PureGro Cleanup Project
Brawley, California

News

APRIL 24, 2023

Final Stage of
Cleanup Begins

After several months of additional planning, sampling, and engineering design, the final steps of the cleanup were approved by DTSC in March 2023. Work resumes in April 2023 and will require about nine months to complete the following activities:

Excavate soil from four targeted areas, load it into trucks, cover each load, and transport it along a designated route for disposal
Bring clean soil and other materials needed to place a multi-layer engineered cover over the entire property that is compatible with commercial or light industrial redevelopment
Establish a 50-foot-wide residential buffer zone along the eastern and southern boundary of the property
Install landscaping within the southern buffer zone, build a 6-foot wall along the eastern buffer zone, relocate and replace fencing, and install a new gate
Replace most of the existing monitoring well network and begin an Operation and Maintenance Plan including periodic data collection and reporting to DTSC

The same safety measures used during soil stockpile removal in 2020 will be in place again for this final stage of cleanup activities. Shown here are before and after photos of stockpile removal in 2020.

DECEMBER 18, 2020

Stockpile Removal
is Complete

Removal of the soil stockpile at the former PureGro property is complete. From September to December 2020, about 25,000 tons of soil were safely hauled away in more than 1,000 truckloads. Before leaving the property, each truck was loaded, covered, inspected, and passed through a wheel wash on the way out to the designated truck route. Meanwhile, dust was controlled and monitored each day during soil removal activities.

Removal of the stockpile was a key request of the community as part of the Remedial Action Plan approved by DTSC in June 2020, and we are pleased that this part of the work is now done. The next step is to complete the rest of the Remedial Action Plan after additional planning and engineering design are complete. The entire project team extends its thanks to the City of Brawley and the local neighborhood for your support during this important project.

Project History

History

Located at 1025 River Drive in northeast Brawley, California, the 11-acre former PureGro Company property was used to formulate, store, and distribute agricultural products from the 1940s to 2000. Over the next several years, hundreds of soil, groundwater, and air samples were collected and analyzed to confirm the site is safe for nearby residents and to understand how best to clean up the property. In June 2020, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) approved the Remedial Action Plan (RAP).

2023-2024

DTSC held a community open house in March 2023 to discuss the final stage of the cleanup set to begin in April 2023. Work will include removal of additional soil, installation of an engineered cover and residential buffer zones, and new fencing and landscaping.

2021-2022

Engineering design activities continue for implementation of the remaining portions of the RAP. Activities include a property boundary survey, soil sampling to define the location and amount of soil to be excavated, and completion of the remedial design.

2019

DTSC and the City of Brawley gathered additional community input to help shape a revised cleanup plan. In November 2019, the revised draft RAP was issued with five cleanup options, including several features requested by the community. DTSC hosted a public meeting on December 5, 2019 and a public comment period from November 13 to December 17, 2019 to receive comments on the revised draft RAP.

2020

Based on community input and regulatory criteria, DTSC approved the RAP on June 1, 2020. The approved cleanup plan includes removal and offsite disposal of the soil stockpile, excavation and removal of additional soils in targeted areas, and creation of 50-foot residential buffer zones on the eastern and southern sides of the property. DTSC also requires measures to protect public safety and the environment during cleanup activities, including dust control and use of a designated truck route.

2018

In January 2018, DTSC issued the draft RAP. Based on community input during the public comment period and public meeting, DTSC withdrew the draft RAP in February 2018 and began work on a revised draft RAP.

2014

Environmental testing of soil, groundwater, and air are detailed in the final Remedial Investigation report approved by DTSC in August 2014.

2017

DTSC approved the engineering Feasibility Study that evaluated several ways to remediate the property. Those options are called “remedial alternatives” and were further evaluated and compared in the RAP.

2006

About 15,000 cubic yards of surface soil was removed from the vacant lot immediately east of the property and temporarily stockpiled within a second fenced enclosure on the PureGro property. Since then, the stockpiled soil has been continuously covered to prevent dust. The dust control material and fencing are inspected and maintained each year until the stockpile was removed in 2020.

2010

DTSC approved the Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment and Ecological Scoping Assessment report. Results of that study showed the PureGro property does not pose a significant or uncontrolled health risk to residents living nearby.