Acronyms
APCD – Air Pollution Control District
San Diego County Air Pollution Control District is the air quality regulation agency and charged with protecting the public from the harmful effects of air pollution and to achieve and maintain air quality standards.
CERCLA – Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
Commonly known as Superfund, the act was enacted by Congress December 11, 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. CERCLA: established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites; provided for liability of persons responsible for releases of hazardous waste at these sites; and established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party could be identified. The law authorizes two kinds of response actions: Short-term removals, where actions may be taken to address releases or threatened releases requiring prompt response. Long-term remedial response actions, that permanently and significantly reduce the dangers associated with releases or threats of releases of hazardous substances that are serious, but not immediately life threatening.
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/cercla.htm
CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act
State law that requires disclosure of environmnetal impacts to public and decision-makers prior to deciding on a project. CEQA is a statute that requires state and local agencies to identify the significant environmental impacts of their actions and to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible.
http://resources.ca.gov/ceqa/more/faq.html
CHSC – California Health and Safety Code
The laws protecting health and safety of the State of California.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=hsc
DEIR – Draft Environmental Impact Report
A draft of the EIR circulate for public comment prior to finalizing the EIR. See EIR below.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/habcon/ceqa/intrnlproced/eir.html
DHS – Department of Health Services
State agency that managed toxic waste cleanups prior to creation of Department of Toxic Substances Control.
DTSC – Department of Toxic Substances Control
The mission of DTSC is to protect California’s people and environment from harmful effects of toxic substances by restoring contaminated resources, enforcing hazardous waste laws, reducing hazardous waste generation, and encouraging the manufacture of chemically safer products. The vision of DTSC is for Californians to enjoy a clean and healthy environment, and as a result of DTSC efforts: Communities are confident that we protect them from toxic harm; Businesses are confident that we engage them with consistency and integrity; Consumers are confident that we stimulate innovation in the development of safer products.
https://dtsc.ca.gov/InformationResources/DTSC_Overview.cfm
EIR – Environmental Impact Report
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a California statute passed in 1970, shortly after the United States federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to institute a statewide policy of environmental protection. CEQA does not directly regulate land uses, but instead requires state and local agencies within California to follow a protocol of analysis and public disclosure of environmental impacts of proposed projects and adopt all feasible measures to mitigate those impacts. CEQA makes environmental protection a mandatory part of every California state and local agency’s decision making process. The analysis that must be certified prior to deciding on a project.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/habcon/ceqa/intrnlproced/eir.html
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
The federal agency that protects the nation’s enviornment. In California, the Federal EPA has authorized state agencies to enforce many environmental laws such as the State Water Boards which implements the the Porter-Cologne Act (Water Quality) and DTSC that implements the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
FS – Feasibility Study
“The feasibility study is an evaluation and analysis of the potential of a proposed project which is based on extensive investigation and research to support the process of decision making. Feasibility studies aim to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats present in the environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success. In its simplest terms, the two criteria to judge feasibility are cost required and value to be attained.
A well-designed feasibility study should provide a historical background of the business or project, a description of the product or service, accounting statements, details of the operations and management, marketing research and policies, financial data, legal requirements and tax obligations. Generally, feasibility studies precede technical development and project implementation.
A feasibility study evaluates the project’s potential for success; therefore, perceived objectivity is an important factor in the credibility of the study for potential investors and lending institutions. It must therefore be conducted with an objective, unbiased approach to provide information upon which decisions can be based.
HARRF – Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility
Escondido’s sewage treatment plant located on Hale Avenue. The HARRF discharges into Escondido Creek. The HARRF is an activated sludge, secondary treatment facility. This consists of physical, biological, and chemical treatment methods, which include screening, sedimentation, chemical precipitation, and biological processes. http://www.escondido.org/harrf.aspx
H + A – Hargis and Associates, Inc.
Hargis + Associates, Inc. is an environmental consulting firm specializing in hydrogeology and engineering. Headquartered in San Diego, California. Monitors for the PRP.
