Grand jury warns groundwater rise could mobilize toxins at Hunters Point; regulators and Navy send written responses but many residents demand independent study

The San Francisco civil grand jury told the Board of Supervisors' Government Audit and Oversight Committee on Sept. 15 that emerging science on groundwater response to sea-level rise has not been fully integrated into the Superfund cleanup at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

"Rising groundwater can destroy infrastructure and bring buried poisons into contact with human beings," the jury said in its presentation, noting that Navy groundwater data are limited and not readily usable by outside scientists. The jurors recommended the city commission an independent, in-depth groundwater-rise study and create a committee drawing city expertise into the CERCLA process.

President Walton told the committee the board's goal is a "100% complete cleanup" before any land transfer and criticized the Navy and EPA for not appearing in person. Phil Kozlovski of the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure read a 2.5-page statement from the U.S. Navy that said the Navy's cleanup actions are based on site-specific designs, referenced Parcel E2's engineered shoreline and monitoring programs, and noted that the next five-year Superfund review would be coordinated with regulators in 2023.

Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco's health officer, said the Department of Public Health does not have regulatory authority until land transfer but will participate actively in the CERCLA five-year review process and said next year's review will include considerations of sea-level and groundwater rise. She also said DPH would review the need for additional technical expertise and can look into retaining independent scientific support at the committee's request.

Community members spoke at length. Ariane Harrison, founder of the Marie Harrison Community Foundation, said personal biomonitoring has found elevated uranium and plutonium levels and demanded stronger public-health action. Multiple community groups urged the board to withhold land transfers until parcels meet residential cleanup standards.

Regulators (EPA Region 9, DTSC, and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board) submitted a joint statement noting the five-year review process is designed to reassess remedy protectiveness, including evolving science and climate effects, and set the next mandatory five-year review no later than Sept. 2024.

What happens next: The committee continued items 3 and 4 to the Sept. 29 GAO meeting to develop board responses and to seek follow-up on DPH staffing, avenues for independent study, and whether the city can compel or request more timely engagement from the Navy and federal regulators.

Authorities cited: CERCLA (Superfund) five-year review process, 2004 conveyance agreement between Navy and city, and the civil grand jury report "Buried Problems in a Buried Process."