City, county looking into methane gas leaks

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The city and Huntington Beach City School District

are keeping their eyes on the gas levels at a former landfill at Edison

Community Park.

A few weeks ago, the Orange County Health Care Agency notified the

city and the school district of methane migrating toward Kettler

Elementary School and Edison Community Park from the Cannery Street

Refuse Disposal Station landfill, which has been closed since 1969.

The county installed 12 landfill gas-monitoring probes in September

and October at the old landfill, which was operated by the county. Four

of the probes detected elevated levels of methane at the site at Atlanta

and Hamilton avenues.

This landfill is different from the NESI toxic waste dump on the

southwest corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue.

The city and the district hired GeoScience Analytical to determine if

there is a concern. Consultants have completed an initial analysis of

Kettler School, looking at all permanent and portable structures at the

school site, which included every classroom, restroom, storage area,

office, child-care room and workroom. The consultants reported no gas of

any type or level in these areas.

The city has checked the residential area, sprinkler vaults, streets

and the school.

“It looks to be in good shape,” said Fire Marshal Duane Olson. “There

are no methane issues outside of the park.”

Brian Garland, a trustee for Huntington Beach City School District and

principal of Edison High School, is concerned that the gas will continue

to migrate.

“There’s been a lot of testing going on to make sure that that gas is

not leaking into the area where the classrooms are, where teachers are,

where the kids are,” he said.

Presently, the gas is not affecting the nearby Edison High School, but

Garland has notified the Huntington Beach Union High School District to

look into that matter.

“We’re monitoring it very carefully,” he said, speaking for both the

elementary and the high school.

The elementary school district sent letters home with all students,

notifying parents of the nearby problem.

“We don’t want anybody to be surprised, or think that we’re hiding

anything or keeping anything quiet,” Garland said.

Consultants are conducting similar tests of the area surrounding

Edison Park.

The city and the district have notified the county Integrated Waste

Management, as the former landfill operator, and the company responsible

for addressing this issue. The city and the school will continue to work

with the Integrated Waste Management to continue assurance of the health

and safety of citizens near the former disposal station.

“We have to be vigilant, we have the ultimate responsibility that we

assure parents that when when they send their children to school, they’re

sending them to a safe environment,” Garland said.

The district plans to keep monitoring and testing the area to ensure

the safety of Kettler’s approximate 600 students and 35 staff members.

“At this point, there’s not any reason for [parents] to be worried,”

Garland said. “If there was the slightest possibility that methane gas

was getting into the school, the school district would immediately take

action. We’d play this very, very conservatively with the youngsters at

both school districts.”The city was scheduled to meet for a strategy

meeting Wednesday evening to review the report released this week.