HRA – Health Risk Assessment
A human health risk assessment is the process to estimate the nature and probability of adverse health effects in humans who may be exposed to chemicals in contaminated environmental media, now or in the future. http://www.epa.gov/risk_assessment/health-risk.htm
HSAA – Hazardous Substance Account Act
IS – Initial Study
The first step of a CEQA analysis to determine if a project has environmental impacts.
IWCP – Irrigation Well Contingency Plan
LAFCO – Local Agency Formation Commission
Established by State Law in 1963, the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is a regulatory agency with quasi-legislative authority. While having county-wide jurisdiction, LAFCO is independent of county government. LAFCOs were designed to provide assistance to local agencies in overseeing jurisdictional boundary changes. LAFCOs are governed by the Cortese/Knox/Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Government Code Section 56000, et seq.). LAFCO is responsible for coordinating, directing, and overseeing logical and timely changes to local governmental boundaries, including annexation and detachment of territory, incorporation of cities, formation of special districts, and consolidation, merger, and dissolution of districts. In addition, LAFCO is charged with reviewing ways to reorganize, simplify, and streamline governmental structure. A primary objective of LAFCO is to initiate studies and furnish information that contributes to the logical and reasonable development of public agencies. In 1994, LAFCOs were given the authority to initiate proposals involving district consolidation, dissolution, subsidiary district establishment, merger, and reorganization (combinations of the above jurisdictional changes). Commission Goals: Encourage orderly growth; Promote logical and efficient public services for cities and special districts; Streamline governmental structure; Discourage premature conversion of prime agricultural and open space lands to urban uses. Spheres of Influence: The Commission also is obligated to develop and adopt spheres of influence for each city and special district within the county. A sphere of influence is defined as a “”plan for the probable physical boundaries and service area of a local government agency as determined by the Commission”” (Government Code Section 56076). Spheres are characterized as planning tools used to provide guidance for individual proposals involving jurisdictional changes, and are intended to encourage efficient provision of organized community services and prevent duplication of service delivery. Territory must be within a city or district’s sphere in order to be annexed. Periodically, spheres may be amended, but are required to be updated every five years.
http://www.sdlafco.org/Webpages/about_lafco.htm
MCL – Maximum Contaminant Level
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are standards that are set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for drinking water quality. An MCL is the legal threshold limit on the amount of a substance that is allowed in public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The limit is usually expressed as a concentration in milligrams or micrograms per liter of water.
MCP – Monitoring and Contingency Plan
ug/L – Micrograms per liter
Micrograms per litre, which means one millionth of a gram per litre
MND – Mitigated Negative Declaration
A Mitigated Negative Declaration is appropriate only where all potentially significant effects of the project can and will be avoided or mitigated to a level of insignificance by project revisions or other requirements imposed on the project. A Mitigated Negative Declaration is based on the premise that the project will not result in a significant effect upon the environment.
MS4 – Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System
A conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains): (i) Owned or operated by a state, city, town, borough, county, parish, district, association, or other public body (created to or pursuant to state law) including special districts under state law such as a sewer district, flood control district or drainage district, or similar entity, or an Indian tribe or an authorized Indian tribal organization, or a designated and approved management agency under section 208 of the Clean Water Act that discharges into waters of the United States. (ii) Designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water; (iii) Which is not a combined sewer; and (iv) Which is not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) as defined at 40 CFR 122.2.
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/stormwater/phase_ii_municipal.shtml
NCP – National Contingency Plan
The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, commonly referred to as the NCP, is the Federal government’s strategy for responding to both oil spills and hazardous substance releases. These requirements outline the steps EPA must take when responding to situations in which oil is discharged into or upon the navigable waters of the United States, or when hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants are released into the environment. The NCP is the primary regulation of the Superfund program.
NegDec – Negative Declaration
The CEQA level of analysis that finds no significant impacts to the environment will occur from a proposed project.
O&M – Operations and Maintenance
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) is an important component of a Superfund response to ensure that the remedy performs as intended. Actions range from maintaining engineering containment structures (e.g., landfill covers) to operating ground water remediation systems. Generally, O&M is the responsibility of the Potentially Responsible Parties, States, or other Federal agencies. EPA is responsible for ensuring that the work is adequately performed. EPA also retains funding and operating responsibility for Fund-financed ground water restoration systems for up to 10 years (called Long Term Response Actions) prior to transferring these systems to the States for O&M.
