United States Department of the Interior

United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA UNITED STATES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INTERIOR REGIONS 8, 9, 10 and 12 IN REPLY REFER TO: 1.A.1 SAMO Memorandum To: Stan Austin, Director Interior Region 8, 9, 10, and 12 From: Superintendent, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Through: Stephen J. Mitchell, PE, Operations/Environmental Programs Branch Chief, Interior Region 8, 9, 10, and 12 Subject: Approval for CERCLA Time-Critical Removal Action for the Burned Building Sites Emergency Clean Up, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 1.0 PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY Terraphase Engineering Inc. (Terraphase) has prepared this Time Critical Removal Action (TCRA) memorandum on behalf of Lead Builders, Inc. and the National Park Service (NPS) for a proposed removal of burned debris from the Woolsey Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California (SAMO; the Site, Figure 1). The purpose of this Time Critical Removal Action (TCRA) Memorandum is to document the decision by the NPS to conduct a TCRA to mitigate human and ecological exposure to burned building debris and ash resulting from the Woolsey Fire in 2018 in the SAMO in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. 906 et seq. The President has delegated authority under CERCLA Section 104 to the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) by Executive Order 12580, 52 Fed. Reg. 2923 (1987), as amended by Executive Order 13016, 61 Fed. Reg. 45871 (1996), to respond to the release or substantial threat of a release of hazardous substances from properties under the jurisdiction, custody or control of the DOI. The NPS Pacific West Regional Director has CERCLA Section 104 response authority for the Site to undertake CERCLA response actions, including removal actions, under 42 U.S.C. 906 et seq. The TRCA will include excavation, removal of ash and burned debris from the Site and proper disposal of the ash and burned debris at an approved disposal facility. 2.0 SITE CONDITIONS AND BACKGROUND The following sections provide an overview of the Site, including the removal Site evaluation, physical location, Site characteristics, and the potential for a release or substantial threat of a release to the environment. 2.1 Site Description 2.1.1 Removal Site Evaluation The Site is located in the SAMO and is comprised of the following nine areas where removal action activities will occur: Paramount Ranch, Peter Strauss Ranch, Rocky Oaks, Cooper Brown, Arroyo Sequit, Circle X Ranch, Morrison Ranch, Miller Property, and Dragon Property (Figures 2 through 9). Site sampling activities are focused on the debris from 32 former structures that were burned during the November 2018 Woolsey Fire (Figures 2 through 9). The NPS completed an assessment of the Site following the Woolsey Fire and determined that the nine areas contained fire related debris, including: vegetation, ash, remnant structures, concrete, metal, trees that prohibit work performance, stumps, household hazardous waste, hazardous and toxic waste, electronic waste, small motorized equipment (lawn mowers, gas- powered carts, chain saws, etc.), and white goods (washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc. (NPS 2019)). Samples of ash from the building debris were collected according to the Sampling and Analysis Plan (Terraphase 2020a) and analyzed to characterize debris for removal. Based on the results of the preliminary ash sampling, there is a possibility that soil beneath some of the remnant structures may be impacted by fire-related debris. After debris removal, post-removal soil samples will be collected beneath the footprints of burned structures to quantify the extent to which contaminants from burned structures affected soil. 2.1.2 Physical Location The Site is located in the SAMO in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, California and consists of 182,440 acres of land. The NPS controls 23,620 acres of the SAMO and the California State Park system controls 42,000 acres. The rest of the SAMO is controlled by local agency parks, university study reserves, and private property conservation easements. 