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F evious owner of the land was the John Hancock Investment Company, who owned the t property for approximately seven years. Mr. John Arnold managed the apple trees on the y for John Hancock Investments. Mr. Arnold was contacted on two occasions to obtain ation regarding the cultural practices that occurred on the property. Although he stated that ld provide information such as agrichemical applications, irrigation welUfertigation ions, agrichemical mixing/loading areas, he never did so. § 3.3 As evidenced by the attached photographs, the property contains two above ground e diesel storage tanks(ASTs)that provides fuel for the pump on each Ag irrigation well. tanks are set within have spill containment structures, composed of concrete bases upon the tanks sit. The photographs also show that there has been spillage (apparently during the ng process)that has been contained. Minimal soil staining from diesel/oil spillage was also observed. /The entire acreage was driven over and around to survey for evidence of surface and/or subsurface contamination. No containers were observed, nor was there evidence of solid, or liquid waste disposal. The site was carefully inspected for environmental concerns originating from discolored, disturbed/subsided soils, stressed vegetation or unusual/noxious odors. None of these environmental indicators were present. The land surface did not exhibit visual indicators for buried containers such as surfacing of product residue, soil mounding, or soil depressions. It is usually only after a contaminant plume has impacted a domestic well that buried pesticide containers are discovered. If buried items are discovered during earthwork procedures, etc.,the Environmental Health Department must be contacted immediately. §3.4, §3.5 It is a possibility minute volumes of agrichemicals sprayed on surrounding properties may drift onto the subject property. The site can be considered in the predominant downgradient windshed to other vineyard acreage. In addition, the San Joaquin County Mosquito Abatement District may spray for mosquitoes on and around the property. An important concern associated with the environmental assessment of open properties is the issue of buried containers or discarded items. It was an occasional practice to dispose of containers or discarded items by this method many years ago. To detect these types of underground artifacts is difficult even with the use of ground penetrating radar or other types of non-intrusive, subsurface analyses. High tension power lines traverse the property in a northwest-southeast direction,predominately through proposed Parcel 3. No electrical transformers were noted on the property. Adverse human health effects from high tension power lines are inconclusive at this time. From previous Nitrate Loading and Soil Suitability Studies done to the south of the property, it is known thCr.Q are low concentrations of nitrate in the Lnderving drinking ater aqui fern. This can be attributed to the comparatively deep groundwater elevation, and intervening strata of clay and hardpan down to the zone of saturation. If increasing nitrate concentrations are detected in the future, it can be attributed to the misapplication of nitrogen fertilizers in agricultural environments. Since wine grapes require relatively little nitrogen,the future vineyard should not be excessively applied with nitrogen fertilizers. Page -4- Chesney Consulting