West Coyote Hills and Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve Remedial Action Plan
10 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
1997051056
Lead Agency
City of Fullerton
Document Title
West Coyote Hills and Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve Remedial Action Plan
Document Type
NOD - Notice of Determination
Received
Posted
10/9/2026
Document Description
The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has approved the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for the West Coyote Hills and Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve (Site) to address surface and subsurface soil impacted with constituents of potential concern (COPCs) associated with historical oil field operations. The RAP, along with a Remedial Action Workplan submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), will require excavation of approximately 11,410 bank cubic yards (BCY) of soil contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The Site is located in the northwestern area of the City of Fullerton (City). The current footprint of the former WCH oil field is an approximately 483-acre property separated by a public road, Gilbert Street, into an approximately 352-acre Western Property and an approximately 131-acre Eastern Property. The Eastern Property excludes portions of the former WCH oil field that were sold to the City in 2021 (Parcels 1 and 3; approximately 24 acres) or previously donated to the City in 1983 (the Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve; approximately 72 acres). Figure 1 (included with this Notice of Determination for reference) depicts the Western Property and Eastern Property areas which will be remediated under the RAP.
The RAP is associated with the long-term use of the Site as open space. Upon completion of site remediation activities, the Site will be conserved in perpetuity as protected open space under a land use covenant.
The site remediation activities set forth in the RAP consist of soil excavation with off-site disposal. The total anticipated volume of excavated soil is approximately 11,410?bank cubic yards (BCY): 4,451 BCY of non-PCB impacted soil (overseen by DTSC) and 6,959 BCY of PCB-impacted soil (overseen by USEPA). Excavation of PCBs and other soil impacts are planned to be performed concurrently. The excavated soil would be transported via covered and lined end-dump trucks to appropriate landfill facilities (depending on whether excavated soil is hazardous or non-hazardous). The excavations would be backfilled with imported clean fill to approximately original grade and restored with an appropriate seed mix consisting of native plant species. Institutional controls (ICs), in the form of land use covenants (deed restrictions), would be established to restrict future property use to open space purposes and to limit actions that could interfere with this land use.
Implementation of the RAP is estimated to take approximately 8 working months to complete between January 2028 and late 2029, which takes into account pausing work from February 15 through August 30 to avoid disrupting the coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) nesting season.
Contact Information
Name
Monica Hope
Agency Name
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Responsible Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Meghan Hearne
Agency Name
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Job Title
Senior Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Responsible Agency
Phone
Name
Christopher Penza
Agency Name
Chevron Asset Retirement/SJVBU
Job Title
Senior Remediation Specialist
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Name
David Lopez
Agency Name
City of Fullerton
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Fullerton
Counties
Orange
Regions
Citywide, Southern California
Cross Streets
N. Gilbert St and Rosencrans Ave
Total Acres
483
Other Location Info
The site which is located in the City of Fullerton is irregularly shaped and is generally bounded on the north by the City of La Habra, on the east by Euclid Street, on the west by the City of La Mirada, and on the south by Rosecrans Avenue.
Notice of Determination
Approving Agency
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Approving Agency Role
Responsible Agency
Approved On
County Clerk
Orange
Final Environmental Document Available at
Department of Toxic Substances Control
Site Mitigation and Restoration Program
5796 Corporate Avenue
Cypress, California 90630
https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/profile_report?global_id=60003746
Determinations
(1) The project will have a significant impact on the environment
No
(2a) An Environmental Impact Report was prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions of CEQA
Yes
(2b) A Mitigated or a Negative Declaration was prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions of CEQA
No
(2c) An other document type was prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions of CEQA
Yes (Addendum to an Environmental Impact Report)
(3) Mitigated measures were made a condition of the approval of the project
Yes
(4) A mitigation reporting or monitoring plan was adopted for this project
Yes
(5) A Statement of Overriding Considerations was adopted for this project
No
(6) Findings were made pursuant to the provisions of CEQA
Yes
Attachments
Final Document(s) [Approved_Certified draft environmental documents]
Notice of Determination
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