2.1.3 Site Characteristics In November of 2018, the Woolsey Fire destroyed 21,000 acres (88%) of NPS land within the Site, including 269 known archaeological sites, two cultural landscapes and 32 historical buildings. The structures were largely completely burned during the Woolsey Fire of 2018. Debris from the burned buildings consists of ash and burned construction materials and remains in place at each area. The nine project areas where structures were destroyed in the Woolsey Fire and which are the subject of this TCRA are shown on Figure 1. The locations of each of the nine project areas are as follows: 1. Paramount Ranch (see Figure 6. Circle X Ranch (see Figure 6) 2) - 12896 Yerba Buena Rd - 2903 Cornell Rd Malibu, CA 90265 2 Agoura Hills, CA 91301 - 34.109734°, -118.937229° - 34.115508°, -118.756145° 2. Peter Strauss Ranch (see Figure 7. Morrison Ranch (see Figure 7) 3) - Near Cheeseboro Canyon Rd at - 30000 Mulholland Hwy Cheeseboro Rd Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Agoura Hills, CA 91301 - 34.113496°, -118.779316° - 34.154874°, -118.727014° 3. Rocky Oaks (see Figure 4) 8. Miller Property (see Figure 8) - 107 Kanan Dume Rd - 2200 Latigo Canyon Rd Malibu, CA 90265 Malibu, CA 90265 - 34.098123°, -118.813196° - 34.074250°, -118.784160° 4. Cooper/Brown (see Figure 4) 9. Dragon Property (see Figure 9) - 31915 Mulholland Hwy - Near Trancas Canyon Rd at Edison Malibu, CA 90265 Rd - 34.097067°, -118.815981° Malibu, CA 90265 - 34.050842°, -118.852780° 5. Arroyo Sequit (see Figure 5) - 34138 Mulholland Hwy Malibu, CA 90265 - 34.086259°, -118.890645° The following sections provide additional details for each area. Paramount Ranch Paramount Ranch and features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 2. The land was purchased by Paramount Studios in 1927 and, prior to the Woolsey Fire, was used as a movie set where numerous television shows and movies were filmed. Paramount Ranch was open to the public for tours of the property, private events, and contains hiking trails. A total of ten structures were burned in the Woolsey Fire including the freight building, private quarters 107, the mercantile building, the pavilion, the saloon, the horse barn, the jail, the restroom, the hotel, and the telegraph office (Figure 2). In 1956, the owner of Paramount Ranch built a road-racing track adjacent to Medea Creek. The track was 2 miles in length and featured 11 turns and a bridge and underpass in the northern section of the course. The racetrack bridge was the eleventh feature burned in the Woolsey Fire. Peter Strauss Ranch Peter Strauss Ranch and the features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 3. Peter Strauss Ranch was first owned by automobile manufacturer Henry Miller and used as a weekend retreat. In 1926, Miller built the stone ranch rouse, look-out tower, and aviary. The property was sold in the mid-1930s to developers Warren Shobert and Arthur Edison who turned the property into a recreational amusement park called Lake Enchanto. The property was sold to actor Peter Strauss in 1976, who turned the property 3 into a private estate. The land was sold to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1983 and later to the NPS in 1987. The ranch contains hiking trails, a swimming pool in the Lake Enchanto dam, and previously allowed access to the stone ranch house. The ranch house was burned in the Woolsey Fire. Rocky Oaks Rocky Oaks and the features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 4. This area was originally part of the Rocky Oaks Ranch, established in the 1920s by Albert and Anna Bradenberger. The area is maintained by the NPS and contains hiking trails and a seasonal man-made pond. Features destroyed in the Woolsey Fire include the Quarters 102 House, the Museum Building, a vault restroom, and a chicken coup. Cooper/Brown The Cooper/Brown area and features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 4. The area contained the Bradenberger-Brown house, or the Cooper/Brown house, constructed by Albert and Anna Bradenberger in the 1940s. Arroyo Sequit The Arroyo Sequit area and features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 5. It was purchased by Richard Mason and Mabel Kelch in the 1920s and sold to the State of California in 1985, following a large wildfire in the area. The NPS acquired the land in 1991. Arroyo Sequit contained a picnic area for visitor use and a wood frame ranch house used as a ranger residence. Features destroyed in the Woolsey Fire include the Quarters 113 house, the survey office, the vault restroom, and the pump house. Circle X Ranch Circle X Ranch and the features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 6. The site was a former Boy Scout Camp created by the Exchange Club of Los Angeles and the Boney Ridge Country Club in 1949. In 1951, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) signed a 99-year lease with the Circle X Ranch foundation, and in 1979, the foundation deeded the land to the BSA. In 1987, the NPS bought the land from the BSA and the NPS has managed an on-site campground since 1989. There are several hiking trails open to the public at the Circle X Ranch. Features destroyed in the Woolsey Fire include the basketball court and vault toilets A and B. Morrison Ranch Morrison Ranch and the features burned in the Woolsey Fire are shown on Figure 7. The property was purchased by John W. Morrison in 1904 and was used as a cattle ranch.

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