA Facing page, top left: © Mike Kahn/Green Stock Media
top right: EPA bottom left: NOAA bottom right: © Chris Jordan, courtesy of Kopeikin Gallery
p.16-17: Heather Heinks, City of Fresno / p.19, top right: Veronica Weber/Pa/o Alto Weekly
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NO DUMPING!
FLOWS TO I SAY
a
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EPA spotlight
past decade. The Navajo Nation made Skyline
Mine a priority, since there are homes close by.
Bulldozers scraped radioactive soil into a pile
at the bottom of the mesa. A cable yarder an
aerial cable car moved the waste to the top,
conserving energy and preventing air pollution.
The repository, a shallow pit, was sealed with
high-density polyethylene (HOPE), then covered
with local soil and rock.
Island Landfills Meet
Disposal Challenges
Trash disposal on islands poses special challenges.
EPA oversaw emergency repairs to Oahu's only
municipal landfill, and Guam opened its long-
awaited, environmentally protective landfill.
Oahu trash spill closed beaches
Honolulu has only one municipal solid waste
landfill Waimanalo Gulch. On January 12, 2011,
the gulch was pounded by 11 inches of rain, and a
temporary storm drain system overflowed, washing
JASON MUSANTE
Jason Musante is one of
fourSuperfund On-Scene
Coordinators based in
Long Beach, Calif. He has
12 years experience in
' toxic cleanups, from the
Westly (Calif.) Tire Fire in
2001 to last year's Kalamazoo River oil spill.
Jason was on the Navajo Nation for five months
overseeing removal of uranium mine waste (see
story). But first, he worked with the Navajo EPA and
local residents to find a safer place for it.
trash and medical waste downstream. Some of it
turned up on nearby beaches. Local officials closed
beaches, as well as the saturated landfill.
At the Hawaii Department of Health's
request, EPA worked with landfill managers
right away to clean up the waste, make short-
term repairs, and complete a larger, permanent
storm drain system. EPA ordered landfill
operators to functionally complete the storm-
water drainage system and repair the landfill
liners before reopening.
Oahu's trash had nowhere to go, and began
piling up. A team of EPA scientists and engineers
examined the work at the landfill, and allowed it to
reopen on January 28. Heavy rainfall resumed, but
there were no more overflows. In November,
EPA ordered Honolulu and landfill operators to
increase Waimanalo's capacity to divert stormwater.
Quick action had avoided a potentially
catastrophic release of trash-contaminated water.
Improved stormwater controls now protect the
health of Oahu's residents, visitors and shoreline
environment.
Guam's new Layon Landfill opens
On August 31, 2011, Guam residents celebrated the
long-awaited closure of the Ordot dump Superfund
site, and the opening of the new, environmentally
protective Layon Landfill to receive the island's
municipal solid waste that is not recycled.
The Ordot dump had continually discharged
leachate into the nearby Lonfit River and sometimes
polluted the air when it caught fire. The new landfill
meets or exceeds federal and Guam requirements for
protecting the island's environment.
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Sun Powers Groundwater Cleanups
Cleanups of toxic sites should not add to other
environmental problems, like air pollution. EPA's
latest examples of "greener cleanups" are two
sites run by solar power near Sacramento, Calif.
Frontier Fertilizer site goes solar
For the first time, the sun is providing 100% of
the power for a Superfund groundwater cleanup.
By installing solar panels on half an acre, the
Frontier Fertilizer site in Davis, Calif, reduced
energy costs by $15,000 a year and CCX
emissions by more than 54 metric tons a year.
In addition to using solar panels, the site is
using an innovative in-place electrical heating
system to extract pesticides and fertilizers from the
soil and groundwater. This 1-1/2-year treatment
will reduce the time for groundwater cleanup by
about 150 years. Extraction wells collect gas and
liquids generated by the heat, which are then
treated with granular activated carbon.
