EPA-540-FS-09-127 xvEPA I TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES FOR COMMUNITIES \ BlI&SSUB at the Hunters Point Shipyard Superfund Site www.epa.gov This fact sheet is part of a series that illustrates the services provided by U.S. EPA's Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program. Community Technical Assistance Needs The Hunters Point Shipyard (Shipyard) in San Francisco, California has a long history. Years of shipbuilding: ship and submarine maintenance and repair; and decontamination, storage, and disposal of radioactive and atomic weapons testing materials led to the Shipyard becoming contaminated with a variety of hazardous substances. In order to ensure cleanup, U.S. EPA listed the site on its National Priorities List of contaminated sites in 1989. The U.S. Navy is addressing the site's contamination. Due to its striking bayside location, the site has attracted a large amount of redevelopment interest. As the site is cleaned up, the U.S. Navy is transferring portions of the site property to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency for reuse. The community surrounding the Shipyard has a vested interest in the site's reuse and has been very engaged in the cleanup process. Community representatives work with U.S. Navy officials and state and local regulators as part of the Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), which reviews and comments on site cleanup-related reports and documents. Community representatives from the RAB contacted EPA Region 9 on September 2, 2008 to request technical assistance in two areas. The community's technical assistance priorities were: • to ensure that community members were well-informed regarding technical documents released for the site; and • to address community concerns regarding the potential impact of an earthquake on the protectiveness of the site's remedy. The TASC Response EPA Region 9 contacted TASC on September 15, 2008. Following a needs assessment discussion with the RAB chairperson TASC moved rapidly to address the community's priorities. To address the first priority, TASC proposed fact sheets for four technical site documents. These fact sheets needed to provide plain English summaries of the technical documents, allowing the public to better understand them and enhancing the community's review and comment period. Because each of the technical documents had a 30- day public comment period, the fact sheets needed to be prepared and distributed quickly. The first fact sheet for an already released technical document was finalized on September 24, 2008, just nine days after receipt of the technical assistance request. Three more fact sheets were similarly created for other technical documents between October 2008 and January 2009. With a presentation "What Happens to the Shipyard in a Large Earthquake?" already scheduled, TASC again needed to move rapidly to address the community's second priority. TASC queried its online database of technical experts, sent notices to its contractor network, and performed an online review of recognized experts in the field. A local U.S. Geological Survey expert was identified as the most qualified, cost-effective choice to provide the community with an explanation of potential earthquake effects on the protectiveness of the site's remedy. The expert provided two separate public presentations in December 2008. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Technical Assistance Services for Communities ------- Process Outcomes: Community Benefits TASC's quick response allowed the community to meet its technical assistance goals. • The four fact sheets developed by TASC enabled the Shipyard community members to more easily understand highlights of the much longer technical decision documents issued by the U.S. Navy. # The presentations provided by the U.S. Geological Survey expert provided the community with a respected outside opinion about the effects of a major earthquake on the protectiveness of the site's remedy. TASC services educated community members, allowing them to more effectively inform the cleanup decision-making process for the Shipyard. For more information on the Shipyard site cleanup, please contact: Keith S. Forman, U.S. Navy, BRAC Environmental Coordinator, keith.s.forman@navy.mil • (619) 532-0995 What is the TASC Program? www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tasc For more information on EPA's TASC program, please contact: Luis Garcia-Bakarich TASC Coordinator - EPA Region 9 garcia-bakarich.luis@epa.gov (415) 972-3237 Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) is a U.S. EPA program that provides educational and technical assistance to communities affected by hazardous waste sites regulated by the Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act programs. TASC provides independent technical advisors to explain hazardous waste issues and to interpret plans for cleaning up contamination. TASC offers assistance to help communities better understand local hazardous waste issues and engage in the cleanup process. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Technical Assistance Services for Communities Printed on 100% recycled/recyclable paper ------- |