Iron Mountain EPA Superfund Site Project Dave Sadoff, Project Manager Castro Valley Rotarian - Dave Sadoff is a Senior Professional Geologist at HETI. He is an Environmental Consultant with progressive experience assessing, investigating, and remediating environmentally contaminated sites throughout the United States with expert knowledge in soil, sediment, hydrology, and groundwater remediation, soil vapor mitigation, environmental compliance, environmental insurance, and remedial strategic evaluations during 30+ years in environmental consulting.
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Congratulations to Brian, Bobbie & Margie!!!
For five years, Dave serves as the Project Manager for the Iron Mountain EPA Superfund Site. He began with background regarding the site:
- The 4,400-acre mine site includes two major mines (Richmond and Lawson underground mines) with a large open pit unit near the top of the mountain.
- Other features included Old Mine Number 8, the Hornet Mine, and numerous underground workings.
- There is no Iron Mountain mine per se, but the EPA collectively calls the site the Iron Mountain Mine.
- The topography generally slopes down to the east. Three creeks run through the site (Slickrock Creek, Spring Creek, and Boulder Creek) and all flow to the east, eventually discharging to the Sacramento River.
As Dave explained, the location of the Iron Mountain site is important to the California waterway system because
- Shasta Dam system is at the top of the Sacramento River is one of the most critical components of California’s water system.
- Water from Shasta Dam conveyed through to various State and Federal water projects via the Sacramento River.
- As water flows is moved through the state it is tapped by various agricultural canals and municipal water intakes.
- Shasta Dam holds approximately 20% of state’s water supply, is the 8th tallest dam in United States, has a 4.5 million acre-feet of storage capacity, and is a a major source of hydroelectric power.
- The Sacramento Rive is a critical habitat for salmon, including endangered Winter-Run Chinook Salmon and other aquatic species in the river face many challenges due to drought and competing water needs.
Throughout the presentation, Dave explained the conditions that created the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) situation, which included
- Physical and chemical conditions that are optimal for the production of AMD (e.g., high volumes of pyrite-rich rocks that have been exposed to atmospheric oxygen and toxic waters through mining activities.
- Average annual rainfall in this are is approximately 62 inches.
- The combination of pyritic rocks, oxygen, and water creates AMD.
- The site is heavily faulted and fractured, which allows oxygen and water to easily penetrate to the pyrite deposits.
- Mining activities, including the digging of adits and ore chutes, further exacerbated the generation of acid mine drainage.
Early in the presentation, Dave explained that the toxins in the ground have a 400 year life expectancy, which is why the cleanup was initiated. One interesting story was that several years ago NASA sent a test robot in the mine to see how it would survive in a hostile environment - the robot died. Be sure to watch the video as Dave explains how the site is cleaned and where and how water and other byproducts are transported. To access the complete PowerPoint presentation, click here. To watch the presentation, click here.
Restaurant of the Week: Katsu
Member Moment: Jim Negri
Jim Negri joined Rotary in 1986 (Rotary Club of San Ramon) and became a member of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley in March 2010. Jim is an Oakland native who attended Corpus Christi Elementary School, Bishop O'Dowd High School (Class of '68), UC Berkeley (B.A. in Economics, Teaching Credential) and St. Mary's College (M.A. in Educational Leadership). He retired as Superintendent of Castro Valley USD after 41 years in education and is currently failing "retirement" working as an educational consultant. His wife, Rina, and he were married in 1974, have one son, Jason, and have lived in Castro Valley since 1985.
Announcements
Dave has been on the Board of Directors of the Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) since 2011 and currently serves as the Board President and had previously served on the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Committee (CVMAC).
Next Meeting - June 23, 2020
Bryant Francis, Director of Aviation - Port of Oakland
Bryant L. Francis became Director of Aviation at the Port of Oakland March 31, 2016. He leads a staff of more than 200 people responsible for the management of Oakland International Airport. The airport is the second-busiest in the San Francisco Bay Area and No. 1 in air cargo.
Click here to register for the meeting.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary International canceled 2020 Annual International Convention in Honolulu, but you can still attend the Convention without leaving home on June 20-26 with more sessions in July. Click here to learn how you can participate in the Convention and grow as a Rotarian. Additionally, RI will be providing breakout sessions throughout July. Click here to see the breakout sessions scheduled in July.
The 2020 Rotary Virtual Convention
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary International canceled 2020 Annual International Convention in Honolulu, but you can still attend the Convention without leaving home on June 20-26 with more sessions in July. Click here to learn how you can participate in the Convention and grow as a Rotarian. Additionally, RI will be providing breakout sessions throughout July. Click here to see the breakout sessions scheduled in July. You are required to register for the Convention, but there is no cost to participation in the virtual conference. Go to the Rotary Convention Website and scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your e-mail address, you will receive timely notifications when new information is posted on the official website. To see the variety of breakout sessions that you can attend virtually, click here.
District 5170 Training Assembly 2020 Sessions
Unable to hold its annual one-day Training Assembly, District 5170 turned to Zoom and provided the training sessions over a two week period, which allowed Rotarians to participate in far more sessions than they could have in one day. Click here to access the videos, PowerPoint presentations, and chat for all 15 training sessions. Anyone who is an officer or committee chair definitely view the training for his/her role and all Rotarians can learn more about how a Club and District operate.
To learn more about Rotary District 5170 and how the Rotary Club of Castro Valley is part of the District, click here.
This week our Restaurant of the Week is Katsu! Please join us in supporting this local business! Make sure you snap a pic of your fish and post it to Eden Area Takeout and Delivery group!
President Todd explained that a Club committee has been exploring a partnership with the Castro Valley Car Show held annually along Castro Valley Blvd. in June. Due to COVID-19, the show has been canceled this year, however, a virtual Car Show is being planned. Dave Sadoff who is heading up the Rotary committee, describes the plans for this year.
Gary Howard described a partnership with Art, Inc. to create a COVID-19 pandemic art show later in the year at the Adobe Center.
Watch the announcements here for more details about both events.
Dwight Perry announced the following Paul Harris Fellows:
- Brian Morrison
- Bobbie Audermaufer
- Margie Ramos (PH +1)
Contact Dwight for more information regarding becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.