CHAPTER 10 – HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS - sacog

Until the 1980’s, the disposal of most chemical wastes on land was unregulated. As a result,
many landfills and industrial sites became contaminated with toxic wastes. The largest and most
contaminated of these became designated by the federal government as “Superfund” sites.
The EPA maintains the list of national Superfund sites. In the state of California, the DTSC
maintains a list of contaminated sites, and a number of tools, for tracking and monitoring the
generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste. DTSC reports and databases
include:
EnviroStor Database – This database includes known contaminated properties
throughout the state. It also includes information on prior clean-up efforts, and planned
clean-up activities.
Deed Restricted Sites – These are properties restricted by DTSC to certain uses or
activities that will not compromise prior clean-up efforts or expose encapsulated
hazardous waste.
GeoTracker Database – This database maintained by the State Water Resources
Control Board, provides information in graphical form on underground storage tanks,
Department of Defense sites, landfills, and Spills-Leaks-Investigations-Cleanups sites.
The Hazardous Waste Summary Report (Tanner Report) – This report is compiled
from the hazardous waste manifests received each year by DTSC. It typically includes
900,000 – 1,000,000 manifests, representing 450,000 – 500,000 shipments.
The Hazardous Waste Transporter Database – Provides basic information about
DTSC-registered hazardous waste transporters.
Two of the largest and most well-known contaminated sites in the region are the downtown
Sacramento railyards and the GenCorp (Aerojet) property south of the intersection of Folsom
Boulevard and Hazel Avenue. Both of these sites, as well as other Superfund sites, are being
remediated. The railyards site is in the process of reuse in the form of a major redevelopment
project adhering to the safety statutes in place to protect public health and safety. Table 10.4
shows a listing of sites in the SACOG region from DTSC’s EnviroStor database.
Schools
Children are particularly susceptible to long-term impacts from exposure to hazardous materials.
The CEQA Guidelines require EIRs to assess whether a project would emit hazardous air
emissions or involve the handling of extremely hazardous materials, substances, or waste within
one-quarter mile of an existing or proposed school (see Pub. Resources Code, § 21151.4;
Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines). Figure 10.5 shows the one-quarter mile school buffer
zones in the SACOG region.
MTP/SCS 2035
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Draft Environmental Impact Report Chapter 10 – Hazards and Hazardous Materials – Page 10-11