Panoche Burn Site Remediation

This report summarizes Phase II of the Panoche Burn Site Remediation performed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IX, Emergency Response Office.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Certification

1. Introduction

1.1 Report Purpose and Conclusions
1.2 Site Location
1.3 Background Summary
1.4 Site Conditions

2. Administrative Activities

2.1 CIWMB Approval
2.2 Reviewing Agencies
2.3 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
2.4 Site Access
2.5 Permits

3. Remediation Project

3.1 Planned Scope of Work

3.1.1 Engineering Consultant Responsibilities, CH2M HILL
3.1.2 Remediation Contractor Responsibilities, Sukut Construction
Company
3.1.3 Project Organization and Participants

3.2 Remediation Activities

3.2.1 Weekly Project Status
3.2.2 Final Inspection
3.2.3 Ash Contamination
3.2.4 Stained Material
3.2.5 Pyrolytic Oil Contamination

3.3 Field Modifications

3.3.1 Clay Plug Design
3.3.2 Cover Design

3.4 Site Assessment

3.4.1 Sampling Procedures
3.4.2 Sampling and Analysis
3.4.3 Analytical Results
3.4.5 Conclusions
3.4.6 Sampling Recommendations

3.5 Known Hazards

3.5.1 Health and Safety

3.6 Soil Tests

4. Project Costs

5. Materials and Quantities

6. Post Closure

7. References

7.1 Reference Documents
7.2 Other References

Several of the following appendices are not available electronically. To obtain copies please contact Todd Thalhamer.

This report summarizes Phase II of the Panoche Burn Site Remediation performed by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IX, Emergency Response Office. On May 20, 1996, a tire fire consumed approximately 1 million to 2 million tires dumped throughout the canyon. A major concern of the tire fire was the potential for a release of pyrolytic oil down the canyon and into Little Panoche Creek. Because one tire can produce up to 2 gallons of oil, the potential existed for 2 million gallons to be discharged 300 yards into the creek. To minimize the release, the tire fire was allowed to burn and was contained up-canyon by an earthen berm. This decision was based on past tire fire fighting efforts where water accelerated the discharge of pyrolytic oil and caused massive runoff problems.

After the fire, approximately 4 acres were covered with 1 to 5 feet of ash, metal debris, and pyrolytic oil residue. Samples showed the ash contained high levels of zinc ranging from 32,000 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 156,000 mg/kg and other contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons. Zinc levels in the soil exceeded the EPA’s preliminary remediation goal of 10,000 mg/kg for soil in industrial areas and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s criteria for hazardous waste of 5,000 mg/kg. Because of the proximity of the hazardous ash to the creek, the EPA requested the CIWMB to remediate the Panoche Burn Site.

The CIWMB began the tire ash remediation on October 17, 1996, and completed the project on December 20, 1996. However, the site sustained serious erosion damage from the January 1997 storms. The CIWMB remediation contractor remobilized and finished the repair work on February 4, 1997. The Panoche Burn Site Remediation consisted of consolidating and encapsulating the burn ash and pyrolytic oil stained soil in the upper canyon, constructing a retention dam, and installing erosion control devices. Approximately 18,070 cubic yards of burn ash and contaminated material were encapsulated in the upper part of the canyon. The total expenditure for the remediation project was $159,810 for engineering design, construction management, environmental sampling, and surveying and $487,994 for construction.

Return to Table of Contents

The following certification is based on daily observations and inspections of the work by Bob Logan, CH2M HILL Construction Manager, and verified by Todd Thalhamer, CIWMB Project Engineer.

The Panoche Burn Site was remediated by Sukut Construction Company in general conformance with project work orders issued under CIWMB Cleanup Contract No. IWM-C5050, which included site-specific construction drawings and supplemental specifications. Construction and remediation were consistent with good waste management and construction practices.

CH2M HILL performed the boundary and topographic surveys, sampling and testing, and construction management in general conformance with project work orders issued under CIWMB Engineering Consultant Contract No. IWM-C5051 using good engineering practices.

This report and as-built plans were prepared by Todd Thalhamer and assisted by Bob Logan under the guidance and supervision of Michael Yacyshyn, CH2M HILL Contract Manager. Mr. Thalhamer’s seal as a Registered Civil Engineer in the State of California is affixed below.

