City Of Palo Alto: Matadero Creek/VA Palo Alto Health Care Diesel Spill Community Update

Press release from the City of Palo Alto:

February 23, 2022

Feb. 23, 2022 Community Update

The Palo Alto Fire Department considers the diesel remediation effort at Matadero Creek to be nearing the end. At this time, it appears that the site was successfully remediated prior to the commencement of the rainy season, with no observable ecosystem impact, ending the largest hazardous material release to surface waters that City staff have ever managed.

Throughout the incident, the Palo Alto Fire Department Hazmat Bureau worked as a cohesive unit with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, City of Palo Alto Stormwater staff, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the San Francisco Regional Water Board, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and third-party remediation experts and environmental scientists. Representatives from regulatory agencies continue to meet at a reduced frequency to continue observations and communication throughout the rainy season, and to close out the last portion of the remediation effort.

The water quality monitoring along Matadero Creek has continued during the rainy season but at a reduced frequency and at a limited number of locations, following discussions with Fish and Wildlife. Thus far the results remain well below the Water Board goals.

The last remaining task along the creek is at the storm drain outfall and the surrounding creek bank. Prior to the first rains, the area was underlain by visqueen and temporarily secured by absorbent bags. Sandbags were placed on the site as a temporary measure to protect the creek bank through the winter. The VA will prepare a long-term plan to shore up the creek bank and present it to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for review and approval. It is expected that the sandbags will remain in place throughout the 2021-22 rainy season and that the final creek bank shoring will be installed in the late spring or early summer.

The City is working with the VA to close the City-issued hazmat permits. Efforts are now underway to improve communication between the VA and the City and develop a strategy to prevent or minimize future incidents.

All data are available by downloading the latest data table.

Download: Creek Water Sampling Table 1 and 2 With Map as of November 10, 2021(PDF, 497KB)

More information will be released as details become available.

Read the initial joint community update on this issue.

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This press release was produced by the City of Palo Alto. The views expressed here are the author’s own.