DID YOU KNOW

Pit F excavation work is scheduled to the week of July 6th (after the July Fourth holiday). Haul trucks with Pit F material contained inside sealed bins may begin leaving the Site on Thursday, July 8th. An average of up to 15 trucks per day is anticipated. Trucks depart from the Magnolia Street gate, turn right to PCH, right on PCH, and right on Beach Boulevard toward the 405 Freeway. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturday if required.

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will be onsite daily to observe Pit F excavation work. You can view Pit F telemetry air monitoring data and learn more about the Pit F active work by visiting https://asconhb.com/pit-f-telemetry-air-monitoring/.

COMMUNITY MESSAGE

The project team applauds the work of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center near Ascon in Huntington Beach and donated to support the Center’s efforts to provide urgent care and rehabilitation for injured pelicans. Learn more about the response to recent attacks on local pelicans and how to help at www.wwccoc.org.

SITEWIDE ACTIVITIES

  • MAINTENANCE: Regular maintenance will be conducted within the Site and around the perimeter fence areas, including gate areas.

  • PIT F EXCAVATION WORK: Workers inside and around the large white tent on the east side of Ascon near Magnolia Street are beginning Pit F excavation work. The air treatment system, which will operate 24/7 during excavation, will be turned on once excavation work begins.

    You may see: Workers arriving before 7 a.m. for safety briefings. Workers, materials, and large equipment, like manlifts, small cranes, water trucks, forklifts, material hauling trucks, and waste hauling trucks, may be arriving and leaving the Site. This includes workers, materials and large equipment entering the Pit F tent.

    You may hear: A low-level hum for the air treatment system, which has been mitigated with 20-foot and 8-foot sound panels and sound blanketing in addition to the 16-foot sound wall along Magnolia Street. Acoustical engineers have conducted sound metering in multiple neighborhood locations to confirm compliance with local ordinances for residential areas. This system is required to operate 24/7 during the duration of Pit F work to maintain a vacuum environment and treat air inside the tent for workers and our neighbors. You may hear periodic sounds during work hours, like vehicle backup signaling required for worker safety. Workers will minimize backing up vehicles when possible and when it is safe for workers and equipment.

  • SECURITY: 24-hour onsite security continues. Security is not always visible at the entrance gates. In addition to 24/7 onsite security, there are regular visits by air quality technicians, Site inspectors and Site maintenance personnel. During Pit F active work there is overnight equipment monitoring personnel onsite.

    You may see: Flashlights or headlights from a limited number of vehicles at night conducting inspections and providing security at the 38-acre Site.

  • INSPECTIONS:

    • DTSC continues its ongoing weekly inspections of Ascon. DTSC plans to be present for key Pit F mobilization activities and daily during Pit F excavation work.
    • City of Huntington Beach continues its regular stormwater inspections of Ascon.
    • Regular inspection of the “Pit F” tent will be conducted.
    • Regular inspections are conducted by Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District of the onsite detention basins and other areas of the Ascon Site where water may be detained.

  • NEARBY ACTIVITIES: Please note there are automobile storage activities that may generate noise or dust unrelated to Ascon at the former tank farm property, south of Ascon and adjacent to Magnolia Street. There also is activity in Edison Park relating to construction and opening by the City of Huntington Beach of a skate park during June 2021. There is planned renovation work occurring at Eader Elementary School this summer, which includes construction and painting.

AIR MONITORING

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) permitted a brief pause on daily air sampling and monitoring both onsite and at offsite locations prior to the start of Pit F excavation work to allow our personnel to be with their families over the Fourth of July holiday. The pause began Friday, July 2, at approximately 7 a.m. and air monitoring will resume on Tuesday, July 6, at approximately 7 a.m. Onsite security continues 24/7 during this pause.

Where to find Pit F telemetry air monitoring data: Near real-time air monitoring data during working hours from the Pit F area is being shared during mobilization and excavation phases on the Pit F Telemetry Air Monitoring webpage. Pit F telemetry monitoring was paused on Friday, July 2, to perform routine calibration. There was no field work or excavation occurring on July 2 and there will be no telemetry data for that day.

Where to find 24/7 air monitoring data and live stream weather: Sitewide and neighborhood air monitoring data and live streaming weather conditions from the Ascon site are found on the Actively Monitoring Air Quality page on asconhb.com. Data are submitted to DTSC and shared on their online document archive, Envirostor. To view archived air monitoring results posted by DTSC on Envirostor, click on “Community Involvement Documents” and scroll to “Updates and Information.”

SAFETY MESSAGE

The community is asked to not fly drones over the Ascon site and over the Pit F tent during this work. This could create worker and Site safety issues. We appreciate the community’s assistance by preventing drone flights over the occupied tent structure, sensitive equipment onsite, and moving vehicles conducting work onsite, as well as the power lines along the perimeter of Ascon.

Work at Ascon is being conducted under Site safety protocols regarding COVID-19 and ongoing protocols and procedures to maintain job safety. These practices apply to air quality professionals and other team members who may be outside the fence conducting work. We ask for the community’s support of these safety practices by maintaining physical distancing to allow these professionals to focus on their work and stay safe.

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