COMPLIANCE INFO_1997-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

A KLEINFELDER File No. 20-3978-O1.W10 July 26, 1997 During a November 19, 1996 monitoring event of the five Spreckels monitoring wells (MW-1 through MW-5) groundwater was found to exist beneath the site at a depth of approximately 10 to 15 feet. A groundwater gradient and direction was calculated based on depth-to-water data collected from these five and by data collected during a survey by RLC Associates on in December 1996. The groundwater flow direction is estimated to be towards the northwest at a relatively flat gradient of approximately 0.002 ft/ft. In areas of flat groundwater gradients such as this site, groundwater flow directions may significantly fluctuate due to rainfall, groundwater recharge, groundwater pumping, etc.. Therefore, changes in groundwater flow directions may vary at this site with time. 3.0 BACKGROUND 3.1 Process Description Of Former Operations The site is the location of a former beet sugar processing plant. The description of the manufacturing process was provided by Mr. Jerry Tucker of Spreckels Development Co. during the site reconnaissance. Mr. Tucker's description has been supplemented by information posted to the Internet by Monitor Sugar Company. Sugar beets were transported from the farm to the processing plant via trucks and railcar. The loaded trucks and railcars were weighed at the scales, and the beets were unloaded at the unloading station. The Spreckels Manteca plant most recently used a series of conveyors, but formerly utilized an underground beet flume which utilized water to transport the beets from the unloading area to the factory. After unloading the beets were washed. The wash water contained soil and other substances (possibly agricultural chemicals) and was transported to the mud ponds for disposal. After washing, the beets were sliced and placed into the diffusion towers. The diffusion towers used hot water to remove the sugar from the beets. The beet pulp was then separated from the raw sugar water. At the Spreckels Manteca plant, the beet pulp was dried and stored in the pulp warehouse pending use as cattle feed. Several different feedlots have been present on the Spreckels property for this purpose since the plant was constructed. Prior to the installation of pulp dryers, the wet pulp was pumped into a large holding pond, formerly located to the east of the existing pulp warehouse, and allowed to dry prior to use as cattle feed. The pulp dryers were installed to reduce odors emanating from the plant. The raw sugar water or "juice" was purified by adding "milk of lime" and carbon dioxide to precipitate out the impurities. The milk of lime is produced by "calcining" the lime in the lime kiln and then adding water. The kiln was lined with a refractory material to withstand the high 20-3978-01.WIO I2017L155 Page 6 of 50 Copyright 1997,Kleinfelder,Inc.