The Navy is holding a meeting later this evening to unveil the plan finally selected for Site 12. The option chosen involves excavating soil to the depth of four feet, but not under the hardscape. The areas dug out will be backfilled with clean soil from an offsite location, and the soil removed will be screened and then disposed of in a special landfill. The Navy has not indicated where the contaminated soil will be trucked to. Work will begin in February of next year.
Cap’n Boysenberry and I made an interesting discovery yesterday which relates to cleanup on Treasure Island. At the last informational meeting, we are assured that there is “no radiological material anywhere on the Island.” This is a statement which does not leave much room for error. The Navy claims that the excavated soil will be screened for radiological contamination because this is standard in all situations like this.
The Cap’n and I are wondering if perhaps the Navy is also expecting the presence of radioactive material in the excavated soil, thanks to our adventures yesterday in Area 1.
The only potential contaminant listed for Area 1 is silver, due to onsite film processing. We, however, found radioactive material in Area 1, in the form of illuminated exit signs which contain tritium, or radioactive hydrogen. Tritium has a relatively short half life of approximately 12 years, and is not estimated to be harmful in low, contained doses. Indeed, the EPA allows trace amounts of it in drinking water!
The backs of the exit signs clearly list that they are radioactive, and are considered to be controlled objects. Transfer of the signs is prohibited except to properly trained individuals and institutions. The signs also may not be abandoned, which is clearly the case in Area 1. Tritium contamination has happened in other parts of the United States, primarily because tritium will form water when exposed to oxygen, which will lead to groundwater contamination. Disposal of the signs in landfills results in the creation of radioactive water. Breaking the tubes inside the signs will also cause exposure.
Tritium signs are constructed by enclosing the radioactive material inside small tubes. The tubes are coated in phosphor, which reacts by glowing when exposed to the radiation. The tubes are mounted behind glass, and the stencil for the sign is mounted in front of the glass. The glowing tubes will evenly illuminate the sign without an external power source. Self illuminating signs are highly useful as safety devices, because they can illuminate exits even in complete darkness.
Tritium is also used in the construction of nuclear weapons, where it is used as a trigger. In addition tritium can be found in nuclear reactors and a wide range of self illuminating devices. Government workers and people who work in nuclear facilities are exposed to tritium on a regular basis. Allegedly, tritium emits very weak radiation which is not capable of causing damage. But when tritium enters the bloodstream, as can happen when people drink tritium contaminated water, the substance will bind to other organic materials. Most tritium is expressed in the urine within one month, but not all of it. Therefore, bioaccumulation of the substance is an issue.
Tritium exposure increases the probability of getting cancer. It disperses easily into the soft tissues of the body, some of which are very sensitive to radiation. The most reliable test for tritium exposure is urinalysis…which makes me think it’s time for some cup peeing fun time! For now, I’ll be extra vigilant about flushing, lest my toilet start to glow.
What troubles me about this is not so much the existence of tritium, which appears to be relatively harmless. It is the fact that the Navy did not dispose of the signs properly, which could result in environmental risks. Furthermore, the Navy lied about radiological material on the Island, and it makes me wonder about other locations which may have tritium signs. The signs were abandoned where any individual could access them, and potentially release the tritium inside. The buildings on Treasure Island are explored by most of the residents, and many things inside and out are broken or damaged in the process. While some people may feel that the destruction of property is illegal, the fact is that it happens either way, but it doesn’t usually release radioactive substances into the environment.
For now the signs continue to glow ominously in the dark, waiting in case of emergency.
[Tritium]
[NaBloPoMo]
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago at 5:16 pm. Add a comment
Puff and I were feeling particularly like tourists this weekend, so we decided to take the cable car to Ghirardelli Square for ice cream.
First we wandered around downtown on an assortment of errands, waiting for the other household to mobilize and join us for our San Francisco adventure. We ambled through the Farmer’s Market at Civic Center, where we ogled a variety of produce and bought some grapes. I grazed at the Indian food stall for awhile, because they kept handing me free samples, and was only pulled away from the area by force. Most of the produce is looking pretty sad these days, but there were a few tasty looking comestibles. And persimmons. Oh, persimmons.
We got on board the cable car at the Powell Street stop, where I discovered that the Fast Pass is indeed a thing of beauty and a joy forever, because I didn’t need to pay an addition fare to ride the cable car. I was filled with a sense of deep inner joy when I flashed my Fast Pass at the conducter while the tourists delved around in their pockets for bills.
