0 calificaciones0% encontró este documento útil (0 votos)
51 vistas20 páginas
GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY
OF PRIMA DESHECHA CANADA -
POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS WASTE
DISPOSAL SITE Orange County California
Landfill Dames and Moore 1981
GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY
OF PRIMA DESHECHA CANADA -
POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS WASTE
DISPOSAL SITE Orange County California
Landfill Dames and Moore 1981
GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY
OF PRIMA DESHECHA CANADA -
POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS WASTE
DISPOSAL SITE Orange County California
Landfill Dames and Moore 1981
POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL SITE OC-2 January 7, 1983
. . . ........... -... . r .... .. a. ..
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. 0 INTRODUCTION...... . 1-1 1.1 Objectives................................ 1-1 1.2 Scope of Work............................. 1-2 2. 0 SITE DESCRIPTION . 2-1 3.0 SITE GEOLOGY................................... 3-1 3.1 Stratigraphy....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 3.2 Structure and Distribution of Units 3-1 3.3 Potential Geologic Hazards . 3-2 4 . 0 HYDROLOGY. . 4-1 5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5-l 5.1 Adequacy of Containment . 5-l 5.2 Suggested Location of Facilities 5-l 5. 3 Further Investigations. 5-1 5.4 Other Possible Site Areas . 5-2 TABLE 1 .. Following Page 3-3 FIGURE 1 - Site Location Map FIGURE 2 - Schematic Geologic Cross Section PLATE 1 - Geologic Map REFERENCES i I
I 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a reconnaissance geologic and hydrologic study of the Prima Deshecha Canada area in southern Orange County, California, with respect to possible siting of a Class I waste disposal facility. The study was one of several conducted concurrently, each addressing an area not excluded in a regional geologic screening study for hazardous waste disposal sites in a seven-county area of southern California (Dames and Moore, 1981). Authorization for the present investigation was through the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (CSDLAC), as lead agency for the Southern California Hazardous Waste Management Project. The general location of the Prima Deshecha study area, which has been designated OC-2, is shown on Figure 1. 1.1 Objectives The investigation was conducted in accordance with the scope of work provided by CSDLAC and was intended to document geologic and hydrologic conditions in the Prima Deshecha area and to provide a basis for either eliminating it as a viable Class I site or for deciding that the site warrants additional studies if conditions appear favorable. Information from literature sources and from field recon- naissance studies were used to formulate an opinion as to the suitability of the site. Our conclusions and recom- mendations in this respect are stated in Section 5.0 of this report and are based on our understanding of the criteria for Class I disposal which are summarized as follows: 0 Geologic materials underlying the site should be of a sufficiently low permeability as to preclude l l ' 0 0 0 0 0 1-2 migration of wastes to usable waters. The State requires that the site be underlain by a substan- tial amount of nonwater-bearing materials with permeabilities of less than lxlo-8 centimeters per second (Franks, 1980). The topography of the site should be suitable for installation of lateral migration barriers if required. The site should be of sufficient areal extent for the proposed facilities. The site should be free of geologic and hydrologic hazards that might endanger proposed facilities. Sufficient quantities of workable material should be present for cut-and-cover operations. The site should be free from land-use conflicts such as economic mineral sources. 1.2 Scope of Work This study was limited by budget and time constraints to a reconnaissance level of effort. The investigation was accomplished in three phases: literature research and planning; field studies; and preparation of maps and the summary report. The literature search was limited to information covering the geology, hydrology, and soils engineering properties of the site area, and included a search of published liter- i l I ' ( ' 1-3 ature, graduate theses, and information from government files. Data from the literature search was compiled and evaluated for indications of possibly favorable geologic conditions and serious geological flaws. Specific possible site locations within the siting area were selected for