Cleanup Plan/Response Plan Community Feedback Report Response to Comments Document

Update on the Fore Foothill & Grove Cleanup. The Community Feedback Report Response to Comments Document, also known as the Cleanup Plan/Response Plan, has been released. I have provided an explanation of this document and a link to the actual document below.

Link https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:us:413660e8-85fd-48e1-9ead-827879060fcf

The Community Feedback Report for the Fore Foothill & Grove cleanup is not just a summary of public comments, it is the official record of how the State responded to the community before finalizing the cleanup plan .

What the Feedback Report Is

When DTSC released the draft Response Plan (the proposed cleanup plan), they were legally required to open a public comment period. During that period:

• Residents submitted letters.

• Emails were received.

• Phone comments were documented.

• A public meeting was held with nearby residents.

The Feedback Report does three things:

1. Documents how the public was notified.

Mailers were sent within a quarter-mile radius, notices were published in newspapers, and the documents were made available online and at the Upland Public Library .

2. Records every public comment received.

Over 70 comments from 20 community members were logged .

3. Explains how DTSC changed (or did not change) the cleanup plan in response.

For example, DTSC expanded and reorganized the dust control and monitoring sections after public concern was raised .

This report becomes part of the permanent administrative record for the site.

Why it is important? It shows what residents were worried about.

The dominant concerns included:

• Dust and airborne contamination during excavation.

• Long-term safety of the Vapor Intrusion Mitigation System (VIMS).

• Medical vulnerability of nearby residents.

• Earthquake resilience.

• Whether contamination was coming from the dry cleaner.

• Long-term enforcement of the Land Use Covenant.

• Whether soil removal depth was sufficient.

• Property value impacts.

These are not minor questions, they go directly to public health, environmental safety, and long-term stewardship.

The Feedback Report captures those concerns in writing.

It Shows What DTSC Is Legally Committing To

Every written response becomes part of the administrative record. That matters.

When DTSC states that:

• Work will stop if dust exceeds 25 µg/m³,

• Winds over 25 mph trigger shutdown,

• Four air monitors will be installed,

• A Land Use Covenant will bind future owners,

• Financial assurance will backstop the VIMS,

Those commitments are now documented in a formal state record.

If implementation ever falls short, this document becomes a benchmark.

It Clarifies What Is and Is Not Being Remediated

The report makes clear:

• Soil exceeding screening levels will be removed.

• PCE in soil vapor will be mitigated under certain buildings.

• Chloroform was not found at levels requiring soil removal.

• The likely PCE source may be off-site.

• Phytoremediation was considered and rejected.

• Relocation of neighbors is not anticipated.

Whether one agrees with those conclusions or not, the reasoning is laid out.

Transparency reduces speculation.

It Establishes Long-Term Oversight Mechanisms

Perhaps most important, the Feedback Report confirms:

• A recorded Land Use Covenant will run with the property.

• The VIMS will require ongoing operation and maintenance.

• Financial assurance will be required.

• Monitoring reports will be publicly available.

Those are enforceable obligations, not voluntary measures.

For a site that will transition from agricultural use to residential/commercial occupancy, that matters significantly.

It Demonstrates the Power of Public Engagement

The report explicitly states that changes were made to the Response Plan based on public input, including expanding the Community Considerations section and reorganizing technical appendices into clearer sections.

In other words: the comment period was not meaningless. It resulted in documented revisions.

That reinforces why community participation matters in environmental oversight.

The Broader Significance

Environmental cleanups of this type are rarely about eliminating every molecule of contamination. They are about reducing risk to acceptable regulatory thresholds and managing remaining conditions through engineering controls and legal restrictions.

The Feedback Report is important because it shows:

• What risks remain.

• How they are being managed.

• Who is responsible long term.

• What oversight mechanisms exist.

• What commitments were made publicly.

For residents, it is the roadmap to accountability.

For regulators, it is the official defense of the selected remedy.

For future property owners, it defines long-term obligations.

And for the community at large, it provides a transparent record of how concerns were heard and addressed.