Development of Fuel Product Action Levels, Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate, Richmond, CA

Client: U.S. Navy

Location: Richmond, CA

Summary: Cardno ENTRIX developed a risk-based, tiered approach for assessing potential risks to human and ecological receptors (both terrestrial and aquatic) exposed to petroleum contaminated soil and groundwater. The approach is similar to the Risk-based Corrective Action Approach (RBCA), in that early tiers consist of highly conservative, generic screening values. In each successive tier, more site-specific information is incorporated so that values become less conservative and more site-specific. Cardno ENTRIX?s tiered approach garnered widespread interest because: (1) a screening step took advantage of historical and ongoing data collections using inexpensive TPH analyses (EPA method 8015); (2) later tiers applied more site-specific and less conservative defaults; and (3) a risk management decision could be made at any point in the process.

Highlights: A unique aspect of the Cardno ENTRIX approach was the development of toxicity reference values for specific aliphatic and aromatic portions of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) for mammalian, avian and aquatic receptors. Additionally, fate and transport models were used to back-calculate concentrations in soil and groundwater protective of down gradient surface water receptors.