field examination on the basis of aerial photograph inter- pretation and analysis of published geologic maps. Field investigations consisted of a general reconnaissance of the siting area, supplemental mapping, and sample col- lection at speci fie locations. Site reconnaissance was intended to verify information on existing geologic maps, to define the lithology of the prospective containment unit, and to develop an impression of the site area as a whole. Supplemental mapping was performed to document pertinent site details not shown on existing maps. Preparation of this report consisted of summarizing liter- ature and field information collected during the first two phases, preparation of a geologic map and cross section, and formalizing our judgement as to the potential sui ta- bility of the site for further consideration. We have also indicated what further information may be required to more fully evaluate the site. ... ._ .... .,. ............. .... .......... .. .-&&aa ........ ._ .. ._.__. ... t , ... . .. ' 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION Prima Deshecha Canada extends in a southwesterly direction through the edge of the Santa Margarita Mountain foothills, from about 5 miles inland to the ocean. It crosses the corporate boundaries of the cities of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente progressively to the southwest. The siting locality described in this report includes only the area drained by the upper portion of the canyon, north of the San Clemente corporate boundary. This area comprises most of a 1,500 acre tract dedicated by Orange County for use as a Class II sanitary landfill and a regional park. Some areas of the tract are currently receiving wastes, see Plate 1. No park facilities have yet been constructed. The limits of the existing tract include a side canyon of Secunda Deshecha Canada, a parallel major canyon to the southeast. Other than disposal operations, the site area is used only for grazing cattle. Public access to the area is from the Ortega Highway in the broad valley of San Juan Creek which parallels upper Prima Deshecha Canada about a mile and a half to the northwest. The nearest urbanized area is about 1.2 miles down canyon from the limits of the siting area. An expanded aggregate facility is located in a side canyon about a mile downstream. The topography of the siting area consists of subdued to moderately steep grassy hill slopes except in the northern portion where a line of steep bluffs have formed in exposed conglomeratic rock. Elsewhere natural exposures of bedrock are rare. The highest point in the site vicinity is a ridge top in the northeast corner of the area at an elevation of about I I I I t I l I I l t I i I ........ ._ .. ........................ .a ... l 1 I -t: 2-2 1130 feet above sea level. The divide of the upper Prima Deshecha drainage typically ranges from 500 feet to 1000 feet in elevation. At the southwestern corner of the prospective siting area, the bottom of the canyon is at an .. elevation of 230 feet above sea level. l I I .. ~ 3.0 SITE GEOLOGY 3.1 Stratigraphy The stratigraphic sequence of geologic units exposed in the Prima Deshecha area are listed in Table 1. Detailed descriptions of these units, including their bulk engineer- ing properties, are also presented in the table. These descriptions were compiled from engineering geology reports for each of the four topographic quadrangles which include parts of the site. The authors of individual reports are listed at the end of the table. The prospective containment unit in the area is the Capis- trano Formation, of Pliocene and uppermost Miocene age, that consists of poorly bedded and poorly indurated mi- caceous mudstones and siltstones. It may be as much as 2000 ft thick in the site vicinity. However, the top of the unit is not exposed on the site. The only units mapped overlying the Capistrano Formation in the site area are alluvial, colluvial and landslide deposits of Recent age. Two middle to upper Miocene formations which stratigraph- ically underly the Capistrano are exposed within the site boundaries. The Monterey Formation contains generally well bedded diatomaceous, siliceous, and silty shales as we 1 as siltstones. The underlying San Onofre Breccia is generally a moderately well cemented massive unit composed almost entirely of angular metamorphic rock debris ranging in size from silt to boulders. 