RESTORING GROUNDWATER
IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY
Over the course of
decades, the huge aquifer
underlying southern
California's San Gabriel
Valley was contaminated
by the activities of
hundreds of industrial
facilities, resulting in
several Superfund cleanup sites. The South El
Monte Operating Unit is just one of many areas
requiring cleanup.
EPA's team of technical experts and attorneys
have recovered $23 million from more than 60
parties at South El Monte over the past 10 years to
help pay for cleanup of the three-trillion-gallon San
Gabriel Basin groundwater aquifer, which serves as
the primary source of water for most of the San
Gabriel Valley's one million residents. Through their
determined efforts, more than $6 million was
recovered from 18 companies in the past year alone.
These improvements were funded by more
than $2.5 million from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act.
www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/solarpanels
Aerojet cleanup expands
The largest photovoltaic solar power system at a
Superfund site is at the 13-square-mile Aerojet
site near Rancho Cordova in Sacramento County,
one California's largest groundwater cleanups.
The latest phase started in September 2011,
when EPA ordered a $60 million cleanup of
groundwater polluted with rocket fuel. A
27-square-mile swath of groundwater beneath the
former aerospace facility is polluted with very
high levels of perchlorate a main component of
rocket fuel and a known developmental toxin.
Aerojet, under the direction of EPA, will contain
the underground plume to prevent it from spreading
into nearby rivers and streams, and purify 25 million
gallons of groundwater daily to prevent the loss of
additional drinking water supplies.
www.epa.gov/region9/aerojet
O A cable yarder at the abandoned
Skyline Uranium Mine on the Navajo
Nation removes radioactive mine waste
to a safe repository. Q EPA helps
repair Honolulu's Waimanalo Gulch
Landfill after a heavy storm washed
medical waste onto beaches. O EPA's
Greg Nagle with water monitoring data
transmitter at New Idria Mercury Mine
Superfund site, San Benito County,
Calif. O EPA and Guam EPA staff
join with other key contributors to
celebrate the permanent closure of
the polluting Ordot Dump on Guam.
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COMMUNITIES
& ECOSYSTEMS
. :<
K
Strengthening Urban Communities
Cities deal with myriad issues, including economic development,
pollution and infrastructure. EPA and other federal programs
help bring jobs and lasting improvements.
Feds support Fresno's revitalization efforts
Fresno, Calif., was selected as one of six pilot cities nation-
wide for the federal Strong Cities, Strong Communities
(SC2) initiative. EPA is leading a team of federal agencies to
assist city officials in efforts to revitalize Fresno's downtown
area and grow the local economy.
EPA Community Planner Suzanne Hague, based at
Fresno's City Hall, is integrating the planning for a future
high-speed rail station with the city's downtown revitaliza-
tion plans. She is part of the Fresno Community Solutions
Team, which includes people from 12 federal agencies,
including Housing and Urban Development, Transporta-
tion, Agriculture, and Commerce.
The team works with the city to leverage funds and
support local projects to encourage economic growth and
community development. SC2 also aims to encourage
partnerships among community organizations, anchor
institutions, businesses, foundations and government agencies.
"The SC2 team has been a terrific partner in contributing
to the development of 'ground-up' solutions tailored to our
needs, refining lasting partnerships with key local and
regional stakeholders, and working to remove roadblocks
accompanying federal programs that directly affect our
city," says Mayor Ashley Swearingen.
The SC2 intiative is strengthening local capacity and
economic growth in five additional cities: Chester, Pa.;
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Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Memphis,
Term.; and New Orleans, La.
By integrating government investments and
partnering with local communities, SC2 helps
empower cities as they implement their visions for
economic growth.
Bay Area communities leverage cleanups
In East Palo Alto, Calif., EPA's Brownfields program
provided funding and worked with city officials to
clean up toxic contaminants at Cooley Landing, a
former dump on San Francisco Bay where trash
had been burned more than half a century ago.