Puff, Scarab, and I were the last people on the car, so we got to stand on the back, which was awesome. We could see the City pulling away behind us as we moved up Powell Street. And then we almost got kicked off at Geary because we helped someone to hop on. Apparently you are not allowed to hop onto the cable cars anymore because people kept falling and then suing the City. I really have to wonder about intelligence levels sometimes.
Luckily we smoothed things over with the brakeman and had a pleasant trip to the Square. It was quite fun. I don’t think I had ever been on one of the cable cars before, despite them being a San Francisco institution and all. The cars move very slowly, so the City drifted by us while the balmy weather felt nice. The most excellent part was when we went down a steep, steep hill and saw a stunning view of the Bay. Fun times.
I had a hot brownie sundae with cookie dough ice cream. The brownie was too sweet so I pawned it off on Cap’n Raspberry, but the rest of the concoction was quite good. I do like me some ice cream. Mmmm.
Afterwards, I wandered around by the waterfront, checking out the tall ship that is docked there and sprawling on the grass for awhile. It was a lazy and excellent sort of day, and the sort of one which I feel is destined to be repeated.
Camera update: so far I have received $150 in donations from anonymous, J, and Puff. Wouldn’t you like to join them so that the next time I go on a cable car adventure I can take pictures for you? If you contribute funds to my PayPal account in the care of meloukhia at gmail dot com, be sure and let me know if you would like a public credit on the site, or if you would prefer to remain anonymous.
[cable car]
[NaBloPoMo]
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago at 2:46 pm. Add a comment
Yesterday I had a friend from Santa Cruz visiting, and I showed him around the major sites of the Island. I love introducing the Island to people who have never been here before, who are instantly captivated by the strangeness of the place. We wandered on the Southeastern part of the Island, along Avenue N, which I haven’t really explored before.
Avenue N is pretty awesome. It was early evening and the sun was starting to set, painting everything with gold. We looked across the Bay to Berkeley, and I pointed out the new span of the Bay Bridge in progress. The weather was mild and the ocean glittered under the clouds, which were a brilliant blue purple that I don’t think I’ve seen before. Avenue N is quiet and lined with palm trees, with a picnic bench tucked away. It seems like no one goes down there much, and I made a note to explore it further.
Wandering around with him made me think of all sorts of photographic series I wanted to do—I would love to document all of these buildings before they are torn down, and to look at the ever changing graffiti, perhaps do a year of photographs of the constantly metamorphosing painted art, and interview some of the artists. The Island is a living, vibrant place in its decay, a splendid ruin.
Which brings me to a proposal for you, dear readers. As some of you may recall, my loyal camera companion died in a watery grave over the summer. My friend Baxt generously lent me hers for several months, a loan which I greatly appreciate. However, I recently had to return her camera because she had designs for it all her own, and I am now faced with the need to actually consider replacing my camera. I have been looking at a couple of models—given my happy experiences with Canon, I would really like one of these with a really good lens kit. It’s a bit out of the realm of possiblity for the moment, though.
I rarely make appeals for financial contributions to any cause, and have made it a point to keep this site purely noncommercial, both because I appreciate the aesthetic and dislike having to wade through a forest of ads on other sites. I maintain this ain’t livin’ site partially just for myself, and expend a fair amount of energy and money developing and hosting it. I know that many of you enjoy reading it, and many of you have written me saying that you like the photo posts in particular.
So here’s my proposal. If you readers out there on the internets would like to pitch in on one of these or perhaps this with a large memory card (preferably something over a gig, because these cameras makes large files and I don’t like being limited by memory when I’m out and about shooting), I will pledge to take and post a unique photo every day for a year. Ambitious readers could even make photo requests: after all, in addition to living on an awesome post apocalytic Island, I also live near San Francisco, where the possibilities for photography are essentially endless. If someone wants to throw in some additional lenses, I’ll totally extend the pledge time. The A640 breaks down to about a dollar a day—don’t you think a dollar a day is totally worth it for awesome Treasure Island photography?
Negotiating these sorts of things over the internet is always difficult, and if this is something readers are interested in, I would like to do it in a way that is comfortable for all. I have, for example, a Paypal address in the care of meloukhia at gmail dot com to which funds could be transferred (and to which contributions for site upkeep are always welcome). If the goal was not reached in a timely fashion, funds could be returned to you, unless you marked them as a general donation. Readers with alternate suggestions are certainly welcome to get in touch with me, at that email address or publicly on this site.
