Los Angeles Unified School District Environmental Compliance Support

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is one of the largest and most complex public school systems in California and the country, requiring responsive and cost-effective environmental services across a wide range of modernization projects. Terraphase supports LAUSD by managing multiple, time-sensitive projects simultaneously with technical accuracy and effective budget control. Our team’s responsiveness is key to helping LAUSD maintain project momentum and meet regulatory and scheduling requirements.

Scope of Services

Terraphase manages several projects simultaneously for LAUSD, all requiring a level of diligence, and many requiring completion within tight time frames. Terraphase supports LAUSD in various disciplines, particularly site investigation, remediation, air monitoring, due diligence, and building materials sampling. We perform Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), and soil and groundwater investigations, and we prepare removal and remedial action work plans. Additional services include oversight of remediation activities, gas mitigation support, and assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in building materials.

Our project managers monitor real-time budget status and ensure cost transparency for LAUSD.

Notable Accomplishments

• Successfully managing multiple concurrent projects under tight deadlines
• Supporting LAUSD modernization efforts with rapid, responsive project execution
• Establishing and maintaining high-quality control standards through robust internal training and oversight

NPS Golden Gate (Hawk Hill) EECA

Terraphase supported the National Park Service in developing a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) for a historical military installation located within a recreational area and national park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The site, an important and sensitive research and recreational area in California, had been impacted by legacy military operations and structural deterioration and required careful evaluation of risks to human health and ecological receptors in order to determine the degree to which remedial action would be warranted to facilitate restoration.

Scope of Services

Deterioration of on-site structures, as well as former military operations, resulted in the release of hazardous substances to the environment. Terraphase conducted a comprehensive EE/CA that included both human health and ecological risk assessments. The human health risk assessment evaluated potential exposures for recreational users, possible future park residents, and construction or maintenance workers through contact with impacted soil.

The potential for adverse impacts to wildlife was evaluated using food chain modeling for birds and mammals representing different feeding guilds (e.g., herbivore or carnivore) and food web trophic levels (e.g., primary, secondary, or tertiary consumers). The ecological risk assessment accounted for the fraction of different dietary components and the receptor’s home range. A database search of threatened and endangered species identified the possible presence of the California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) in the vicinity of the site. A literature search revealed that the site does not provide the breeding and foraging requirements for the frog (i.e., a permanent water source, the presence of emergent vegetation, and a shrubby riparian zone). As a result, we determined the exposure pathway was incomplete and a quantitative assessment of potential risk to the frog was not warranted.

The EE/CA included several remedial alternatives including no action and excavation and off-site disposal of soil (with and without land use restrictions). The EE/CA formed the basis of an Action Memorandum for the selection and authorization of removal action. An important component of the remedial alternatives was to ensure habitat protection for the endangered mission blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides missionensis). The site supports several stands of the silver lupine (Lupinus albifrons), upon which the butterfly depends on laying its eggs and which provides a source of leaves, shoots, and flowers for larval consumption during a critical stage in the butterfly’s lifecycle. Remedial alternatives were designed to avoid this unique habitat and to schedule remediation activities outside of the butterfly’s flight period.

Notable Accomplishments

• Completed EE/CA for a sensitive site within a national park
• Performed human health and ecological risk assessments
• Conducted food chain modeling to assess impacts to birds and mammals
• Determined the lack of suitable habitat for the California red-legged frog, avoiding unnecessary quantitative assessment
• Protected endangered mission blue butterfly habitat
• Developed remediation alternatives that balanced environmental cleanup with species and habitat conservation

City of Alameda Survey and Abatement Consulting Services

Since 2018, Terraphase has served as a strategic environmental advisor to the City of Alameda (City) for the redevelopment of Alameda Point—a former U.S. Navy (Navy) base undergoing phased land transfer. Our team provides critical program-level support to help the City navigate complex environmental conditions, regulatory requirements, and community engagement efforts related to the transfer and reuse of Navy-owned land.

Scope of Services

Terraphase’s services include reviewing potential environmental liabilities associated with the land transfers; engaging with local community groups regarding the status of remedial activities at Alameda Point; engaging with local, state, and federal regulatory agencies to represent the interests of the City; updating the Alameda Point Site Management Plan; verifying the implementation of regulatory required property restrictions; reviewing Navy remedial documents and activities; coordinating City work taking place on Navy-owned land; and implementing hazardous material surveys (i.e., asbestos and lead-based paint) of buildings to evaluate reuse options.

Terraphase engaged stakeholders in the Navy, the City, and state and federal regulatory agencies to implement these services. We have worked closely with City attorneys to review property restrictions and remedial obligations as they pertain to property transfers. Our team also engaged local utility agencies and the City’s Public Works Department to update the Alameda Point Site Management Plan in a way that takes into account not only parcel development but also installation and long-term management of utilities to be installed in support of the development. The Site Management Plan update allows reference of geographic information system (GIS)-based site plans so that property restrictions are easily referenced and adhered to as development progresses. The work at Alameda Point has introduced Terraphase to other departments within the City for assistance with the environmental conditions at tangential projects. Terraphase is currently assisting with Phase II environmental site assessment (ESA) investigations and property transaction negotiations for a property transaction being managed by the City’s Planning, Building, and Transportation Department.

Notable Accomplishments

• Identified environmental liabilities associated with the site
• Defined required remedial actions to accommodate proposed end use for the site