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2024-11 Final Proposed Plan, Pt. Vicente Soil Contamination - J09CA055804_04.10_0002_aProposed Plan November 2024 1 United States Army Corps of Engineers Announces the Proposed Plan for No Further Action at the Point Vicente MIL RES FC Sites/Pt. Vicente Soil Contamination Formerly Used Defense Site Number J09CA055804 Rancho Palos Verdes, California INTRODUCTION The public is invited to review and comment on a Proposed Plan for the Point Vicente MIL RES FC Sites/Pt. Vicente Soil Contamination, Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Project Number J09CA055804 (Site), in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the lead agency, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is the support agency. The USACE completed a Removal Action at the Site in 2002 to remediate lead contamination in surface and subsurface soil. The Removal Action included preliminary sampling, excavation and confirmation sampling, and post-excavation confirmation sampling. The lead contaminated soil was associated with activities at a former United States Army (Army) rifle range used for small arms practice from the 1940s to 1974. In 2024, the USACE completed a Remedial Investigation. The purpose of the Remedial Investigation was to characterize Site conditions, determine the current nature and extent of lead contamination following the Removal Action, and perform human health and baseline ecological risk assessments based on current and reasonably anticipated future land use scenarios. The findings of the Remedial Investigation showed there are no unacceptable risks to human health or the environment from exposure to lead. Therefore, the USACE is proposing to take no further action at the Site. The proposed No Further Action decision may be modified based on new information or public comments submitted during the 30- day public comment period. Therefore, the public is encouraged to review and comment on the rationale presented in this Proposed Plan. The public comment period runs from 31 August through 02 October 2024 This Proposed Plan summarizes the activities, results, conclusions, and recommendations of the Final Remedial Investigation Report for the Site. Further information can be found in greater detail in the Remedial Investigation Report and other Site documents contained in the Information Repository located in the Rancho Palos Verdes City Clerk’s Office. The public is encouraged to review Public Comment Period: August 31 through 02 October 2024 You are invited to review this Proposed Plan and submit written comments during the comment period. See page 6 for information on how to submit comments. A public comment form is provided on page 7. A public meeting will be held on 10 September 2024 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the: Point Vicente Interpretive Center 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 310-544-5375 For more information, see the Administrative Record located at the following locations: City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Clerk’s Office 30940 Hawthorne Blvd. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 310-544-5217 www.rpvca.gov USACE, Los Angeles District 915 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100 Los Angeles, California 90017 213-452-3333 https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/ Missions/Formerly-Used-Defense- Sites/Point-Vicente-Interpretive- Center/ ~ ~---~® 1200C PERM J09CA055804_04.10_0002_a Proposed Plan November 2024 2 these documents to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Site, the removal actions, and the investigative activities that have been conducted at the Site. PURPOSE OF DOCUMENT The purpose of this Proposed Plan is to facilitate public involvement in the decision-making process for the Site by providing basic background information, explaining the reasons for a proposing No Further Action decision at the Site, and providing information on how the public can be involved in the process. This Proposed Plan is being issued as part of the public participation responsibilities of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 9617(a) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) § 300.430(f)(2). CERCLA, also known as the “Superfund” program, provides a consistent, science-based approach across the nation for environmental site cleanup. The process includes environmental regulatory agencies as well as public participation. The USACE follows the CERCLA process to fully investigate a release of contaminants and to determine the appropriate cleanup decision based on the associated risk to human health and the environment. A diagram of the CERCLA process is shown below. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Process IDENTIFICATION INVESTIGATION RESPONSE/CLEANUP RESPONSE COMPLETE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FU.OS Handbook, Supplement to ER 200-3-1, December 2022) Proposed Plan November 2024 3 Map of the Point Vicente MIL RES FC Sites/Pt. Vicente Soil Contamination Formerly Used Defense Site Legend -----· Storm Drain A and c:J Area of Con cern A/B Soi l Cap Boundary E2Z] Area of Con cern A Exca va ti on Bound a ry [22ZI Storm Drain A Excavation Boun da ry EZ22I Storm Drain B Excavati o n Boun da ry c:J FUDS Boundary Note : Soi l excavation s were co mp leted during the lead-co ntamin ate d soil rem oval (Innovati ve Technica l So lution s, Inc., 2003 ) Are a of Concern A/B Soil Cap Boundary - extent of 1-foot thick surface fill la yer Area of Co ncern A Excavation Boundary - exte nt of subsurfa ce fil l Storm Drain A Exca va tion Boun dary - extent of 1-foot thi ck surface fil l layer St orm Drain B Exc