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2.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND 2.1 Location The subject property is the St. Francis motel located at 5708 North Highway 99, Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, approximately one mile south of Hammer Lane(Figure 3). The site is located outside the city limits of Stockton, California and is situated in a general agriculture area that is comprised of row crop and orchard. The motel is currently in service with a total of 22 rooms except for Room#108,the room connected to the septic system identified as having the past illegal drug lab hazardous waste problem (Figure 4). 2.2 Past Environmental Problems In March or early April, 2004 the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Department(SJCSD) conducted a search of the St. Francis Motel Room#108 and discovered an illegal drug lab that had been in operation by the room tenants for approximately one week. The SJCSD suspected that the illegal drug lab had been manufacturing crystal methamphetamine. SJCSD reportedly cleared the room of raw material chemicals used to manufacture the drugs, intermediate manufacturing compounds, finished product chemicals and all drug lab manufacturing apparatus. SJCSD also reportedly conducted a visual examination of Room#108 to determine if there had potentially been any spills in the room. Reportedly, SJCSD determined that no spill had occurred. Subsequent to the SJCSD seizure of drugs and drug lab equipment, Room#108 was posted by the PHSEHD with a"Notice to Vacate" on April 18, 2004. This prohibited use of Room#108 for human occupancy until all interior hazards were determined objectively to not be present (Appendix 1). The notification of hazardous waste discharge in Room#108 indicated that red phosphorous, acidic and basic chemical manufacturing components were either found or were suspected to have been present in the room during the drug manufacturing. PHSEHD suspected that chemicals used in the manufacture of these drugs had been disposed into the septic system serving Room#108. The principal concern PHSEHD had was that the untreated sewage emanating from motel rooms is discharged to on-site septic systems with direct disposal to the subsurface without treatment,potentially degrading local groundwater. On April 22, 2004 a letter from PHSEHD was sent to Mr. Giishkuman and Kusumben Patel notifying the property owners what actions would be required to determine if hazardous chemicals still existed on the property. This letter also stated that the drug-lab environmental related issues would need to be resolved prior to Room#108 being certified as safe for human occupancy. PHSEHD also notified Mr. Patel that a septic system investigation would be required since the St. Francis Motel septic system falls into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)Underground Injection Control (UIC)program that is locally administered by PHSEHD for the USEPA. Main\Environmental\St.FrancisMotel\Report\Report05252006.wpd 3