Stanley Young, Resources Agency, 916-653-5792

Patricia Foulk, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 916-414-6566

Lori Johnson, Cargill, 510-790-8157

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2003   

Documents Regarding Cargill Salt Pond Acquisition Available to Public

Package Includes Phase Out Agreement and Environmental Assessment Reports

As announced by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Gov. Gray Davis, Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton and Cargill on December 16, 2002, documents related to the proposed public acquisition of 16,500 acres of salt ponds (in the South San Francisco Bay and along the Napa River) are being made available today. The documents include environmental site assessments of the property, Cargillís responsibilities for site cleanup, and the transition from salt-making operations to eventual restoration. In addition, a summary of the conveyance document is being made public.

The release of the documents precedes the public meeting of the Wildlife Conservation Board, to be held at 1 PM on February 11, 2003 in Sacramento (State Capitol, Room 4203) and coincides with the release of the formal preliminary WCB agenda for that meeting.  The WCB will vote on authorizing the acquisition of the property at its February meeting.

The specific documents to be released today are:

A.     The ìPhase Outî Agreement. (This document details the interim management plan to lower salinity levels in the ponds in preparation for long-term restoration and management.) 

B.     Environmental Assessments:

                          I.      ìOverview of Environmental Site Assessments and Investigations.î  (ëPhase Ií environmental site assessments identify the potential presence of hazardous substances;  ëPhase IIí assessments detail specific sampling and analyses.)

                         II.      Detailed Environmental Assessment Documentation (including all maps and addenda:)

                                                                    i.            Cargillís Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (all 16,500 acres.)

                                                                  ii.            USFWS Phase II Assessment (for lands proposed to be acquired by federal government) as well as a summary of Phase I.

                                                                iii.            Stateís Site Investigation Report (includes sampling and analysis of lands proposed to be acquired by State of California.)

C.    Summary of the Conveyance Document (and map.)

D.    Staff Memorandum from S.F. Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board

Hard copies of the complete package of documents will be available at three locations in the Bay Area and two in Sacramento. The locations are:

1.      Resources Agency, 1416 Ninth Street, (Suite 1311,) Sacramento CA 95814 (916-653-5656)

2.      USFWS, Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, #1 Marshlands Road, Fremont CA 94536 (510-792-0222)

3.      Dept. of Fish and Game, Central Coast Region, 7329 Silverado Trail, Napa CA 94558 (707-944-5517)

4.      Wildlife Conservation Board, 1807 13th Street, (Suite 103,) Sacramento CA 95814 (916-445-8448)

5.      California Coastal Conservancy, 1330 Broadway, (Suite 1100,) Oakland CA 94612 (at 12th Street/Oakland City Center BART station.) (510-286-1015)

On the Internet:

Copies of the Phase Out Agreement, the Overview of Environmental Site Assessments and Investigations, the summary of the conveyance document (and map,) and the staff memorandum from the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (along with previously released overviews of initial stewardship and long-term restoration planning) will be available on the Internet at www.resources.ca.gov. (Because of size and bandwidth concerns, the detailed environmental assessments are only available in hard copy at the sites mentioned above.)

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