[CPEO-BIF] California's Site Data Base

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Unlike regulatory agencies in some other states, California's Department
of Toxic Substances Control maintains a publicly accessible data base of
the contaminated sites under its jurisdiction -  properties "where
hazardous substances have been released or where the potential for a
release exists." The CalSites data base includes information about sites
being addressed under "Brownfields" programs such as the state Voluntary
Cleanup Program. The data base is currently available on CD-ROM from the
agency, and it plans to make the list available, in phases, via the
Internet.

According to a June, 1996 Department fact sheet, "When the CalSites
database was created in 1991, it included more than 26,500 potential
sites. The sites were compiled by incorporating data from several older
databases... In the early 1980s many properties that were suspected of
being contaminated were discovered and listed solely upon the potential
for a release, without actual knowledge of a release. A great number of
these properties were later found to have no evidence of release and
were assigned a 'no further action' status. There are now approximately
3,950 CalSites listings. Releases of hazardous substances have been
confirmed at 391 of these sites [as of 1996]."

For a March, 2000 PDF fact sheet on the CalSites data base, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/docs/site_mit/pmb/calsites-database-factsheet-3-00.pdf

For the June, 1996 fact sheet, alse in PDF format, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/docs/site_mit/pmb/calsites-validation.pdf


-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

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