avati on Boundary- extent of subsurfa ce fi ll 8 w s u s Feet 1 in ch= 75feet SITE MAP Point Vicente Interpreti ve Center Rancho Palos Verdes, California Remedia l In vestigation U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Proposed Plan November 2024 4 SITE HISTORY Potential environmental impacts resulting from past activities conducted by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) prior to October 1986 are addressed through the FUDS Program. The Findings and Determination of Eligibility establishing the Site as an eligible FUDS Property was signed on 26 October 2000. The Site is a 26.4-acre parcel located within the former Point Vicente Military Reservation and on the current Point Vicente Interpretive Center. According to historical evidence, the Army established a Known Distance Rifle Range on the lower portion of the military reservation during the 1950s. The Army used the range for small arms training. Shooters fired toward the ocean at paper targets mounted on wooden frames raised above the bullet stop and at pistol targets in front of an earthen backstop berm (the bullet stop). After deactivation of the range in 1974, the Army leased the Site to the County of Los Angeles and quitclaimed the property in 1978 before expiration of the 5-year lease. The County of Los Angeles made no improvements to the Site, and in 1979 leased the property to Rancho Palos Verdes for a term of 50 years. Rancho Palos Verdes developed the Site as a park and constructed the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in 1983. In 2003, the County executed a quitclaim deed conveying the property to Rancho Palos Verdes. During development of the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in 1983, the earthen backstop berm for the rifle range was demolished during construction of the park and the Point Vicente Interpretive Center facility, and soil from the backstop berm was used for grading. The main exhibit building was built at the location of the backstop berm, adjacent to the sea cliffs. In September 1999, lead- contaminated soil was discovered by the County of Los Angeles during the construction to expand the Point Vicente Interpretive Center exhibit building. The County conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, which determined that lead from expended bullets was the source of lead in the soil. The County temporarily closed the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in August 1999 to accommodate additional field investigation activities and a subsequent soil Removal Action, which was conducted in 2002 by USACE. The Point Vicente Interpretive Center was then expanded and reopened to the public in 2006. SITE CHARACTERISTICS The Point Vicente Interpretive Center currently consists of a developed area that includes the museum/exhibit building, landscaping, trails, parking lots, utilities, public roads, and undeveloped park land. Docents give tours of the facility and Site workers maintain the facility and grounds. Adult and child recreational visitors use the facility for whale and bird watching, hiking, walking, biking, and school trips, and as a museum and community center. Ecological receptors (plants and animals) use habitat in the park area, with more limited use within the developed area. SCOPE AND ROLE OF NO ACTION DECISION This project is the only active project on the Point Vicente MIL RES FC Sites FUDS property. There are three other FUDS projects on the FUDS property (J09CA055801, J09CA055802, and J09CA055803) and they were completed and closed out between 1996 and 2001. In September 2002, the USACE conducted a Removal Action at the Site. The Removal Action included preliminary sampling, excavation and confirmation sampling, and post-excavation confirmation sampling. Preliminary Proposed Plan November 2024 5 samples were collected using a drill rig to define the lateral and vertical extent of soil containing lead concentrations exceeding 250 mg/kg in various areas of concern. The principal areas of soil excavation and confirmation sampling included two Areas of Concern (Area A and Area B), Storm Drain A, and Storm Drain B (see map on page 3). The excavations were backfilled with soil from two sources. Approximately 1,200 bank cubic yards (bcy) of soil with lead concentrations below the action level of 250 mg/kg were reused from Area B. The remaining soil needed to establish the finish grade was imported from off-Site and tested to ensure that there were no significant levels of contaminants. Approximately 4,200 bcy of soil was imported to the Site. Area B was capped with a 1-foot-layer of imported soil. LAND USE RESTRICTIONS A Covenant to Restrict Use of Property was executed in 2006 between the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the DTSC. The covenant addresses the Point Vicente Interpretive Center and part of the Point Vicente Park, including improvements (building, parking areas, access roads, and landscaped areas). The DTSC determined that the covenant is reasonably necessary to protect current and future human health and safety of the environment because of hazardous materials (lead) on the land as defined in California Health and Safety Code Section 25260. The covenant restricts certain uses and activities for a portion of the property to public park, educational use, research, and community center, and other related governmental and public uses. The covenant restricts the following activities: 1. Future construction or demolition of existing improvements that may disturb the cap or soil underneath the cap. 2. Activities that may disturb soil beneath the cap (e.g., excavation, grading, removal, trenching, filling, earth moving, etc.) without review and approval