3.2 Structure and Distribution of Units Several faults have been mapped traversing the site area (see Plate 1). These are traces and splays of the north- I I ! I I ~ ~ .. --------------------------------- 3-2 west-trending Foster .. fault zone which is not known to be active. The Capistrano Formation, exposed on the south- western side of the zone has been moved downward with respect to older rock units on the northeast side of the zone. Southwest of the fault zone, the Capistrano dips to the southwest at between approximately 15 and 20 degrees. Dips within the fault zone appear to be somewhat flatter. Northeast of the zone, the older units are gently folded. These dips and their relationship to the faults are shown on Figure 2 which is a schematic geologic cross section across the site. 3.3 Potential Geologic Hazards Faults which cross the site are not considered to be active. The Cristianitos fault, which is a larger more pervasive structure passing within 1000 feet to the east of the site, is also not considered to be active. The nearest fault known to be active is the Elsinore fault, 12 miles to the northeast. A large fault mapped offshore, about eight miles from the site may also be capable generating earth- quakes. Landslides appear to cover about 40 percent of the surface area of the site. Most of these are massive slides that involve entire hillsides or canyon heads. They range in age from very old, apparent only from hummocky terrain or diverted drainages, to active with fresh head scarps and mobile toes. Seeps were noted at the toes of several of the more recent slides during our site reconnaissance in December. ( 3-3 Regardless of the age or condition of landslide terrain, it can be potentially hazardous to Class I disposal facilities. Lan.dslide terrain is subject to renewed massive movement and to secondary slumping and flows. In situ material in landslide blocks is not suitable for either vertical or lateral containment of liquid wastes because of increased permeability which is almost always associated with movement. I I I I I ! I Table 1 Descriptions and Engineering Properties of Prima Deshecha Canada Mapped Units Stratigraphic Sequence Alluvium and Colluvium (Qac) Landslide deposits Capistrano Formation* (Tc) Monterey Formation {Tm) San Onofre Breccia {Tso) *Potential Containment Unit Stratigraphic Units ALLUVIUM AND COLLUVIUM (Qac) General Description: The alluvial and colluvial units in the site area are a composite of canyon bottom stream deposits, slope wash, soil creep deposits, slope wash, soil creep deposits and landslide debris. There are predomin- antly clayey and sandy silt with some areas of clayey sand. The thickness of the deposits is highly variable but in general is thicker downstream and in areas where it is associated with the toes of landslides. Engineering Properties: Alluvium in the site area is characterized by moderate to low permeability and is easily excavated. It is moderately to highly expansive. Table 1 (continued) LANDSLIDE DEPOSITS General Description: Mapped landslides are numerous in the Capistrano Formation and exhibit -evidence of continuous or sporadic episodes in that they appear to represent a wide range in age, ranging from recent to very old. Most are _easily recognized on aerial photos and certain high site vantage points but some of the older slides exhibit only hummocky slopes or uncharacteristic drainage patterns. The landslides appear to consist of both rotational and block- glide failure and occur on moderate to low angle slopes. They are subject to reactivation especially following heavy rains. Engineering Properties: Landslides are commonly highly fractured and deeply weathered, and are subject to creep, slump, modflow and renewed mass movement. They are gener- ally moderately to easily excavated. CAPISTRANO FORMATION (Tc) General Description: The marine Capistrano Formation is uppermost Miocene and Pliocene in age and consists of up to 2000 feet of poorly bedded and interfingering layers of micaceous siltstone, mudstone, silty shale and sandstone. In upper Prima Deshecha Canada where exposed in the current landfill operation the Capistrano Formation consists primarily of poorly consolidated, massive to poorly bedded micaceous siltstone and mudstone. These units are dark gray to blue gray on fresh exposures and weather to light brownish gray. Locally the unit contains interbeds of diatomaceous siltstone and thin sandstone lenses. At the surface the Capistrano Formation is soft, poorly consoli- dated and is highly subject to creep and massive failures even in areas of relatively low relief. Numerous land- slides have occurred in upper Prima Deshecha Canada. Engineering Properties: The premeability of the Capistrano Formation in the site area is reported as low to very low (Converse, Davis, Dixon Associates, 1977), however, no