Todd Thalhamer, R.C.E. C055197

Return to Table of Contents

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) Solid Waste Cleanup Program (SWCP) provides funds to remediate closed or abandoned solid waste sites and to clean up illegal disposal sites where the owner is unwilling or unable to remediate the site. SWCP staff agreed to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) emergency removal action for the Panoche Burn Site at a meeting on August 29, 1996. On September 25, 1996, the CIWMB Board approved funding the remediation phase (Phase II) of the project by Resolution 96-400. Statutory authority for the project is in California Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 48020, et seq., the Solid Waste Disposal and Codisposal Cleanup Program, which is administered and directed by the CIWMB.

Return to Table of Contents

This report summarizes construction and engineering activities, field modifications, environmental sampling, and records of survey performed to remediate the Panoche Burn Site. Because the fire occurred in spring, the CIWMB staff was able to remediate the site before bad weather delayed the project. However, remediation time could be reduced if a tire fire protocol is established and if a lead agency is designated for suppressing, controlling, and remediating tire fires in California.

The CIWMB could perform these duties if the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs) provide technical assistance in designing appropriate remediations, and legislative and policy changes are made to the Solid Waste Disposal and Codisposal Cleanup Program. The CIWMB executive director or a Board member would then be able to authorize immediate funding of a project and allow site assessment to occur until a plan can be brought to the CIWMB for ratification.

Return to Table of Contents

The Panoche Burn Site is approximately 2 miles west of Interstate 5 on County Road J1 (Little Panoche Road) in northern Fresno County. Specifically, the site is in the southwest quarter of Section 21, Township 13S, Range 11E, on Parcels 009-041-28 and 009-041-30 in Book 29 of Fresno County Records. Figures 1 and 2 indicate site area and location.

The site is in a Y-shaped canyon along the northern edge of the Panoche Hills. The canyon ranges from approximately 50 to 100 feet deep, and the slopes of the canyon walls average about 2:1 (horizontal:vertical) but range from 1:1 to 4.5:1. Numerous naturally occurring ravines carry water from the Panoche Hills to Little Panoche Creek. Figure 3 provides a topographical view of the site before the remediation.

  Figure 1. Area Map of the Panoche Burn-Tire Site (34 KB)

  Figure 2. Site Location (10 KB)

  Figure 3. Site Map (10 KB)

CIWMB records indicate the owner, Ms. Anita I. Choperena, had a Local County Use Permit in the 1970s that allowed tires to be stored in the canyon. However, with the passage of the California Tire Recycling Act in 1989, the site violated PRC Section 42820, et seq., Major Waste Tire Facility Permit. In the early 1990s, the CIWMB began enforcement actions against the owner to bring the site into compliance with the California Code of Regulations for a major waste tire facility. On May 20, 1996, a massive tire fire erupted in the canyon. A grass fire ignited the site and produced smoke that was visible for more than 30 miles. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CDF) and Fresno County Fire Department responded to this incident.

The smoke from the tire fire jeopardized the integrity of Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E’s) intertie electricity transmission lines that cross over the canyon. These lines carry more than 500,000 volts of electricity to the western half of the United States. According to a PG&E field representative, smoke has enough particulate matter to create an arc between transmission lines. A 1990 court action allowed PG&E to bury approximately 2 million tires in an area contiguous to the fire to protect the intertie lines that crossed directly over the tire pile. Approximately 1 to 1 1/2 million exposed tires were left outside PG&E right-of-way.

On May 22, 1996, the California EPA duty officer requested the U.S. EPA, Emergency Response Office to respond to the tire fire. The U.S. EPA mobilized its Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) consultant and met with fire agencies to determine a course of action. At the time of the fire, the 1 million exposed tires were in contact with the 2 million buried tires because soil was only placed over the top of the tire pile. As a result, the tire fire spread from the exposed tires to the buried tires in the upper canyon. At the meeting, the agencies decided to allow the tire fire to burn and to control and contain the fire and pyrolytic oil runoff. During Phase I of the emergency removal action, the U.S. EPA authorized $200,000 for its Emergency Response Cleanup Service (ERCS) contractor to perform the following tasks:

• Prevent the pyrolytic oil from discharging into the creek by constructing a temporary check dam at the base of the canyon
• Excavate and extinguish the tires under combustion at the interface between the buried tires and the fire
• Prevent the further spread of the fire into the buried tire area by constructing an earthen embankment to act as a firebreak

Several agencies were involved with the fire including CDF, DTSC, California Office of Emergency Services, Fresno County Community Health Department, U.S. EPA Region IX, California Air Resources Board, San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, Department of Fish and Game (DFG), PG&E, and the CIWMB.