Think about it. Ponder it, even. A photo every day. For a year. Pretty excellent, eh? I won’t even slack and just put up photo posts, like I do sometimes.
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago at 8:11 am. Add a comment
So every time I go past the soccer field on the 108, I found my eye drawn to the geese which have colonized it so thoroughly that sometimes not a speck of green can be seen. And I think about how tasty I know goose to be, and then I think that it would be a mighty fine thing for me to catch and eat one of those delicious protein delivery systems.
Cap’n Boysenberry thinks that it is probably illegal to hunt them, to which I responded that he is not a proper revolutionary. Someone of true anticapitalist spirit would be out there taking down geese like it ain’t no thang, conquering the flesh for the starving masses. I said this while perched on top of our garbage can waving an Arrogant Bastard, so you know I’m not fooling around when it comes to my fowl.
The thing is, I really like goose. And duck, come to think of it.
And I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what other people are not as into these delicious waterbirds as I am. Is it that chicken has so dulled the palate for fowl that the dark meat of geese and ducks is considered subpar? Is it that ducks are kind of cute, and chickens, while cool, don’t exactly capture the heart? I’m not entirely certain what the origins of this fowl fear are, but I think it’s a terrible thing.
To begin with, no one knows how to cook goose or duck. As a result, the meat turns out flabby and oily, lacking in all life, flavor, and zest. Therefore, cooks point to these failed dishes which do not deserve the name of food as evidence that goose and duck are “just not that good.” Indeed, cooked that way, neither bird would be “that good,” but perhaps if given a chance to flourish, if roasted with love and care, the meat could persuade you with its tender, complex flavor. The delicious notes of wilderness and grain.
The first thing to know about cooking a whole bird is don’t. While it may be tempting, the best goose and duck really should be dismembered for cooking, because different parts of the bird cook at different rates. This is especially true with wild game, which evolved to survive, rather than satisfy your cooking whims. The breast, for example, will quickly cook into a juicy and delicious morsel while the legs are still roasting away.
If you are determined to cook an entire bird, there are ways around it. Start by poking the skin many times with a knife, not so deep as to penetrate flesh but deep enough so that the subcutaneous fat has been reached. This means that as the bird whirls on a spit (because you do mean to spit roast it, don’t you?) the fat will render out, leaving crisp skin and moist, delicious meat without pools of fat to get in the way. Some people have had moderate success with brining and other methods of pre-seasoning as well.
Others cheat, by roasting the bird partially, removing the cooked parts, and then roasting the rest. The bird can be artfully reassembled, brought to the table, and quickly cut before anyone has realized the sordid truth. Orange sauce is crucial.
Turkey is the only other fowl that is every really permitted to play a role in the American diet, which is a great pity because there are a plethora of delicious avians out there waiting for you to sink your teeth into them. Turkey is another bird that is difficult to roast, with various parts of the body finishing and drying out while others are still runny with pink juices and clearly not done. In addition, it is a monstrous bird, which means that you will be eating it for weeks. Why not experiment with duck or goose this Thanksgiving…after all..we are!
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 3:24 pm. Add a comment
So yesterday after being intensely fat and sleeping for most of the day, we decided to go ice skating.
I haven’t been ice skating since college, and everyone else hadn’t been ice skating since they were kids. I vaguely remembered being decent at ice skating, albeit drunk most of the times I tried it, which may have had something to do with it. But we rounded up our long pants and got ready for action at the Yerba Buena Center.
Yerba Buena usually has two public skates a day, and we went to the late one yesterday and rented shoes. (So, uhm, yeah, if you were there and saw us wobbling around the rink, take pity.) Cap’n Raspberry and I rented figure skates, which have little teeth on them, while Puff and the Scarab rented hockey skates, without teeth.
First lesson of the day: skates without teeth are better when you don’t really know what you’re doing, because the Cap’n and I kept inadvertantly almost crashing as the ice caught on the teeth of our blades.
The Scarab and the Cap’n getting ready to ice skate, with their serious faces on. They were easy to find on the rink because the Cap’n was the only one in military fatigues and the Scarab was the only one with a giant mohawk. Small children scattered before them. Or maybe those particular children just weren’t very good skaters.
Alas, most of the awesome pictures didn’t come out because the lighting is poor. Most of my pictures consist of blurs whirring around a white background, which is not exactly scintillating viewing. Puff and Scarab held hands for a few rounds, until they fell down.
We all fell down, actually. Only the Cap’n was lucky enough to fall down into an attractive lady, however. (He told me he didn’t ger her number…fool!) I fell once full out on my hands, thank God for gloves, and had a couple of close calls.