by DTSC. 3. Activities that alter the concrete and asphalt that serve as caps (other than routine, noninvasive maintenance) without written approval by DTSC. 4. Activities disturbing the cap that may harm persons or property from exposure to potential contaminated soils. The covenant binds all owners of the property, and their heirs and successors. Therefore, all successive owners are expressly bound for the benefit of future public health and environmental safety. SUMMARY OF SITE RISKS The USACE performed a Remedial Investigation in 2024. The Remedial Investigation was completed to characterize Site conditions, determine the current nature and extent of lead contamination following the 2002 Removal Action, and perform a human health risk assessment and baseline ecological risk assessment based on current and reasonably anticipated future land use scenarios. The 2024 Remedial Investigation relied only on physical data collected in 2002, and no new data were collected. The Remedial Investigation assessed current Site conditions and provided the basis for decisions regarding the need for further action at the Site. Two risk assessments were performed as part of the Remedial Investigation: a human health risk assessment and a baseline ecological risk assessment. Risks were estimated using the DTSC Lead Risk Assessment Spreadsheet, version 9 (LeadSpread 9) and the DTSC-modified screening levels for lead, Proposed Plan November 2024 6 as presented by the DTSC Human and Ecological Risk Office in 2020 (revised in 2022). These screening levels are more stringent than the United States Environmental Protection Agency regional screening levels for lead in soil. No unacceptable risk to human receptors from estimated exposure to lead was identified in the human health risk assessment. No unacceptable risk to ecological receptors (terrestrial plants, soil invertebrates, mammals, or birds, including listed species) was identified from exposure to lead in soil in the baseline ecological risk assessment. A detailed description of the results of the risk assessments can be found in the 2024 Remedial Investigation Report and will be included in the Record of Decision for the Site. Based on the conclusions of the Remedial Investigation, the surface and subsurface soil at the Site do not represent a potential threat to public health, welfare, and/or the environment under the current and reasonably anticipated future land use, which is restricted under the 2006 Land Use Covenant. Therefore, as part of the CERCLA process in the Proposed Plan for FUDS sites, the USACE is proposing a No Further Action decision. ASSESSMENT OF NO FURTHER ACTION State and community acceptance are factored into a final determination of the proposed remedy. This Proposed Plan serves as the invitation for community input. Because additional response actions are not necessary at the Site and lead concentrations in soil are within acceptable risk levels, the only alternative outlined in this Proposed Plan is No Further Action. It is USACE’s current judgement that no further action is necessary to protect public health or welfare or the environment from actual or threatened releases of hazardous substances into the environment. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION The USACE provides information to the public regarding the proposed No Further Action decision for the Site through the Administrative Record file and through announcements published in the Palos Verdes Peninsula News. The USACE encourages the public to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Site and the past investigations that have been conducted at the Site. The dates for the public comment period and the locations of the Administrative Record file are provided on the Public Comment Form on the following page of this Proposed Plan. A public meeting will be held on 10 September 2024 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275. HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS Formal comments on this Proposed Plan can be submitted during the public comment period from 31 August through 02 October 2024. Please note that comments received outside of the public comment period are considered informal and may not receive a response. The USACE will consider all formal comments prior to making a final decision . All comments and responses will be documented in the Responsiveness Summary, which will be part of the Administrative Record and published in the Record of Decision. Copies of the Responsiveness Summary will be mailed to everyone who submits a formal comment. Interested parties may submit comments using the Public Comment Form provided on page 7 of this document. For further information, please contact: Daniel Huff FUDS Project Manager United States Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District 915 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017 daniel.l.huff@usace.army.mil Sara Michael, M.Sc. Project Manager California Department of Toxic Substances Control 5796 Corporate Ave., Cypress, CA 90630 sara.michael@dtsc.ca.gov Proposed Plan November 2024 7 PUBLIC COMMENT FORM Proposed Plan – Point Vicente MIL RES FC Sites/Pt. Vicente Soil Contamination Formerly Used Defense Site Number J09CA055804 Due by Monday 02 October 2024 Mail or email written comments to: Daniel Huff, FUDS Project Manager United States Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District 915 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017 daniel.l.huff@usace.army.mil Upon completion, a Record of Decision and Responsiveness Summary will be added to the Administrative Record. The Administrative Record is available for review at the following Information Repository Locations: City of Rancho Palos Verdes City Clerk’s Office 30940 Hawthorne Blvd. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 310-544-5217 www.rpvca.gov USACE, Los Angeles District 915 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100 Los Angeles, California 90017 (213) 452-3333 https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Formerly-Used-Defense-Sites/Point-Vicente- Interpretive-Center/ Name: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: _____________ Email Address: (optional) _________________________________________________ Mailing Address: (optional) _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Affiliation (please specify): _____Private Citizen _____County Agency _____Private Organization _____City Agency _____Federal Agency _____Tribal Agency _____State Agency _____Other Other: ___________________________________________________________________ Comment(s): Proposed Plan November 2024 8 GLOSSARY Administrative Record – A compilation of documents that form the basis for the selection of a response action. The AR is compiled and maintained by the lead agency. 40 C.F.R. § 300.800. Area of Concern – The focus of comprehensive cleanup and restoration effort involving federal agencies. Bank Cubic Yards (bcy) – A cubic yard of native soil. Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment – a qualitative or quantitative estimate of the potential impact on local plants and animals of exposure to chemicals detected in the environment. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) – Congress enacted CERCLA (42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9675) on 11 December 1980. It is commonly known as Superfund. This law addresses the funding for, and remediation of, releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. This law also establishes criteria for the creation of key documents such as the Remedial Investigation Report, the Responsiveness Summary, and the Record of Decision. It was amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986. Covenant to Restrict Use – A legally binding agreement that governs the use of real property. It is used to prevent, prohibit, restrict, or limit actions allowed on a property. Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) – A Department of Defense program that provides guidance and funding for the investigation and remediation of hazardous waste sites caused by operations and disposal activities at military installations. 10 U.S.C. §2701 Department of Defense (DoD) Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) - gathers historical and other readily available information on site conditions and surroundings to evaluate whether the site poses a potential threat to human health and the environment or whether further investigation is needed. Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) Property – Real property that was owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, including governmental entities that are the legal predecessors of DoD or its Components, and that was transferred from DoD control prior to 17 October 1986. FUDS Handbook, Supplement to Engineer Regulation 200-3-1 Human Health Risk Assessment – A qualitative or quantitative estimate of the potential impact on the human population of exposure to chemicals detected in the environment. Military Reservation Fire Control (MIL RES FC) Sites – Fire Control Stations were concrete bunkers that were used for observation stations to support coastal artillery batteries. Proposed Plan November 2024 9 National Contingency Plan – The plan revised pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 9605 and found at 40 C.F.R. Part 300 that regulates hazardous substance remediation under CERCLA. No Further Action – A determination that a site has been satisfactorily remediated to risk-based standards and does not pose a risk to human health and the environment, and so requires no further investigation or cleanup activity. Proposed Plan – A document that summarizes for the public the proposed decision for a site and presents the rationale for the preferred remedial alternative. Receptor – A human or ecological entity exposed to an environmental stressor. Stressor – A physical, chemical, or biological entity that can induce an adverse effect in humans or ecosystems. Record of Decision – A public document that reflects the decision of an authorized agency official selecting a remedial action to respond to a CERCLA release that requires a remedy at a CERCLA site. DoD uses the term ROD for remedy selection decisions at all DERP sites. Remedial Investigation – A process undertaken by the lead agency to determine the nature and extent of the problem presented by the release. The Remedial Investigation emphasizes data collection and site characterization and is generally performed concurrently and in an interactive fashion with a feasibility study, if appropriate. The Remedial Investigation includes information about sampling and monitoring, as necessary, and includes the gathering of sufficient information to determine the necessity for remedial action and to support the evaluation of remedial alternatives. 40 C.F.R. § 300.430 (d) Removal Action – A response implemented in an expedited manner to address contamination that poses a threat to human health and the environment. Responsiveness Summary – A summary of oral or written public comments received during a comment period and a United States Army Corps of Engineers response to those comments. United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) – The Army Corps of Engineers provides public engineering services in peace and war to strengthen national security, energize the economy, and reduce risks from disasters.