Today, the city is transforming the 15-acre
peninsula into its first bayside park and a valuable
community resource.
In San Jose, the largest city in Silicon Valley,
EPA funding helped restore fish and wildlife
habitat along Coyote Creek, a perennial stream
which runs through the city.
The creek had been plagued with trash coming
from stormwater outfalls, as well as homeless
encampments. The city's four-year pilot program
is built on engaging neighbors as creek stewards
and deterring dumping and litter.
www.epa.gov/region9/superfund/cooley
www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/cleancreeks
Green jobs funding aids South Tucson
EPA awarded a $300,000 grant to the city of
South Tucson, Ariz., to recruit, train and place
unemployed, low-income residents in jobs to
clean up polluted sites for reuse.
The program will put 39 trainees through a
28-week training cycle with courses on hazardous
waste operations, asbestos and lead inspections,
underground storage tank operation and cleanup,
and green and alternative cleanup practices.
"Our residents, community organizations, and
employers look forward to working with the EPA
to change lives and substantially improve our city,"
said South Tucson Mayor Jennifer Eckstrom.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded more than $35
million under the Environmental Workforce
Development and Job Training Program. By the
end of 2011, more than 6,700 people had been
trained, and more than 4,400 placed in full-time
jobs in the environmental field.
www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm
A Hard Look at Bay-Delta Progress
EPA is collaborating with other agencies to
revitalize efforts to balance California's water
supply needs with those of fish and wildlife in
the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.
Agencies examine estuary stressors
With California's water resources facing ever-
increasing demands, state and federal agencies are
bringing a new level of attention to the state of the
West's largest estuary. As part of this effort, EPA is
reviewing its water quality programs to gauge their
success and identify actions needed.
EPA's review, which was triggered by the
plummeting numbers of salmon and other fish
species over the last 10 years, has shown that state
and federal programs under the Clean Water Act
have not stemmed the decline of the estuary's
aquatic resources. One species, the Delta smelt, had
declined to such low levels in 2010 that fishery
scientists feared it could become extinct at any time.
Seven stressors affecting fish were considered
in EPA's review: ammonia, selenium, pesticides,
emerging contaminants, declining estuarine
habitat, fragmented migratory corridors for fish,
and wetlands loss.
EPA spotlight
SUZANNE HAGUE
Suzanne Hague is EPA's
Community Planner in
Fresno, Calif., supporting
the White House's Strong
^_ I Cities, Strong Communities
' Initiative. Suzanne's
expertise is in urban
planning and community revitalization.
In Fresno, she is providing technical assistance
to several city planning and development projects
and helping coordinate city plans with regional and
state initiatives such as high speed rail.
Before joining EPA, Suzanne was Deputy Project
Manager for the New Orleans Master Plan.
EPA's review highlighted the following
priority activities to work on in partnership with
California water quality agencies:
update the state's water quality standards
that protect the Bay-Delta Estuary habitat,
consistent with recent science
advance regional water quality monitoring
in the Central Valley
improve implementation of watershed plans,
including Total Maximum Daily Loads
provide relevant water quality data for EPA's
pesticide registration reviews
develop methylmercury controls in wetlands
EPA has launched a new website on Bay-Delta
issues that includes extensive public comment that
was received as part of its review.
www.epa.gov/sfbaydelta
O Garden at Lincoln School in Richmond is part of
a project to reduce polluted runoff going into San
Francisco Bay. East Palo Alto officials break
ground at Cooley Landing, where a former dump site
has been cleaned up and is being redeveloped into
a bayside park. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
talks in San Francisco with Luminalt workers, who
installed a solar array on this rooftop. O Tidal
wetlands in the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife
Refuge benefit from projects in map on p. 9.
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m u ii" "'J
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101
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COMPLIANCE
& STEWARDSHIP
Enforcement Efforts Span Region
Every year, EPA takes hundreds of enforcement actions against
violators of federal environmental laws. Beyond exacting a price
for wrongdoing and requiring investment in solutions, these
actions serve as a strong incentive for compliance everywhere.