It was a little be demoralizing to realize that I was not, in fact, even vaguely good at ice skating, while all these little kids whizzed past doing triple lutzes, skating backwards, and what not. There were a few wobbly ones being dragged around by their parents, which looked fun. But most of them were on top of it, serious and focused in their alarmingly short little ice skating skirts, going around me as I painstakingly skated my way around the ice.
This picture is blurry, but it is in fact the gang, right before public skate closed, skating in unison, looking proud of themselves. We all kind of got into our groove, the Cap’n most successfully, I think, and by the end the gang was moving around quite nicely.
Not as nicely as the “ICE PATROL” in their snazzy orange jackets, surrounded by groupies, of course.
Here they all are at the end of the skate, with their happy ice faces.
I have a feeling that this may become a regular tradition.
[ice skating]
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 9:47 am. Add a comment
I think we all know that I hate sports, and that this is, in fact, a long established truth. I loathe sports with a flaming passion which only vaguely begins to approach my hatred for children, genocidal dictators, and people who eat microwave dinners. I also hate yuppies.
But now there’s further ammunition for my hatred, kids, because today I discovered that sports are actually a threat to public safety.
But let me back up and give you the full explanation.
So, as we all know, I don’t own a personal vehicle, but I am looking after one for a friend this weekend. I’m moving it now and then so that people don’t think it’s abandoned, and Puff was late to work this morning so I gave her a ride into the City, and then returned to the Island. The Island is all in an uproar because there’s a triathlon being held this weekend. Now, I’m ok with triathlons, I suppose, and this one at least had the courtesy to send out a letter warning me, unlike most events on Island.
So in the letter, they said that traffic might be rerouted a bit, but that traffic cops would be here and they would try to keep the disruption minimal. On my way off the Island, I had to go out the long way because Avenue H and California and 13th Street are all closed to traffic. But whatever. It’s not that big of an issue, I can deal.
So I get back on Island, and all the parking spots on my street are taken, and La Chiquita is home so I can’t use our space. Fine, whatever, I’ll use the parking lot in the back. Only I won’t, because I can’t get across 13th Street. I drove all over the housing area in quest of a visitor’s space, while the giant back lot remained tantalizingly empty. Not a space to be had, no way, no how, nowhere.
So I looped back to 13th and Gateview and tried to attract the attention of the cop, because I saw him letting a car through there and I figured he could let me across too. The cop made some sort of odd floppy hand gesture and turned his back on me. I did go to driver school, but I don’t know what a wierd floppy hand gesture and being ignored is supposed to mean…I didn’t learn that traffic signal.
I sat, puzzled for a moment, and then inched forward. He turned again, making the same odd gesture, and turned his back again. Cars were beginning to stack up behind me, and we were all equally puzzled by the fact that the cop was totally ignoring our existence.
“Uhm, officer,” I started to say, rolling down the window. “Officer? OFFICER?”
No response. Finally some random person in an official triathlon jacket came over, and asked what I wanted.
“Well, I, uhm, live here, and can’t park. Usually we can use this back lot, if the officer would please just let me cross 13th Street.”
“Did you look for parking in the housing area?”
“Uhm, yeah, that’s what I am trying to tell you, is that I live here and there is nowhere I can park because all the visitors spots are taken. I am fine with waiting for a break in the bicyclists to cross the street, but I really need to be able to park.”
“Well, uh, you really need to park in the housing area.”
“Believe me man,” I said, “I would love to park in the housing area, if that was an option. Unfortunately, it’s not. I realize that you think you own the Island because you are renting it for the weekend, but you don’t, and I assure you that I will remember this during the public comment period next year and I will be sure to lobby against giving you permits for this.”
“Uhm, let me ask the officer, ok?”
So, grudgingly, the cop lets me through. Seething with grumpiness, I park, lock the car, and wait to walk back across 13th Street so I can go home. While I’m sitting there, a fire truck pulls up, obviously needing to cross the street.
To my amazement, the cop did the same thing to the fire truck that he did to me. Uhm…dude…it’s a fire truck. You really, you know, ought to let it through. I realize that it’s not an emergency, but still. Fire truck. Right of way. But no, the stupid bicyclists are more important than, say, people’s lives.
I hate sports.
I also hate that the Island gets rented out like this all the time, something which totally would not happen if we were a wealthy enclave. This is the kind of shit that never happens in Mainland San Francisco, because the yuppies would get riled up. But apparently it’s totally fine to wreak havoc in a low income neighborhood. After all, what do we care? We’re just poor folks!
