Thank you so much to all the neighbors who participated in the recent meeting with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The next step is vital to protect the neighborhood.

​

Even if you didn't attend the meeting, we need you to email or write to DTSC--no later than August 13th-- and tell them you are not satisfied with TNDC's response plan.  DTSC takes your comments seriously. 

 

The more people who write a critical comment to the plan, the more likely we can affect what is in that plan they are reviewing now. 

 

See below for details.

​​

1.  Subject line should be:  Response Plan for 2550 Irving St. -  Neighborhood Comments

​

2.  Email it to <Arthur.Machado@dtsc.ca.gov>  or mail to:

Arthur Machado 

DTSC Project Manager 

700 Heinz Avenue 

Berkeley, CA 94710 

​

Summary of Issue:  
 

There are two dangerous plumes of PCE gas below the 2500 Irving block and under the houses to the north and south of that block. The full extent of plumes is not fully known until more investigation is done.  The developer at 2550 Irving St. (TNDC) has submitted a response plan to DTSC that puts a vapor barrier over the new foundation of the building to protect the future residents from the gas which can slip through foundation cracks.  DTSC wants your input on this plan before they finalize it.  

​

Main Problem with the Plan:
 

The response plan does nothing to clean up the toxins and it leaves the neighborhood vulnerable to the contamination and health risks and protects only the future residents of 2550 Irving.  This is totally unacceptable for the neighborhood.  We want remediation (clean up) not mitigation (protecting the building from the contamination)

 

 

Suggested neighborhood responses:  

1. Say who you are and where you live and how long you’ve lived here.

2. Say how angry you are, or how outrageous, or how unfair it is that TNDC’s response plan only protects their building but does nothing to a) protect the neighborhood  or b)remove the contamination or c) clean up the PCEs that we know are cause cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

3.  TNDC’s response plan (or just “the response plan”) is totally inadequate to cleaning up the toxins.

4.  If you know people are ill in your neighborhood, let them know.

5.  It is a bad idea that TNDC gets to protect the residents in 2550 Irving but the rest of the neighborhood is not protected. That is not good for community relations.

6.  There are better remedies or solutions for this that can make the neighborhood safer. One of them is Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE).  Demand that TNDC’s plan consider it.   Cleaning it up (via SVE) will save TNDC and the neighborhood decades of having to monitor for PCEs.

7.  We know the neighborhood has been exposed to these PCE for decades. TNDC needs to be part of the solution to clean this up now before future generations are exposed as well.

8. The hot spots are likely coming from the sewer pipes.  We need more investigation to determine the full extent of plumes and the danger.  There should be no transfer of ownership from the Police Credit Union to TNDC until there is a clear plan to clean up the mess.  Both TNDC and the Police Credit Union should be part of a plan to clean up the site.  Not just put a band-aid under the building.

Thank DTSC for listening to you.  And let them know you look forward to their responding positively to your concerns and suggestions.

You can review a hard copy of the draft Response Plan at the following location:
• DTSC Berkeley Office, located at 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710. Please call the office at (510) 540-2122 to make an appointment to view the documents.

• To review the draft Response Plan and related documents online, please visit: https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/ (type site code 60003063 and select from the drop-down menu)

• For air monitoring results and additional technical documents online, please visit: https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/ (type site code 60003000 and select from the drop-down menu) 

​

Thank you,

​

MSNA