Actions gain air, land, groundwater cleanups
States and some tribes are delegated authority to enforce
federal environmental laws, extending EPA's enforcement
reach much further. This means EPA's enforcement actions
are just a fraction of the enforcement picture. Some of
2011 's most significant EPA cases included:
CalPortland Company, a cement and building materials
manufacturer, is paying a $1.425 million penalty to
resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its
cement plant in Mojave (Kern County), Calif. The
facility must also spend an estimated $1.3 million on
air pollution controls.
A $1 million settlement with Chemical Waste
Management's Kettleman City, Calif, hazardous waste
landfill requires the facility to use an outside lab to
accurately analyze the waste being deposited in the
landfill. The facility had disposed of liquid leachate
from the landfill without assuring that it met
treatment standards.
Tronox, a Henderson, Nev., rocket fuel manufacturer,
released approximately 40 million pounds of perchlorate
into soil and groundwater. Some of it reached Lake
Mead, Las Vegas' main drinking water source. As
part of a nationwide bankruptcy settlement, Tronox
allocated $81 million for cleanup. Currently, a
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treatment system removes 1,900 pounds of
perchlorate daily from the groundwater.
Columbus Foods, a food processor in South San
Francisco, Calif, will spend about $6 million
converting to a safer technology after it leaked
poisonous ammonia gas into the air twice in a
single year. In the second instance, 17 people
were hospitalized. EPA's enforcement action
also requires Columbus to pay a penalty of
$685,000 and improve its alarm and ammonia
release notification procedures.
Ventura County, Calif, contractor Thomas
Staben will pay a $225,000 penalty for dumping
40,000 cubic yards of material into five acres of
Calleguas Creek, the main fresh water source
for the coastal Mugu Lagoon Estuary. As part
of the settlement, Staben will also spend at least
$500,000 removing the fill and restoring the
creek's natural functions.
Federal Green Challenge Takes Off
The federal government, as the nation's largest
landlord and biggest buyer of goods, services and
energy, has huge environmental impacts. EPA's
Federal Green Challenge seeks to reduce those
impacts and lead by example.
Federal agencies reduce environmental impact
EPA launched the West Coast Federal Green
Challenge in April 2011 with commitments from 34
federal facilities to reduce their environmental
impacts by at least 5% annually in at least two of six
areas: waste, water, energy, transportation, electronics
and purchasing.
Due to the success of the West Coast initiative,
the Federal Green Challenge launched nationally
in late 2011 and the Pacific Southwest now has 61
partners, employing over 243,000 people.
Participants include the Navy, Forest Service,
several national parks, and Postal Service.
Participants undertake various projects to reduce
their impact, including environmentally preferable
purchasing, when agencies buy less or choose
"green" products. One participant, the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory in California, has
already phased out the use of polystyrene foam in
cafeterias, reduced landfill waste by 26%, reduced
paper purchases by 21%, and recycled 100% of old
electronic equipment. As a result, the reductions in
greenhouse gases from the lab are equivalent to
removing 125 cars from the road.
The federal government buys $425 billion of
goods and services annually, including 7% of the
entire world's IT purchases. Its real estate portfolio
includes 550,000 buildings.
www.epa.gov/fgc
^Federal Green Challenge
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Art Contest Targets Trash in Oceans
Earth Week at EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional
Office in 2011 included an art exhibit and awards
event for 25 student finalists in an art contest.
More than 200 students submit creative works
EPA challenged K-12 students in San Francisco
Bay Area schools to use art to communicate the
pressing issue of marine debris. More than 200
students submitted highly creative works. Their
drawings, paintings, posters and 3D works used
various media, including found or recycled
materials. Many of the winning artworks used
actual debris found on beaches.