You know what else I hate, is the SFPD. What police officer in ou right mind decides to ignore motorists who are obviously trying to get ou attention? My taxes are paying that cop to sit there all weekend, and the least he could do is address my concerns, as a citizen. Don’t you think that if you were a cop and cars were stacking up at an intersection you are supposed to be controlling that you would do something about it, rather than sitting there eating a doughnut? Did I mention he was eating a doughnut? That another cop brought by? While I was waiting to cross the goddamn street so I could park? Because he was eating a doughnut.
Clearly, there is only one solution to this complex and multifold problem: ban policemen and triathlons.
[San Francisco Police]
[Treasure Island Triathlon]
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 9:21 am. Add a comment
Bah to the time change.
I’ve been here a month now. I know this because I’m supposed to drop the rent check off tomorrow. Sometimes I wake up in shock, like, wait, I live here. Other times, it seems like I’ve been here forever, drinking Fat Tire at The Boys’ and having the world at my fingertips.
Yesterday I didn’t feel intensely motivated to work in the morning, so I took the bus into San Francisco to get my fast pass for November and mail some things. I ended up ambling around the City for almost four hours, soaking in the chaos of the Financial District on a Monday.
It struck me while I was looking at the work on the Citi Bank building that not many people bother to look up. There’s all this amazing architecture and everyone hurries along at its feet without looking up at these soaring buildings. Some of them have spectacular Art Deco facades with intense sculpture that only the pigeons, rats of the sky, seem to be enjoying. Cap’n Raspberry was remarking the other day that he thought it was kind of sad how we don’t ornament our buildings anymore. It used to be that buildings reflected what they did, with women bearing sheaves of corn on the merchantile building and odalisques leering down from fancy apartments. Now it’s glass and steel and cold edges wherever you go.
I wandered quite a way up Market, and popped into the Westfield Centre for a moment. It’s not that I wanted to buy anything in there, but merely that I find it an amazing cultural experience. I can only tolerate it for about 10 minutes before the intensity drives me insane, so I wandered around on the third floor and watched overdressed skinny women dragging around overdressed sad looking men. Outside, union members picketed. It’s a pretty cool building, the Westfield, to be fair. They have a big glass deal over the centre and the whole building is kind of structured around it. The floors are excellent. I felt dizzy looking down through the elevators so I took a piss and left.
Then I went to Cody’s, where my friend Tyler works. It’s become a running joke to me that every time I stop by Cody’s to see if he’s working, he’s not there. I was beginning to think that he was only pretending to work at Cody’s, as a front for his sizeable escorting service. Or something. Anyway, I was looking at Volume 0 of Transmetropolitan and heard his voice so I barrelled around the corner to say hello. That was nice.
Then I cruised over to Chinatown to pick up sesame oil and hot chili sauce, which disappear at an alarming rate in our house. Puff almost picked up some sesame the other day but I said I’d go to Chinatown and get a tin, so I did. Thirty dollars later I had enough frozen dim sum to fill the entire freezer, along with three pounds of tea, a pound of incense, four packets of thai noodles, and an assortment of other vitally needed goods.
Walking through Chinatown reminded me of coming to San Francisco as a child with my father. He would always take me to Clement Street and Chinatown, and we would eat at the Hang Ah and get an assortment of cheap Asian ingredients that we had no hope of obtaining in Fort Bragg. I missed him, almost viscerally, while I walked through the chaos of little old Asian ladies, tourists, piles of fruit, and bicycles. For a moment I thought I was eight or nine again, swinging a Roald Dahl and trailing in my father’s wake.
The best cure for feeling maudlin is wandering the adult clubs along Market, so I did. My groceries were heavy, though, so I hopped a bus for the Transbay, and home.
Going back across the Bay Bridge, I read What to Eat and wondered about the wisdom of self righteous food columnists. I think I liked Food Politics better.
The sun came out at the end of the day, fighting to be seen over the clouds and creating a streaky orange sunset, the fog settled in on the Financial District like a fat lady hovering over a toilet, and then the roommates came home and the house was alive again.
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 9:55 am. Add a comment
So I staggered awake around noon today because some gormless little shit was ringing my doorbell repeatedly and then running away. I unscrewed the infernal device so it wouldn’t ring anymore but I figured as long as I was up I should probably check the news, before returning to the blissful folds of my sheets.
