Oyster Point LandfillSan Quentin Landfill

Tentative WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS

3/1629/00

CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD

SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION

TENTATIVE ORDER ORDER NO. R2-2002-0041

UPDATED WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS AND

RECISION OF WDR N0. ORDER NO. 97-05086-7077-19 FOR:

Oyster Point LandfillOYSTER POINT LANDFILLSAN QUENTIN LANDFILL AND CAL-POX, INCPLEASANTON GARBAGE SERVICE INC.

OLD PLEASANTON LANDFILL

PLEASANTON, ALAMEDA COUNTYCLASS III LANDFILL

City of South San FranciscoCITY OF SAN RAFAELSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, San Mateo CountyMARIN COUNTYSAN MATEO COUNTY

The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, (hereinafter called the Board), finds that:

SITE OWNER AND LOCATION

1.  The Pleasanton Garbage Service, Inc. (PGSI), hereinafter referred to as the Discharger, owns and operated a closed Class III municipal solid waste disposal site referred to as the Old Pleasanton Landfill (the site). The site is a privately owned landfill located at 2512 Vineyard Avenue, east of Pleasanton and south of Arroyo del Valle creek in Alameda County (Figure 1). No waste has been disposed of at this landfill since its closure in 1976.

1.  The City of South San FranciscoCAL-POX, Inc., hereafter referred to as the discharger, owns the Oyster PointSan Quentin Landfill. The site is located adjacent to the San FranciscoSan Rafael Bay in the City of South San FranciscoSan Rafael as shown in Figure 1, which is incorporated herein as a part of this Order. The site encompasses an area of approximately 57 acres above the high water line38 acres of low-lying diked land. The site does not have a formal street address and is bounded on the north by the San Rafael Drainage Assessment District Holding Pond, east by the San Pablo Bay, south by the ……, and the west by an adjacent wetland and ….. street, as shown in Figure 2, and south by the San Francisco Bay and on the west by Oyster Point Boulevard and Gull Drive, as shown in Figure 2.

2.  The City of South San Francisco is the site’s legal owner hereinafter referred to as the discharger.

3. 

4.  The site is located adjacent to San Francisco Bay in the City of South San Francisco, San Mateo County as shown in Figure 1, which is incorporated herein as a part of this Order. The site encompasses an area of approximately 57 acres above the high water line. The site does not have a formal street address and bounded on the north, east, and south by the San Francisco Bay and on the west by Oyster Point Boulevard and Gull Drive. No waste has been disposed of at the site since 1970, and the site is considered closed.

PURPOSE OF ORDER UPDATE

2. The primary purposes of this Oorder are to update the existing Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs), to implement corrective action for an identified discharge past the site’s point of compliance (the vertical surface located at the hydraulically downgradient limit of a waste management unit) and to bring the landfill intoassure compliance with the appropriate portions of Title 27 of the California Code Of Regulations (formerly known as Chapter 15, Title 23), referred to hereinafter as Title 27. The “appropriate portions” of Title 27 are herby defined as the relevant sections pertaining to post closure maintenance, water quality monitoring, and corrective action.

SITE DESCRIPTIONOWNERSHIP

REGULATORY HISTORY

3. The Oyster PointSan Quentin Landfill is a closed, unlined Class III landfill.

4.  The landfill operated between 1956 and 1970, and was used for the disposal of primarily non-hazardous solid wastes such as construction and yard debris. No waste has been disposed of at the site since 1970. Prior to 1956, the existing Oyster Point Landfill area consisted of tidal marshlands and upland bedrock and soils. Waste disposal operations resulted in the extension of the shoreline approximately 3,000 feet to the east of the pre-landfill shoreline. Consistent with landfill practices at that time, no liner was installed at the site. Instead, the waste materials , which consisted of a combination of domestic garbage, rubbish, and industrial waste, were placed directly onto the Younger Bay Mud and soils overlying bedrock.

5.  The landfill covers approximately 13 acres on an irregularly shaped 23-acre parcel having a maximum width of approximately 900 feet in the east-west direction and a maximum length of about 1800 feet in the north-south direction (Figure 2). The site is considered a closed facility and has been covered with approximately 2 feet of red clay soil. The site does not have a liner, leachate extraction system, or leachate monitoring wells. However, the landfill has a totally enclosed landfill gas flare and twelve landfill gas extraction wells operated near the southeast corner of the site.