"Every work was beautiful and inspiring," said
Bill Glenn of EPAs Office of Public Affairs, who
helped organize the contest. Regional Administrator
Jared Blumenfeld presented awards to all 25
finalists, their teachers, and grand prize winners.
Other guests included family members and noted
local artists Judith Selby Lang and Eli Noyes.
Ms. Lang used flotsam she picks up every day
from Kehoe Beach in Point Reyes National
Seashore to create a marine debris installation at
San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art. Mr.
Noyes created the U.S. Postal Services "Go
Green" stamps, illustrating 15 ways people can
protect the environment in everyday actions.
Marine debris is a global concern, and the
students' art works highlight the environmental
problems caused by waste in our oceans. The
trash threatens seabirds, turtles and other wildlife,
who mistake tiny bits of plastic for food (see the
centerfold, p. 12-13, to learn more).
www.epa.gov/region9/artcontest
EPA spotlight
MARTHA VEGA
Martha Vega serves
as Administrative
Officer for EPA's
Pacific Southwest
Waste Division. She
processes, disburses,
and meticulously tracks
the division's entire $24 million budget.
This Includes grants to states for salaries
of hazardous waste inspectors, salaries for her
own division's 80 staff and managers, travel
reimbursements, even hiring translators for public
meetings in neighborhoods where most residents
speak Spanish.
"I make sure the funding is there to get the
environmental work done," she says.
United Sta
Proteo-T
0 The Federal Green Challenge involves 61 partners with
243,000 employees in reducing environmental impacts
of their facilities in the Pacific Southwest. The National
Park Service has installed solar panels on the roof of the
Alcatraz Island cell block. EPA Regional Administrator
Jared Blumenfeld presents awards to winners in 2011
Earth Day Art Contest. This work by a second-grade
class at San Francisco's Children's Day School was one
of five grand prize winners in the Earth Day Art Contest.
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Shrinking Our Footprint
We at EPA's regional office for the Pacific
Southwest are striving to REDUCE our footprint.
In 2011, we met our ZERO WASTE goal - by keeping
97% of our waste out of landfills.
ACHIEVING ZERO WASTE: EPA'S REGION 9 OFFICE
700.0
Total 2008 Total 2009 Total 2010 Total 2011
I Landfill Paper Recycling Compost Recycling
DIVERSION RATE
100%
97%
Nation San Francisco EPA's Region
9 Office
Comparative Landfill Diversion Rates
EPA'S REGION 9 OFFICE PAPER PURCHASES
1,758
2003-2005 2006-2008 2009-2011
3-year averages
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I Pacific Southwest/Region 9 Contacts
Offices
EPA Pacific Southwest Region
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA94105
415.947.8000
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, CA92101
619.235.4765
EPA Southern California Field Office
600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1460
Los Angeles, CA90017
213.244.1800
Phone Inquiries
415.947.8000
or 866.EPAWEST
(toll-free)
Email Inquiries
r9.info@epa.gov
EPA Website
wwwr.epa.gov
For Pacific Southwest Issues
www.epa.gov/region9
To Obtain This Report
Order from EPAs Environmental
Information Center at
866.EPA.WEST (toll-free), email
r9.info@epa.gov or view in English
and Spanish on the Web at
www.epa.gov/region9/annualreport
Want to stay informed?
Keep up with EPA's work in the Pacific Southwest and other environmental stories by
subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter at www.epa.gov/region9/newrsletter
f/EPA
^X> Printed on 100% recycled paper, more than
XZIC7
50% post-consumer contentprocess chlorine-free
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE;
2012-571-291
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We printed 3,500 copies of this report using soy-based inks on paper made with 100% recycled fiber and an average of
it-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free. By using this paper, we saved:
5 trees
2,556 gallons
of water
2.5 million
BTUs of energy
162 IDS of
solid waste
566 Ibs of
greenhouse gases
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Pacific Southwest/Region 9
EPA-909-R-12-001
Look inside this back cover to learn more about our shrinking footprin
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