I was astounded to read this article in the Chronicle. Now, as we know, I’m not a big party girl, but even I can see that this looks like a terrible, terrible idea. Halloween in the Castro is a time honored tradition for many, some of whom are traveling great distances to partake in the joyousness. A poorly publicized plan to shut down the party early is going to end in tears before bedtime.
To begin with, I find any sort of campaign where people are encouraged to go to other districts of the City somewhat tasteless. The argument for trying to shut down Halloween in the Castro is that it’s disruptive and dangerous…wouldn’t these qualities hold true in other parts of the City as well? Why should the Mission, the Haight, or anywhere else be forced to deal with displaced revelers from the Castro? This kind of not in my backyard attitude is foolish.
Secondly, disrupting a forty year old tradition is going to ruffle some feathers. Ruffling feathers, especially drunk ones, is not a good plan. While the Castro reveling does get exuberant, if the claim of 300,000 people last year is correct…that’s going to be a lot of angry, drunken people who are not going to be pleased about an attempt to shut down by 10:30.
It’s preposterous to try to shut down an event which is, in many ways, a spontaneous street gathering. Over the years, Halloween in the Castro has been streamlined, in an attempt to deal with the heavy volume of people—all of whom would be there either way, because it’s tradition. Short of creating a police barricade, people cannot be kept out…and that seems like a dangerous waste of City funds. And an awesome way to piss off the voters before the election. Good going, kiddos!
I wasn’t sure about going to the Castro party this year, since it includes several things I strongly dislike: groups of over three, drunk people, and pay toilets. But now I feel obligated to go, because I have a sense this is going to be quite the fiasco…
[Halloween in the Castro]
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 12:16 pm. Add a comment
The following list of active cleanup sites on Treasure Island is taken from a fact sheet distributed by the Navy, current as of August 2006. Almost fifty percent of the sites identified on this fact sheet have been cleared, representing significant effort on everyone’s part. I am only listing the sites for which action still needs to be taken, or for which a decision of no further action has been reached.
At issue are a variety of unpleasant substances which have less than favourable effects on the human body.
Arsenic: arsenic is a common element which was used in wood treatment and other industrial applications. Arsenic can lead to a sore throat, irritated lungs, skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, darkening of the skin, formation of skin nodules, abnormal heart rhythm, and ultimately death.
Asbestos: created from various fibrous minerals, asbestos was widely used for insulation, tile manufacture, and other applications, because of its long, strong, flexible, and heat resistant fibers. Asbestos affects the lungs through inhalation, and will cause cancer.
Copper: copper is a widely distributed metal which is not harmful in small concentrations. In fact, trace amounts of the metal are needed to maintain human health. However, in larger concentrations, copper can cause irritation of the nose and throat, nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage, and death.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): DDT was at one point widely used for insect control in the United States. After bioaccumulation issues resulting in serious harm to wildlife, it was outlawed here, although it is still manufactured and used in other countries. For humans exposed to DDT, tremors, seizures, liver damage, reproductive damage, nervous system damage, and hormone confusion can result.
Dioxins: dioxins are created through incomplete combustion. Birth defects, endometriosis, cancer, liver damage, skin problems, and diabetes have been linked to dioxin exposure in humans.
Lead: lead is a metal which can be found in small concentrations in the Earth’s crust. It has been used in a variety of human endeavors, ranging from paint to movable type. Lead will cause heavy metal poisoning, which is linked with damage to the nervous system joints, liver, kidneys, brain, and reproductive systems. In addition, lead is linked with increased risk of miscarriage and changes to blood pressure and heart rate.
Mercury: mercury is a naturally occuring metal which was used in a wide variety of applications before health problems were associated with it. It can wreak havoc on the central nervous system, which is extremely sensitive to heavy metal poisoning. Lung damage, cancer, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin damage, eye irritation, and changes in blood pressure and heart rate have also been linked with mercury poisoning.
Polychlorinated bipenyls (PCBs): PCBs were developed in the 1930s for extensive use in the electronics industry. After realizing that the harmful substances bioaccumulated, manufacture was halted in the 1980s. They appear as mostly colourless oily liquids and solids which have no discernable taste. Skin conditions, liver damage, anemia, impaired reproduction, mental changes, immune damage, and cancer have been associated with PCBs.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): PAHs are formed through incomplete burning, like dioxins. They often appear as soot, or charring, and some are commercially manufactured for a wide variety of uses. Animal studies show links with immune system damage, skin problems, reproductive damage, birth defects, and weight loss. The Department of Health and Human Services has linked them with cancer in humans.
Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH): many fuels and other crude oil products fall into this heading. Central nervous system effects, numbness, reproductive harm, damage to the eyes, blood, immune system, kidneys, lungs, and liver have been observed. Several TPH compounds are cancerous.
Site 6
Location of the former Navy fire fighting school, located on the Northeast Corner of the Island. Possibility of chemical contaminants is at issue, and a remedial investigation report is being prepared. Known contaminants include petroleum, asbestos, volatile organic compounds, and mercury. The Navy is also monitoring the groundwater.
Site 8
Located on the Eastern tip of Yerba Buena Island, was the sludge disposal area for eight years. By sludge disposal, the Navy means that effluent from the waste treatment plant was dumped there. At issue are biological contaminants as well as some chemical pollution related to waste treatment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be present. A remedial investigation report is being prepared.
Site 9
The location of the former foundry, between the clipper hangers on the southern side of Treasure Island. Solvents, lead, and petroleum products are present as part of the metalworking process. A proposed plan and record of decision are being prepared.
Site 10
Was the bus painting shop, located near Site Six on the Northeastern corner of the Island. Semivolatile organic compounds and pesticides are present, presumably related to the paint mixtures used by the miliary. The pesticides are as a result of storing pest control chemicals at the site. A proposed plan and record of decision are being prepared.
Site 11
On the southern side of the east approach of the Bay Bridge on Yerba Buena Island. It was used as a landfill by the Navy, and contains volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metal, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. A remedial investigation report is being prepared.
Site 12
The old bunker area, site of current housing on the Northern portion of Treasure Island. Polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, arsenic, lead, and debris are present. A remedial investiation report was prepared and presented, and the site is currently in a comment period while alternatives for cleanup are proposed.
Site 21
On the Southeastern corner of the Island, where oil was recovered from ships and separated from contaminants. Volatile organic compounds and total petroleum hydrocarbons are present at the site, where the remedial investigation report is in the process of being finalized following an initial treatabilty study in late 2005.
Site 24
The former drycleaning facility, in operation for over 35 years. It is slightly South of the middle of the Island on the eastern side. Petroleum, oil, lubricants, and chlorinated solvents have been found at the site. A remedial investigation report and feasabilty study are being prepared, following treatment of a groundwater plume in 2005.
Site 25
The seaplane maintenance area is on the Southern side of the Island next to Clipper Bay. Petroleum, oil, and lubricants are all present, resulting in continued groundwater monitoring.
Site 27
The Clipper Cove Skeet Range, operated between 1978 and 1987 on the Southern shore of the Island. Lead shot, lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are present at the site, while a feasibility study is on hold. Additional investigation of the sediment is required before action can be taken.
Site 28
The West side on/off ramp, where lead from paints and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been identified. A remedial investigation report is being prepared.
Site 29
The East side on/off ramp, facing similar issues as the West ramp.
Site 30
Site 30, the former daycare center, is roughly in the middle of the Island, slightly to the west. Dioxins, lead, and copper have been discovered. The area was not developed until the mid 1980s, and it is suspected that burned debris was used to backfill utility trenches there. The remedial investigation report was finalized in February and a feasability study is being prepared.
Site 31
The former South storage yard is nestled next to Site 12, and may contain polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, total petroleum hydrocarbons, lead, copper, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, and dioxins. This storage area was used, clearly, for all sorts of material. In July 2006, the remedial investigation report was finalized. A feasability study is being prepared.
Site 32
The former training and storage area is on the Northeast corner of the Island, and likely has polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, total petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxins, and pesticides. In addition to being used for tear gas training, hazardous materials were stored there. Currently, there’s a large transformer pad, likely source of the polychlorinated biphenyls. A remedial investigation report is being prepared.
Site 33
Extensive historical repairs to this waterline on the Southeastern side of the Island revealed significant debris. Dioxins and metals are at issue, and a remedial investigation report is being prepared.
Pipeline Sites
Inactive fuel lines scattered around the Island are laden with petroleum. The water board has agreed that no further action should be taken on these sites.
Underground Storage Tank Sites
Underground petroleum tanks have also resulted in a concurrence between the Navy and other organizations that no further action be taken.
[Treasure Island]
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 11:47 am. Add a comment
As some of my readers may be aware, there is presently a harebrained scheme to open the Island to development, and several ideas have been put forth by a firm which wants to turn the Island into a yuppie ecotopia, complete with high rises, green space, controlled access, and a private ferry. I’ve always been opposed to this, only more so when I moved here, so I try to keep tabs on the Treasure Island Development Authority. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds a deep sense of irony in building a ecodevelopment on a dump.
