Shell Pond Cleanup and Wetland Restoration
PG&E Shell Pond
PG&E Shell Pond is a 73-acre former wastewater pond located at the foot of Suisun and Honker Bays within a 292-acre parcel owned by PG&E. Under a cleanup plan approved by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) in 2011, PG&E proposed to remove and dispose of 240,000 cubic yards of material from the pond and re-vegetate nearby areas. As proposed, during the final phase of the project, PG&E will grade the pond area and breech the levee system around the pond to restore the natural tidal wetland habitat and open space.
PG&E completed the first two phases of the project – construction of an access road from the southern edge of the pond to McAvoy Harbor and construction of the 11-acre material handling area – in 2011.
In January 2012, we began dredging work to remove impacted material from the bottom of the pond. Material dredged from the bottom of the pond was treated with an additive to separate it from the water and control odors, and transferred to the material handling area into large tubes where the material could be dried out and prepared for off-site disposal.
Within a few days of conducting dredging operations, we determined that the odor control systems were not as effective as anticipated during project design. On January 19, 2012, PG&E conferred with DTSC, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and Contra Costa County and cooperatively elected to suspend all operations for an indeterminate amount of time to evaluate additional engineering options to more effectively manage potential off-site odors.
We anticipate that the engineering evaluation may take several months and we will not restart operations without agency approval.
Please keep checking this website as we post additional project information.
Recent News
Additional Resources
Site-related documents can also be found at:
- Bay Point Library, 205 Pacifica Ave, Bay Point, CA 94565-2904
(925) 458-9597 - The DTSC Archive Room, 700 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 540-3800 - call to schedule an appointment - The Ambrose Community Center- Reception Desk, 3105 Willow Pass Road, Bay Point, CA 94565
925-458-1601
Shell Pond before remediation.
Artist rendering of natural wetland after project completion.
