PHSH Cleanup on Schedule?
The Public Health Service Hospital (PHSH) at the Presidio has seen a lot of use and abuse since it was built in 1875. The Presidio Trust has been through a long and sometimes difficult process to re-introduce residential use to the abandoned area. Now that the decision has been made on the reuse of the area, will the site be ready for re-development when the time comes to sign the leases?
The problem is making sure we’ve got a site that is cleaned up properly before redevelopment activities. We’ve known for many years that the PHSH site has had a major landfill under the west parking area. Recently, additional investigations have revealed areas of previously unknown landfilling and potential contamination. New wells have been installed to verify whether any impacts to groundwater have occurred. Soil testing has been conducted and will tell us if the site is contaminated. These soil and groundwater tests will help us determine the best remedy for the site.
The Presidio Trust, the National Park Service, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Regional Water Quality Control Board and community members of the Restoration Advisory Board are examining the findings as they become available. The entire team is focused on moving the project along for redevelopment purposes. At the same time, we want to insure that there are no impacts to Lobos Creek, the Presidio’s drinking water supply, and Mountain Lake, the beautiful natural and cultural resource on the Presidio’s southern boundary.
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The time crunch is on. Unfortunately, it’s late in the game to be doing additional field investigations. Clearly though, the team needs to see the soil and groundwater data before proposing a remedy that is protective of human health and the environment.
– Doug Kern
Tags: contamination, drinking water supply, landfill, lead, Lobos Creek, Mountain Lake, PHSH, remedy selection
How will be public be reassured that the Hospital areas will be cleaned up, permanently and completely and not just rushed to meet a development schedule?
It’s a good point. There is a great push for meeting the development schedule. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the alternatives. I suggest that interested parties ask for updates at their local meetings ahead of the release of the Remedial Action Plan for this site. Also, members of the public are welcome to attend the public meetings of the Presidio Restoration Advisory Board, 7:00pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Presidio Officers’ Club.