Debris from the old Peninsula Sportsmen’s Club

The SFPUC continues to move forward on the Baylands Recovery Project—the cleanup and removal of contaminated debris and soil from its property south of the Dumbarton Bridge in Menlo Park adjoining East Palo Alto. The current phase, expected to last from July 2007 to early November, includes excavation of remaining contaminants on the property’s west side, followed by on-site drying, treatment, and disposal at a licensed hazardous waste facility. The final phase, excavation and removal of remaining contaminants on the property’s east side, will begin in 2008.

The site, previously the location of the former Peninsula Sportsmen’s Club, was leased for use as a trap- and skeet-shooting range from 1939 to 1994. The activities left large quantities of lead shot, clay pigeon debris and shell casings on portions of the property, and lead shot in the adjacent Cargill Salt Pond and levee. In 1994, the Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a cleanup and abatement order requiring the club to investigate the site for contaminants and, if necessary, clean it up. When the Gun Club went out of business the same year, the cleanup of the contaminated site became the SFPUC’s responsibility. It began in 2000. Groundwater monitoring has been in place since 2002.

Cleanup is approximately 75% complete. Beginning this year, a truck-to-rail system will be used for hazardous waste transport to a licensed facility, instead of long-haul trucking. The change will dramatically lower diesel fuel use, greenhouse gas production, and SMOG emissions.

All contaminants have been removed from the Cargill Salt Pond and the levee, and reconstruction of the levee is finished. Ownership of the pond has been transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for use as a wildlife refuge as part of the South Bay Restoration Project.

The recovery project’s final phase, cleanup of remaining contaminants on the property’s east side, will begin next year. In response to a Regional Water Quality Control Board requirement, ground water monitoring was implemented in 2002, and is in progress.

Need more information?
Contact Michele Liapes at (415) 554-3211 or via email at mliapes@sfwater.org