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/cleanup/postconstruction/operate.htm
PCB – Polychlorinated biphenyls
A now-banned, long-lived chemical that was part of contamination at Chatham. A probable carcinogen. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects. PCBs have been shown to cause cancer in animals. PCBs have also been shown to cause a number of serious non-cancer health effects in animals, including effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, endocrine system and other health effects.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm
PCE/PERC – Tetrachloroethelyne Perchloroethylene
A probable carcinogen.
http://www.epa.gov/iris/toxreviews/0106tr.pdf
PPM – Parts per million
This is a way of expressing very dilute concentrations of substances. Just as per cent means out of a hundred, so parts per million or ppm means out of a million. Usually describes the concentration of something in water or soil. One ppm is equivalent to 1 milligram of something per liter of water (mg/l) or 1 milligram of something per kilogram soil (mg/kg)
PRP – Potentially Responsible Parties
An individual or company (e.g., an owner, operator, transporter, or generator of hazardous waste) that is potentially responsible for the contamination problems at a Superfund site. Whenever possible, EPA requires PRPs to clean up hazardous waste sites they have contaminated. In our case, thr PRPs are called the Chatham PRP Group and consist of over 50 companies and governmental entities that signed the Consent Decree.
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/reforms/glossary.htm#p
QA/QC Quality control/Quality assurance
RAO – Remedial Action Objectives
The remedial objectives that were outlined in the Consent Decree for the Chatham Barrel Yard. They can be found in Table 5-1 of the RAP.
RAP – Remedial Action Plan
A remedial action is a change made to a nonconforming product or service to address the deficiency. This also can refer to restoration of a landscape from industrial activity. Essentially, it is an action that is s intended to ‘fix’ or stop or remove pollution from an area.
RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gives EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from the “cradle-to-grave.” This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. The 1986 amendments to RCRA enabled EPA to address environmental problems that could result from underground tanks storing petroleum and other hazardous substances.
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act
RI – Remedial Investigation
A remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) is performed at the site. The remedial investigation serves as the mechanism for collecting data to: characterize site conditions; determine the nature of the waste; assess risk to human health and the environment; and conduct treatability testing to evaluate the potential performance and cost of the treatment technologies that are being considered.
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/cleanup/rifs.htm
RRR – Remedial Remedy Report
A regular assessment submitted to the regulatory agencies by the PRPs to determine if the selected remedy is achieving its objectives.
RWQCB – Regional Water Quality Control Board (“Water Board”)
The State Agency that regulates discharges into natural surface and groundwaters of the region. We are in Region 9. The mission of the San Diego Regional Board is developing and enforcing water quality objectives and implementing plans that will best protect the area’s waters while recognizing our local differences in climate, topography, geology and hydrology.
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego/about_us/
SAP – Sampling and Analysis Plan
STLC – Soluble Threshold Limit Concentration
The limit concentration for toxic materials in a sample that has been subjected to the California Waste Extraction Test (WET), a state test for the toxicity characteristic that is designed to subject a waste sample to simulated conditions of a municipal waste landfill. If the concentration of a toxic substance in the special extract of the waste exceeds this value, the waste is classified as hazardous in California. This is distinct from the Total Threshold Limit Concentration (TTLC). The California Waste Extraction Test procedure is more stringent than the federal Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP).
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/InformationResources/Glossary_of_Environmental_Terms.cfm#S
SWRBTLs – Surface Water Risk Based Trigger Levels
Special levels specific to Chatham developed by PRP Group to set levels for notification and additional action. These are significantly higher than health based regulatory standards and have not been approved by all regulatory agencies.
TCE – Trichloroethylene
A volatile organic compound that is often used an industrial degreasing solvent. It is toxic and is listed as a cancer-causing chemical under Proposition 65.
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/InformationResources/Glossary_of_Environmental_Terms.cfm#T
VOC – Volatile Organic Compounds
Organic liquids, including many common solvents, which readily evaporate at temperatures normally found at ground surface and at shallow depths. They take part in atmospheric photochemical (sun-driven) reactions to produce smog.