The fire left approximately 4 acres of steep canyon walls contaminated with burn ash and steel belts. The U.S. EPA’s sampling indicated the burn ash contained elevated levels of heavy metals, primarily zinc at 32,000 mg/kg and petroleum hydrocarbons at 25,000 mg/kg. Based on limited exploration during Phase I, the contaminated material appeared to be approximately 1 foot deep on the canyon slopes and 2 feet deep along the base of the canyon. A synopsis of the tire fire is provided in Appendix A (not available electronically), the U.S. EPA Federal On-Scene Coordination Report.

Return to Table of Contents

Initial reports indicated there were approximately 4 acres of tire ash, 1 to 2 feet deep. The burn tire residue was light gray and was composed of about 50 percent ash and 50 percent steel belts. The ash was extremely dry and hydrophobic (i.e., unable to dissolve in water). Because of the extreme heat from the tire fire, the steel belts were heavily oxidized and brittle. Steel belts, up to one-half inch, ruptured when bent by hand.

The pyrolytic oil generated from the tire fire burned as it traveled down the canyon. A small check dam approximately halfway up the canyon held the oil. The pooled oil behind the check dam created enough heat to partially melt the corrugated steel pipe at the base of the check dam. Only a small amount of oil was observed at the outlet side of the pipe.

Return to Table of Contents

At the CIWMB Permitting and Enforcement Committee Meeting on September 11, 1996, the Solid Waste Cleanup Program staff recommended the CIWMB Board approve the Panoche Burn Site Remediation using funds from the 1996/97 funding cycle. On September 25, 1996, the CIWMB Board approved the preliminary cost estimate of $450,000 for the remediation project with Resolution 96-400. The Board directed staff to use a CIWMB contractor to implement remediation measures. On September 26, 1996, the CIWMB notified the U.S. EPA and other reviewing agencies of the approval of Phase II of the emergency removal action for the Panoche Burn Site.

Return to Table of Contents

A number of reviewing agencies were involved in Phase II because of the complex nature of the fire, the multiple environmental impacts, the impacts to the intertie lines, and the proximity of the underground pressurized oil pipeline and the California Aqueduct. On August 29, 1996, the agencies met at the CDF station in Mendota to discuss the options for reducing potential hazards and impacts. The reviewing agencies agreed that the ash and contaminated material should be encapsulated on site to prevent migration of the hazardous ash into the creek and possibly the California Aqueduct. Table 1 lists the reviewing agencies and contacts for Phase II of the remediation project.

Return to Table of Contents

Because Phase II was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. EPA, the lead agency for this project, the CIWMB considered the project exempt from CEQA. The determination was made pursuant to Public Resource Code Section 21080(b)(4) because these specific actions were necessary to prevent and mitigate an emergency. However, the CIWMB filed a Notice of Exemption with the State Clearinghouse on September 27, 1996, after the CIWMB Board approved the project. There were no legal challenges to the CIWMB’s determination that the project was exempt from CEQA. Appendix B (not available electronically) contains a copy of the notice of exemption.

Return to Table of Contents

CIWMB staff obtained site access with the assistance of the Fresno County Community Health Department. The signed authorization granted the CIWMB staff, their designated contractors and representatives, and other affected state and local authorities access to the property. The property owner signed the authorization on September 12, 1996. The authorization allowed the owner to grant access without admitting liability or responsibility for the cleanup. A copy of the signed access document is contained in Appendix B (not available electronically).

Return to Table of Contents

At the August 29, 1996, meeting in Mendota, the CIWMB engineer requested the reviewing agencies to identify permits required to complete the project. The project engineer noted that because of the critical time constraints (e.g., pending winter rains) to complete the project, a lengthy permit process would jeopardize the ability of the CIWMB to complete the project. None of the reviewing agencies requested the CIWMB to pursue any permits. Table 2 lists the project permits and authorizations typically required and their applicability to the Panoche Burn Site Remediation.

Return to Table of Contents | Tire Fires Home Page | To next section of report

Last updated: December 02, 2007