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Marley Cooling Tower Company Groundwater Treatment System San Joaquin County Inspection Report February 7, 2003 On Thursday afternoon, September 19, 2002 MCTC personnel were contacted by the DFG warden, Ms. Lori Oldfather, and told that the pH in the canal was 9.2 and that there had been a fish kill. Although MCTC's groundwater extraction and treatment system was operating within permit limits at that time according to the discharger, MCTC immediately turned off all pumps, which shut down the entire treatment system and ceased discharge until further notice. At 6:45 pm on September 19, 2002 the Board's project manager for the MCTC site (Sudhakar Talanki) received a telephone message from Mr. Lieb informing him of the plant malfunction, and the fish kill notification from the DFG. The DFG warden also left a telephone message with Pat Leary of the NPDES unit on Friday morning (September 20, 2002) telling her of the spill. Since that Friday was Sudhakar Talanki's regularly scheduled day off, and Pat Leary was in the field on Friday morning, I was informed of the spill on Friday afternoon at approximately 1:30 pm by Pat Leary. After several telephone calls to various people, including the DFG warden, to gather additional information and set up a site visit, Antonia Vorster and I traveled to Stockton to meet with the discharger and the the DFG, and to inspect the site. Site Visit Antonia Vorster and 1 arrived at the site at approximately 4:50 pm on Friday, September 20, 2002. We were met at the MCTC treatment plant by Mr. Lieb and Mr. Lingo of MCTC, and Warden Oldfather and biologist Mike Healy with the DFG. Mr. Lieb supplied us and DFG with a copy of their initial report (letter dated September 20, 2002) and a copy of the "Water Plant Performance Log". Mr. Lieb explained the treatment plant malfunction to us, and what measures MCTC was taking to help insure that this event does not reoccur, including the installation of a final pH interlock device in the eluent pipeline immediately prior to the point where the effluent line leaves the MCTC property (downstream of all treatment processes). We (Board staff, DFG staff, and discharger staff) then drove to the outfall to view the receiving water impacts. Our initial site stop was at the outfall. As the plant was shut -down, there was no effluent being discharged. There was a white crust or precipitate on the outfall structure and on the vegetation beneath the outfall. Outfall -4rw End ofEjflumt Pipeline in Concrete Outfall Structure