permeability measurements have been reported for the unit in the area of the site. The unit can generally be moder- ately to easily excavated with heavy equipment but local cemented sandstone lenses may require light blasting. Slopes are highly unstable and subject to failure both along and across bedding planes as rotational slumps and block-glides. Table 1 (continued) MONTEREY FORMATION (Tm) General Description: The Monterey Formation is a marine unit of middle to upper Miocene age. It consists of light gray to pale brown diatomaceous shale interbedded with silty shale, siltstone and siliceous shale. The unit is _generally well bedded and weathers to form a platy outcrop. In upper Prima Deshecha Canada the Monterey Formation caps the high ridge to the northeast of the siting area and appears to be held up by the massive bluffs of the under- lying San Onofre Breccia. Engineering Properties: The premeabiii ty of the Monterey Formation is generally low except where deeply weathered and fractured. It is also generally easily excavated with heavy equipment. Steep slopes are highly unstable to slumping especially on dip slopes where unsupported bedding planes can allow block-glide failure. SAN ONOFRE BRECCIA (Tso) General Description: The San Onofre Breccia is of Middle Miocene age and consists of massive, very coarse, well cemented, conglomerate and sandstone. It is generally reddish brown to blue gray and made up of a chaotic col- lection of angular metamorphic boulders of predominantly Catalina Schist origin. Engineering Properties: The unit is generally massive and moderately well cemented. It is difficult to excavate, even with heavy equipment and locally requires blasting. The permeability is highly variable ranging from moderate to low. It generally forms steep and stable slopes but is subject to rock falls and occasional landslides where oversteepened or deeply fractured and weathered. 1 I ' 4.0 HYDROLOGY The area within the site boundary shown on Plate 1, except a small portion in the southeast corner, drains through upper Prima Deshecha Canada. Streams within the canyon are essentially dry except during rainy periods. Seven borings were drilled in the canyon during investi- gations for the County facility (Stankov, 1971). Borings drilled in the alluvium-filled portion of the canyon encountered ground water at depths of 9 to 15 feet below ground surface. Drawdown-and-recovery permeability tests in two of these holes produced a calculated coefficient of transmissibility value of lxlo-5 em/sec for the appar- ently clayey alluvium. No tests were run in the Capistrano Formation. Stankov (1971) also reported a spring near the head of the central drainage of the canyon, just above the north- easternmost fault trace. The area underlain by San Onofre Breccia. He suggests that the occurrence of the spring may be due to clay gouge in the fault that acts as a ground- water barrier. All seeps observed during our visit to the site were associated with landslides. No seep or springs are known to originate from intact Capistrano Formation material. r 5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Adequacy of Containment .. Although no formal permeability values are available for the Capistrano Formation, we feel that portions of the unit may be suitable for siting hazardous waste disposal facili- ties. The formation contains abundant clayey layers which should retard water or waste migration. Though fractured and jointed near the surface, we believe this is due to weathering and that the formation will become tighter and less permeable with depth. Clayey portions of landslide material in the Capistrano Formation may be sui table for construction of barriers to lateral migration. 5.2 Suggested Location of Facilities Preliminary research indicated that a large side canyon in the southwestern corner of the Prima Deshecha site could be an almost ideal location for Class I facilities. We found, however, that the canyon was already receiving Class II fill. Since most of the area not being used for Class II waste is underlain by landslides or permeable older bedrock formations, very little room remains for a poten- tial Class I site. The two or three heads of side canyons underlain by the Capistrano Formation at the southernmost edge of the area together may provide enough space for a viable disposal facility. Additional space might be gained by excavating portions of landslides to the Capis- trano bedrock. 