This may be a coincidence, but this notice caught my attention because it is in the same area being proposed for a container port. A public hearing will be held:

Wednesday, October 4, 2006, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Richmond City hall, 1401 marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804.

According to the San Francisco Bay Region Water Quality Control Board, “Site investigations indicate that historical releases from industrial, commercial and municipal operations, including the Richmond Refinery, have affected near-surface sediments in the cove. Discharges from dredging, urban runoff, sanitary and other sources have resulted in sediment contamination, The primary constituents of concern are mercury and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)., which are primarily residual hydrocarbons form refinery operations and other sources.”

“Sediment and water quality data was used to define the area of concern and to evaluate if contaminants were present and would be a potential risk to wildlife. The results indicated that the shallow sediments in the project area are contaminated. The risk assessment concluded that the contaminated sediments pose a potential risk to aquatic sediment-dwelling organisms.”

Additional information, including the proposed negative declaration, can be obtained from the following links: Draft Initial Study and Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration, Castro Cove Sediment Remediation Project (pdf) Tentative Site Cleanup Requirements (pdf) Fact Sheet (pdf)

A watered-down version can also be obtained for the Chevron website at www.castrocove.com.

To be considered in the decision making for this project, comments on the IS and proposed mitigated NegDec must be received by October 25, 2006 at the following address:

Elizabeth Christian, Project Manager
Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region
1515 Clay Street, Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612