Frequent meetings are held on the Island to talk about cleanup, development, and other community issues. On Tuesday, there was an informational meeting about the proposed cleanup in area twelve, where we live. The leasing company sent out menacing letters about relocation, so Cap’n Boysenberry and I, as house mothers of our respective residences, decided to go and get the scoopage.
It was a field trip well worth taking. Despite my profound dislike of meetings, it was very…informative. It started out with a poster display, where we could amble around talking to people. I got a chance to talk with people from the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Navy, John Stewart Company, and the firm handling the cleanup. I also got a complete list of contaminated sites on base and their cleanup status. Oh yes. Then we got to watch some powerpoint. The military loves powerpoint. Afterwards, the floor was open to public comment.
The first and most important thing that we learned is that development on the Island isn’t going to happen for at least ten years. It’s been painted as happening much earlier, but when I talked to the General Manager she assured me that it wasn’t as big a worry. I also asked her about a buyout option, where existing residents on the Island could buy out their homes. She said that wasn’t possible because our houses are going to be destroyed, but that we would have an option to lease or buy in the proposed development.
I am still profoundly unhappy with the idea of development. I love the Island as it is, and I think it would be fun to restore the buildings to their former glory, and live here as a low income pirate rebel community. We are still not ruling out the idea of leading more aggressive action to resist the development, as it may price most of us out of homes, despite the claims of the company. But it was assuring to know that we aren’t going to be voted off the Island any time soon.
What we learned is that they are going to do some “environmental remediation” on the housing behind the scary green fences. The plan is to cleanup the area to the point where it would be safe for habitation, potentially usable as additional housing. I also learned that the place we scavenged our screens from is called, I shit you not, Halliburton Court.
The majority of the contamination is in the houses along the seawall, because waste was dumped there in previous years. The issue is that shit is buried in the ground. Shit like lead, PCBs, and PAHs. The Navy wants to get it out or at least minimize exposure, and the meeting was held to propose some alternatives for cleanup.
One and Two are known as shallow excavation, where the soil would be dug up and removed to a depth of two feet and backfilled with clean soil before being landscaped over. Alternative one leaves the existing hardscape in place, while alternative two calls for removing it. We’re looking at around eight million dollars for either of these.
Three and Four, deep excavation, involve removal of soil four feet deep and backfill, and would cost around twelve million. Three works around the hardscape, while four will remove it.
Option five is to pour concrete over the whole deal and call it good.
I favor option four, because it sounds like the deepest clean. Of course, as the authorities admitted, these plans will only work for the existing housing, which means that if and when these houses are demolished…another cleanup effort will have to be undertaken in area 12.
The cross section of people at the meeting was interesting. The large population of youth and African Americans was very poorly represented. There were a few people who seemed genuinely clueless about the fact of standard military practice around waste disposal, like the woman who was shocked that there was lead in her yard. And there were a few people who were riled up about temporary relocation.
If anyone actually bothered to read their lease agreement before signing it, they could see full disclosures about dangerous levels of toxic metals and chemicals in the ground here, for which the leasing agency will bear no liability. In addition, part of the terms of the lease with the Navy is that the Navy can relocate people temporarily for environmental cleanup. It’s annoying, sure, but don’t move to a toxic dump if you can’t take the heat, and read your damn lease agreements, kids.
32 households are going to be directly affected, although ours isn’t one of them. Some of the public comments were very astute. Cap’n Boysenberry asked about landscaping after the work was done, and what sort plans there were there. Some residents seemed more concerned about how long the interruption would be than how good the cleanup was, which was a little sad to see.
The Navy has already undertaken significant cleanup action—I’ll post a list of still active sites tomorrow. It is interesting to be living here during this phase, where things are changing rapidly and very, very intriguingly. I still do not rule out the possibility for violent revolution, is all I am saying. (Just kidding James Sullivan, Navy BRAC PMO West!)
I’m actually giving Navy props for the cleanup effort, for all my critiques. But I also think it’s important for people outside Treasure Island to understand what’s going on here, and the issues and controversies that we deal with as residents…issues which are very far away from citizens of the rest of San Francisco right now, but might become more all encompassing if the land passed into the ownership of the City, because these expensive problems are going to be passed along with the land.
[Treasure Island]
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 12:21 pm. Add a comment