5.3 Further Investigations If the Prima Deshecha site is selected for further con- sideration, continuing feasibility studies should begin with a limited boring program during which the permeability ' ' of the Capistrano Formation in the siting area could be tested. Borings could also be used to determine the thickness of landslide deposits in areas considered for their possible removal to provide disposal space. If considerable variability is found in the formation during initial testing, it may be advisable to drill additional holes to obtain continuous core samples and to conduct permeability tests at more closely spaced intervals to better define the most favorable zones and layers to be avoided. More precise geologic mapping, using test pits and trenches to produce outcrops, would allow better projection of encountered in borings into adjacent areas. 5.4 Other Possible Sites The extreme southeastern portion of the County disposal tract that drains to Segundo Deshecha Canada is underlain by massive landslides in the Monterey Formation. This area, therefore, does not appear to be suited for a dis- posal site. However, there are several other side canyons to Segundo Deshecha Canada north of Avenida Pico that are underlain by marine shales of the Monterey Formation that might be considered for a disposal area. These areas are within the City of San Clemente. A large side canyon to the east of the main Prima Deshecha canyon south of the present study area may be suitable for a disposal area. The canyon is underlain by an apparently thick section of Capistrano Formation and, although several landslides are mapped in the area, they do not appear to be as massive as those within the boundaries of the County tract and may be less difficult to remove. OE=::3:=:::::E===:35 Miles E3 Scale 1 :250,000 Base Map: USGS Santa Ana Topo Sheet Project: SOCAL HAZARDOUS WASTE Project No. 415621 PRIMA DESHECHA CANADA SITE LOCATION MAP Fig. 1 WOODWARD-CLYDE CONSULTANTS .. ... .. ... .... Cl)
a ;:; <'II > Cl) A 1500 jjj 500 0 Existing Landfill Note: See Plate 1 for Geologic Legend and location of section Project: SO CAL HAZARDOUS WASTE SITING Project No. 415021
_._.. _ ., k. '._., .. CV ... } "\. .""". . ..,, "'': .. !';.,'.I 0 1000 2000 Feet b;;Od I I SCHEMATIC GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION OF THE PRIMA DESHECHA CANADA AREA ,., ... A' 1500 1000 7':1500 Fig. 2 WOODWARD-CLYDE CONSULTANTS I -.MUM.%"" ' . ... .. " '"""" '" "" '"' ... .., ... ' ....... I.$,'" ' .. , ' ' "''"' " ' . .... ,; ' ....... " .................... ,_,, .. ,_ . - ::- .. -- ' -.=:-:--.:-:--.- :" .... I REFERENCES Blanc, R. P., and Cleveland, G. B., 1968, Natural slope stability as related to geology, San Clemente area, Orange and San Diego Counties, California: California Division of Mines and Geology, Special Report 98. Converse, Davis, Dixon Associates, 1977, Environmental geotechnical investigation - Prima Deshecha Regional Park: Prepared for Phillips Brandt Reddick and the Orange County Environmental Agency, 26 pp. Dames and Moore, 1981, Final report, geologic exclusion study, hazardous waste disposal sites, seven-county area of southern California: Prepared for County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, 20 pp. Edgington, W. J., 1974, Geology of the Dana Point Quad- rangle, Orange, County, California: California Division of Mines and Geology, Special Report 109, 31 PP Franks, A. L., 1980, Waste Discharge Requirements for Nonsewerable Waste Disposal to Land: California State Water Resources Control Board. Miller, R. v., 1977, Geologic guidebook to the west-central Santa Ana Mountains, Orange County, California: Los Angeles Basin Geological Society, 42 pp. Morton, P. K., aspects of Quadrangle, Division of 1974, Geology and engineering geologic the south half of Canada Gobernadora Orange County, California: California Mines and Geology, Special Report 111. Morton, P. K., 1972, Geologic guidebook to the northern Peninsular Ranges, Orange and Riverside Counties: South Coast Geological Society, South Coast Geological Society Guidebook, 96 pp. Morton, P. K., Edgington, w. J., and Fife, D. L., 1974, Geology and engineering geologic aspects of the San Juan Capistrano Quadrangle, Orange County, California: California Division of Mines and Geology, Special Report 112, 64 pp. Morton, P. K., and Miller, R. V., 1981, Geologic Map of Orange County, California, showing mines and mineral deposits: California Division of Mines and Geology, Bulletin 204. Morton, P. K., Preliminary California: Preliminary Miller, R. v., and Fife, D. L., 1973, gee-environmental maps of Orange County, California Division of Mines and Geology, Report 15. Stankov, s., 1971, Geologic investigation of the San Juan Capistrano refuse disposal site: County of Orange Road Department, 21 pp.