4. 4. The site is bordered by a residential development along its southern boundary, two single-family dwellings on the east-adjacent property, and a single-family dwelling hydrogeologically downgradient and north of the landfill. The western-adjacent property is currently undeveloped. The discharger purchased the site in 1970 from the landfill operator (The South San Francisco Scavenger Company, hereafter called Scavenger). The City of South San Francisco (City) purchased the site in 1970 from the landfill operator (The South San Francisco Scavenger Company hereafter called Scavenger). Between 1970 and 1977, the CityDischarger conducted maintenance activities at the closed landfill. The CityDischarger operated a marina constructed in 1962 adjacent to on a portion of the former landfill. The marina was expanded in 1978. Since 1977, the San Mateo County Harbor District (Harbor District) has managed and maintained the landfill property under a joint powers agreement with the CityDischarger. The Harbor District operates the municipal marina and a park at the landfill and manages property leases for other facilities located at the landfill.

REGULATORY HISTORY

5. In 1971, the Regional Board first adopted Waste Discharge Requirements (Order Number 71-19) for the site. The Order described the type and quantity of waste disposed of at the site and established Beneficial Uses for the Arroyo Del Valle creek and local groundwater.

65. In 196919781, the Regional Board issued updated Waste Discharge Requirements, first adopted Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) for the landfill in Resolution Order Number 78-6069-2388. The Resolution Order addressed landfill closure activities in accordance with Resolution 77-7.

7. In 1997, The Regional Board issued updated Waste Discharge Requirements, Order Number 97-050. The Order established requirements for a groundwater monitoring program, landfill gas evaluation, and proper grading of the site to promote runoff. prohibited the direct discharge of waste or water in contact with waste (leachate) from the landfill. Discharges included decomposable material, oil or grease, suspended solids, and direct discharges of liquid and/or toxic industrial wastes to the surface waters of the state and the release of atmospheric odors from the landfill. The WDR set criteria for pH, dissolved oxygen, dissolved sulfides, and prohibited changes in apparent color, temperature, or turbidity beyond present natural background levels in waters of the State caused by waste disposal activities. disposal of waste to the Bay, and established self-monitoring requirements for the landfill. The resolution required the CityDischarger and Scavenger to keep wastes from directly contacting Bay water by placing an impermeable dike around the landfill, to eliminate odors associated with the waste disposal operation, and to eliminate turbidity or discoloration of the water in the Bay due to waste disposal.

6.

The Board then issued Cease and Desist Order 407 in March 1962. This Order stated that the discharger Discharger and Scavenger had not provided a time schedule which would show what stepsschedule that would identify what steps would be taken to be in to compliancey with Resolution 388.

7.

In December 1964, the RWQCB Board issued Cease and Desist Order 607, addressing the monitoring wells that had been installed on site. The Order stated that the CityDischarger and Scavenger had not reported data for these wells for the second and third quarter of 1964, that groundwater monitoring wells had been destroyed by burial, and that further discharge of liquid industrial waste must cease until suitable monitoring wells have been provided.

8. In 1967, the RWQCB Board issued Resolution 67-38, which prescribed requirements regarding the discharge of industrial waste into the landfill and acknowledged the location of a second liquid industrial waste sump. This Resolution stated that groundwater samples collected from test wells located in an earth dike from wells located near100 feet bayward from a liquid industrial waste disposal sump revealed that the liquid wastes were impactingreaching these wells.

9. In 1977, the RWQCB Board issued Order 77-19, which prescribed waste discharge requirements WDRs and a self-monitoring program for the landfill during final closure activities and expansion of the marina. This Order updates and rescinds Order No 77-19.

LLANDFILL SITE CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

810.

The operation of the landfill conformed withto regulations existing in the late 1950s and 1960s. Waste containment was consistent with practices in the industry at that time.The Old Pleasanton Landfill was originally owned and operated by a Mr. Pietronave (now deceased) from 1950 to 1969. No records are available prior to 1950 to document the landfill operations. In 1969, PGSI purchased the 23-acre parcel, currently occupied by the landfill, Waste disposal design features such as liners, cellular division of waste, and leachate collection systems were not installed. Waste fill was placed directly on the Bay Mud in the eastern portion of the landfill and directly on the soil overlying bedrock in the upland western portion of the landfill. from Mr. Pietronave. PGSI continued operation of the landfill until its closure in May 1976. The approximate configuration of the landfill is presented in Figure 2.

