Old Dumps a Costly Headache for Cities

Aug. 21–A Chico doctor gives free blood tests for toxic lead contamination. Bakersfield officials, confronted by angry homeowners whose land has a tainted past, buy the houses back. San Diego finds itself with patches of pollution that cost more than $6 million to clean up.

The cause of these cities’ troubles? Old trash dumps where burned garbage has left behind toxic substances and polluted land. All around California, the cleanup of these “burn dump” sites has been contentious and costly — a reality San Jose now faces in the Watson Park area.

The long-overlooked site of what once was San Jose’s main trash dump and incinerator plant will soon get extensive testing to see what cleanup may be needed. Soil tests have already found elevated levels of pollutants such as lead, zinc and other hazards. And almost all of the park is now closed, waiting for fences that will go up over the next week.

A Mercury News investigation found that the old dump site includes much of the 35-acre park, and probably extends beneath Empire Gardens Elementary School and possibly to nearby homes.

Many dismayed neighbors, who knew nothing of the park’s history, hope for a quick fix. But the advice from veterans of other burn-dump battles is: Don’t count on it.

“Oh no — not another burn dump,” said Barbara Vlamis, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council, who has spent years fighting over Chico’s site. “Get ready for things you can’t even begin to expect.”

These oft-forgotten sites are a well-known hazard. Decades ago, torching piles of trash was a common way to get rid of garbage, and state records show at least 500 burn-dump sites throughout California. About 50 have been tagged as significant environmental threats.

The extent of San Jose’s problem is still unclear. Watson Park was developed in the 1960s, and it’s unknown what, if any, cleanup was done then. Recent city studies have yet to pin down the size or contents of the dump site, and no one knows what health hazards the residue may pose.

But initial tests — and the experience of other cities — offer some sense of what lies ahead for San Jose.

Environmental poisons are the biggest worry. Some pollutants already found in Watson Park are commonly found at burn-dump sites, especially lead. The metallic element, which can trigger nervous-system damage and other ailments, is especially dangerous to children.

In Chico, where parts of an old 157-acre burn dump were heavily laced with lead, the contamination sparked a battle between city officials and concerned community members that has lasted for more than a decade.

Since problems at the dump site surfaced in 1992, cleanup has been a key battle. Officials planned to move more than 65,000 cubic yards of waste and cover it with clean soil. Critics, challenging claims that the process would be safe, said the move would stir up lead dust and endanger neighbors.

One Chico physician, Dr. Philip Smith, was concerned enough to offer free blood tests for lead to those near the cleanup site, planning to test both before and after the summer cleanup.

Pressured by residents, the cleanup was revamped. Massive amounts of water — about 6.4 million gallons — were sprayed on the polluted dirt to control dust during the move. Earlier this month, city officials said their part of the contaminated material had been relocated.

About 200 people took Smith up on his offer, and he plans on the second round of tests this fall. But he doesn’t expect the new tests to find significant lead problems — which, for him, makes the whole effort worthwhile.

The cleanup “was handled better, which is due, in part, to the fact that people were watching,” he said.

Burn dumps also kick up fights over property values. Many old dump sites now hold homes, buildings or public places built years ago, when environmental rules were not as strict.

In San Jose, old property maps show that the city-owned land in the dump area included a strip of property on the west side of North 22nd Street between Jackson and Washington which now holds at least a dozen homes and part of Empire Gardens Elementary School.

Most homeowners on that land are waiting for further details from the city. “I’m reserving judgment, and curious to learn more,” said Jeff Thompson, whose home faces the park.

In Bakersfield, after 20 homeowners learned their homes were sitting on a former city burn dump, officials quickly faced a big problem. The neighbors sued the city, saying any contamination was its fault.

In one yard, a family’s citrus trees bore fruit laced with contaminants, recalled Bakersfield lawyer Bill Slocumb, who represented most of the property owners. City officials told another family to move out after dangerous methane gas created by buried, rotting garbage was found leaking into their house. (So far, no significant levels of methane have been detected at Watson Park.)

City officials eventually agreed to buy the homes, paying about what the owners would have gotten before the history of the land came to light.

“My clients couldn’t sell their properties on the regular market,” Slocumb said. “They were ruined. The city had owned the property and the city was responsible.”

Bakersfield officials later had the land cleaned up and resold the homes, telling new buyers about the properties’ past. The mess cost the city about $3.5 million, said City Manager Alan Tandy.

“For a while, there was an atmosphere of fear and panic,” Tandy said. “But buying the houses sure helped.”

Bakersfield’s bill isn’t unusual.

A little more than a decade ago, investigators in San Diego uncovered two burn-dump sites in the same neighborhood. About two dozen homes proved to be near contaminated land. By 2002, the cleanup bill had hit more than $6 million, with federal and state agencies paying for part of the work.

Chico spent more than $1 million to identify problems at its burn dump and will probably wind up paying between $5 and $6 million more on cleanup.

“These are always complicated projects,” said Andy Kopania, leader of Sacramento-based EMKO Environmental, consultant on the Chico dump. “Quick fixes aren’t easy to come by.”

San Jose still doesn’t know what to plan for. The city has spent more than $82,000 on consultants so far, and recently authorized $800,000 for an extensive, yearlong environmental study.

City leaders may also set aside reserves for the Watson Park area, but no decisions on the fund or its size will be made until this fall, said Tom Manheim, spokesman for the city manager’s office.

But cities with experience say saving up is smart.

“We had the same circumstance — an unknown situation where people were worried,” said Bakersfield’s Tandy. “What finally made things better? Spending money. After that, it turned out just fine.”

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