RETURN TO USE INITIATIVE
2010 Demonstration Project
JIBBOOM JUNKYARD:
Sacramento, California
THE SITE: The Jibboom Junkyard Superfund Site
(the Site), located on the east bank of the Sacramento
River in Sacramento, California, spans nine acres. The
Site property was used by Associated Metals Cmpany
for metal salvaging operations from 1950 until 1965.
During this time, the company salvaged metal from a
wide range of sources, from railroad cars and army
tanks to batteries and transformers. These actvities
left significant concentrations of lead, copper, zinc and
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the soil. In 1965,
the State of California's Department of Transportation
purchased a seven-acre area for part of the Interstate
5 freeway and Jibboom Street. The Site is located in a
former industrial area close to downtown Sacramento.
The Site is also bordered by a state Superfund site,
an historic Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
steam electric power generating station.
EPA discovered contaminants on site in 1981 and the
Site was placed on the Superfund National Priorities
List (NPL) in 1983. Construction of the Site's remedy
was completed in 1987. The Site's remedy included
excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil,
which also prevented contamination of ground water.
Clean fill material was used to elevate the Interstate
5 freeway by approximately 20 feet, which further
enhanced the protectiveness of the Site's remedy. EPA
deleted the Site from the NPLin 1991. The California
Department of Environmental Protection (Cal/EPA)
also cleaned up a portion of the adjacent PG&E site
in 1996.
HE OPPOR UNITY: Recognizing the Site's
centra! location and redevelopment potential, the City
of Sacramento included the Site as part of its River
District Redevelopment Area. Plans for the area
include 15 million square feet of office space, 6,500
PICTURED: The Jibboom Street Park Master Plan, (source:
EPA)
BARRIER: Potential concerns regarding whether the Site's
remedy remained protective given proposed changes in local
land uses and updated cleanup standards for site contaminants.
SOLUTION: EPA conducted a Five-Year Review and
determined that the Site's remedy remains protective of human
health and the environment, now and in the future.
PICTURED: Jibboom Street Park fountain area, looking north
toward former PG&E power plant, (source: EPA)
BEFORE: The Site was the location of a former metal salvaging
facility.
AFTER: Site reuses include a community park and public land
used for the development of Jibboom Street and the Interstate 5
freeway.
SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
Updated: August 2010 1

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housing units and a community park encompassing a portion of the Site as well as the adjacent PG&E
site. The area would also be linked with riverfront developments along the American and Sacramento
Rivers.
BARRIER: The primary objective of the Site's remedy was to prevent direct exposure to the
contaminated soil and the secondary objective was to prevent the migration of contamination into area
ground water. Both objectives were addressed by the excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated
soil. In 2006, EPA learned the future land uses in the immediate vicinity of the Site included the potential
for high-density residential development. The possibility as well as updated cleanup standards for site
contaminants of concern, raised questions about the future protectiveness of the Site's remedy.
THE SOLUTION: In 2007, EPA completed a discretionary Five-Year Review to consider any
potential site impacts from changing land uses in the area and review updated cleanup standards
for lead and PCBs in residential soils. EPA also coordinated closely with the Cal/EPA regarding the
cleanup of the adjacent PG&E site and with the State Department of Transportation to ensure that
appropriate precautionary information was included. EPA reviewed site soil and ground water data,
conducted statistical analysis of the distribution of contaminants in remediated site soil and considered
current information on the toxicity of lead and PCBs. The Five-Year Review concluded that the Site's
remedy remains protective of the human health and the environment because residual lead and
PCB concentrations in site soils are within an acceptable range for residential use. The addition of
approximately ten feet of imported clean soil for the construction of Jibboom Street Park provided a
better view of the Sacramento River and also enhanced the protectiveness of the Site's remedy.
THE SITE NOW: Interstate 5 remains an active freeway and the remaining portion of the Site has
been successfully reused as part of Jibboom Street Park, a destination attraction along the existing
Sacramento River Parkway bicycle trail. Park facilities on the Site include a fountain, parking lot and
landscaping. The adjacent PG&E site has been proposed as the future location for the Sacramento
Museum of History, Science and Technology's new "Powerhouse Science Center." Plans for the new
development include a science, space and technology museum within the rehabilitated PG&E power
station, an adjacent restaurant and educational center, a planetarium and an open space park area with
an amphitheater.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Kevin Mayer, Remedial Project Manager,
at (415) 972-3176 or maver.kevin@epa.aov: or Gary Riley, Region 9 Superfund Redevelopment
Coordinator, at (415) 972-3003 or rilev.aarv@epa.aov.
United States
Environmental Protection
i Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
Updated: August 2010 2

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