Crockett residents could remain under a health advisory for at least another week due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide emitting from the Crockett Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The hydrogen sulfide emission is due to a weeks-long issue at the treatment plant, which is owned by the C&H Sugar refinery and operated via contractor Inframark.
Workers at the plant have cleaned more than 1,300 air diffusers in the plant’s three wastewater treatment reactors throughout the week in an effort to reduce emissions of the chemical.
According to Inframark and CCHS, the plant is likely to be stable in seven-to-10 days, at which point the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and the accompanying smells of rotten eggs and sewage, will dissipate.
“We need to have a level of comfort with the stability of the operation of that plant,” before lifting the health advisory,” CCHS Hazardous Materials Program Director Matt Kaufmann said Friday.
Contra Costa Health Services initially issued a health advisory for Crockett residents on Oct. 7 after air monitoring by the Bay Area Air Quality management District found a one-hour average level of hydrogen sulfide of .036 parts per million.
According to CCHS, symptoms of hydrogen sulfide exposure, including headaches, nausea and eye irritation may begin to show at .03 ppm.
CCHS officials said Friday that hydrogen sulfide levels measured Thursday around the plant remain around .03 ppm but are at .008 ppm at nearby John Swett High School and .003 ppm at Carquinez Middle School.
“We are still seeing hydrogen sulfide in the community above levels that we would expect,” Kaufmann said. “We continue to monitor and we’re going to continue to monitor the community as long as the health advisory is in effect, and that includes over this weekend.”
People experiencing minor symptoms are encouraged to stay inside and, if possible, utilize an activated charcoal air filter to reduce hydrogen sulfide levels indoors. Masks are not effective at preventing exposure.
Those who are experiencing more severe or persistent symptoms should contact their primary care provider.
7 comments
Well that’s just a crock of… nevermind.
@Commonsensenor….That would be a chamber pot, right?
Hey County administration.. Why did it get to that point in the first place?
How Ironic, Newsom was in Vallejo just a few weeks back for one of his climate speeches. That would be enough to stink the area up for a while…
I smell a class action lawsuit.
Oh that’s just great. Releasing those chemicals right next to a couple schools! No wonder why all these kids these days are autistic and all these problems they have that I never heard of when I was a kid 40 years ago.
Between Crockett waste stink and the Pittsburg renewed peat moss burning stink, can’t stand going outside.
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