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4 Environmental Analysis 4.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials 4.9 HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS This section identifies and evaluates issues related to hazards and hazardous materials in the context of the Project. It includes the physical and regulatory setting, the criteria used to evaluate the significance of potential impacts, the methods used in evaluating these impacts, and the results of the impact assessment. The County received scoping comments relating to wildfire from the Tracy Rural County Fire Protection District, and those comments have been incorporated into this Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). 4.9.1 Existing Conditions A hazardous material is defined as any material that, because of quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics, poses a significant present or potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment if released into the workplace or the environment (Health and Safety Code Section 25501(0)). The term "hazardous materials" refers to both hazardous substances and hazardous wastes. Under federal and state laws, any material, including wastes, may be considered hazardous if it is specifically listed by statute as such or if it has one or more of the following characteristics: • Toxicity (i.e., causes adverse human health effects); • Ignitability (i.e., has the ability to burn); • Corrosivity (i.e., causes severe burns or damage to materials); or • Reactivity (i.e., causes explosions or generates toxic gases). In some cases, past industrial or commercial activities on a site have resulted in spills or leaks of hazardous materials or wastes to the subsurface, resulting in soil and/or groundwater contamination. Depending on the type and concentrations of contamination, potential exposure can threaten public health if released from the soil, groundwater, or into the air. The four primary exposure pathways through which an individual can be exposed to a hazardous material or waste are inhalation, ingestion, bodily contact, and injection. Exposure can result from an accidental release of hazardous materials during transport, storage, or handling. Disturbance of contaminated subsurface soil during construction can also cause exposure to workers, the public, or the environment through excavating, stockpiling, handling, or transport of such soils. The Project site is located in rural, agricultural areas of San Joaquin County and Alameda County, in the northwestern San Joaquin Valley. Hazardous waste handlers and generators in San Joaquin County and Alameda County include industries, businesses, public and private institutions, and residences. Agricultural land use can also involve the storage and handling of hazardous materials and wastes (e.g., application of pesticides and the storage and use of fuels). Gasoline stations and other facilities that use or store fuels, solvents, chemicals, or other hazardous materials represent other potential sources of hazardous materials in rural areas. The presence of these potential sources of hazardous materials, if encountered, can cause exposures that may result in adverse environmental and health effects depending on the extent of exposure. Griffith Energy Storage Project 4.9-1 Tetra Tech/SCH 2022120675 Draft Environmental Impact Report August 2023