9.  The method of operation during the site’s development was a fill and cover approach in a canyon/gully terrain. The volume of refuse in-place is estimated at 210,000 tons. The average depth of fill is approximately 25 to 30 feet, with a maximum depth of about 80 to 90 feet in a limited area near the center of the property. The landfill received household garbage, rubbish, demolition and construction waste, brush, stumps, large appliances, and street refuse. The approximate breakdown of solid waste received was estimated at 70 percent residential, 25 percent commercial, and 5 percent demolition/construction debris. Other special wastes received include mixed municipal sludge and septage, water softener brine, cheese whey, and rinsed pesticide containers. Types of wastes excluded from the landfill included junked vehicles, infectious and pathological wastes, liquids, and chemical toilet pumpings.

Waste disposal operations conducted between 1956 and 1971 resulted in the extension of the shoreline approximately 3,000 feet to the east of the pre-landfill shoreline.

The City operated a marina constructed in 1962 adjacent to and on a portion of the former landfill. The marina was expanded in 1978.Waste fill was placed directly on the Bay Mud in the eastern portion of the landfill and directly on the soil overlying bedrock in the upland western portion of the landfil

11. In order to contain the solid waste from contact with waters of the State, Bay Mud Bberms were constructed around portions of the waste disposal areascells in approximately 1961, 1962, and 1964. In 1961, a berm composed of Bay Mud was constructed along the north and east sites of the landfill in response to RWQCB Resolution 388. Because the Board found this inadequate, the City improved the berms in 1962. In 1962 and 1963, the City constructed a mole of municipal waste fill inside berms of Bay Mud along the eastern extent of the marina. The easternmost extent of the landfill was enclosed with a berm composed of Bay Mud sometime around 1964, based on the high tide mark. Solid waste was placed into this cell from 1964 to 1970.

. However, there is no data to suggest that the industrial waste sumps were ever constructed with additional berms or dikes to control the migration of liquid wastes.

The only pre-closure constructed elements of the landfill designed to control waste and leachate migration are the berms constructed around the waste cells to prevent direct hydraulic communication with the Bay.

12.

9. After landfill operations ceased in 1970, the CityDischarger and Scavenger conducted various site closure activities. Between 1971 and 1976, the upper surface of the landfill was compacted and a 2-foot layer of low-permeability soil was placed on top of the compacted fill. Additional remedial measures were constructed between 1979 and 1981. They included installation of a 2- to 3-foot Bay Mud cap across the site, placement of additional riprap and Bay Mud along the mole, construction of bentonite-cement trenches between the landfill and the drainage channel and along an approximately 300-foot length of shoreline on the west basin (beach area), and realignment of the drainage channel. In addition, Bay Mud was placed along the southern boundary of the landfill where leachate seepage had been observed. In 1987, a Bay Mud leachate cutoff trench was constructed along the northern landfill boundary, between the mole and beach area. A gas barrier trench consisting of compacted soil (85%) and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) liner (20 mils thick) was also installed along the western landfill boundary.

SITE WASTE DISPOSAL HISTORY

13. Scavenger began disposal operations at the landfill in 1956. Initially, municipal solid d waste was disposed of on the ground and burned. This activity ended in 1957. Scavenger then placed waste directly into the tidelands and used a wire fence to control the discharge of solids into the Bay due to tidal action.

14. Beginning in 1961, the landfill also received liquid industrial waste for disposal. The types of liquid waste included paints, thinners, and coagulated solvent sludge. The liquid wastes were placed in a sump (Sump 1) constructed within the waste fill. The size and nature of Sump 1 are not known. No records describing the construction of the sump have been found. Liquid industrial wWastes were disposed of in this sump from 1961 until 1966. In July 1966, the CityDischarger discontinued the use of Sump 1 and had begun to used Sump 2. Liquid industrial waste was disposed of in sump 2 from 1966 to until 1967. The total volume of liquid industrial waste received by the landfill in 1965 and 1966 was 608,351 and 378,680 gallons, respectively.