2008 Woodie Awards
Details on De Anza chemical spill
Olga Ardulov
Issue date: 12/4/06 Section: News
Although it's been several months since the incident, La Voz recently learned the details of a chemical spill which took place at De Anza College in April.
A sub-contractor was working with drywall seeming plaster and dumped his leftover plaster-mix into a storm water drain.
Immediately Mona Voss, director of environmental safety took the initiative to cover the drain with a tarp.
"It was dark and gray that morning, it looked like it was going to rain and we just don't want white funky-looking stuff in our drain system," she said.
Voss also called Romic Environmental, a trained disposal company to clean out the drain.
"Those drains flush out into the bay, we have labels next to the drains asking people not to dump things in. It's imperative nothing but water goes in those drains." Voss said.
"With this $400 million bond sometimes there are helpers that don't really know about waste and need to be educated. They just haven't been trained, that's all."
Voss said she's already talked to the director of construction and that they have started a preventive measure program.
The program managers are being asked to train the sub-contractors from now on.
Richard Baker and Jennifer Kaahaaina, the Hazardous Material specialists, didn't come out and inspect the spill. Voss said they told her she did such a meticulous job that they weren't worried.
This wouldn't have been De Anza's first HAZMAT inspection. According to Mike Brandy, the vice chancellor of budget and finance, two years ago the district attorney fined De Anza for improper labeling chemicals and other violations from two years prior to that.
Last year, De Anza and Foothill were reinspected and a De Anza chemistry room turned up chemical waste in two of 42 sinks. "We're not really sure how that happened," said Brandy.
De Anza received a warning for the sink. The school has taken measures by reformatting the faculty procedures, experimental processes and labeling.
When asked why the clamor over the spill in April Voss said, "I do this to stay forthright with my regulator. People see a vacuum truck and caution tape and think something happened when in reality this was very controlled."
A sub-contractor was working with drywall seeming plaster and dumped his leftover plaster-mix into a storm water drain.
Immediately Mona Voss, director of environmental safety took the initiative to cover the drain with a tarp.
"It was dark and gray that morning, it looked like it was going to rain and we just don't want white funky-looking stuff in our drain system," she said.
Voss also called Romic Environmental, a trained disposal company to clean out the drain.
"Those drains flush out into the bay, we have labels next to the drains asking people not to dump things in. It's imperative nothing but water goes in those drains." Voss said.
"With this $400 million bond sometimes there are helpers that don't really know about waste and need to be educated. They just haven't been trained, that's all."
Voss said she's already talked to the director of construction and that they have started a preventive measure program.
The program managers are being asked to train the sub-contractors from now on.
Richard Baker and Jennifer Kaahaaina, the Hazardous Material specialists, didn't come out and inspect the spill. Voss said they told her she did such a meticulous job that they weren't worried.
This wouldn't have been De Anza's first HAZMAT inspection. According to Mike Brandy, the vice chancellor of budget and finance, two years ago the district attorney fined De Anza for improper labeling chemicals and other violations from two years prior to that.
Last year, De Anza and Foothill were reinspected and a De Anza chemistry room turned up chemical waste in two of 42 sinks. "We're not really sure how that happened," said Brandy.
De Anza received a warning for the sink. The school has taken measures by reformatting the faculty procedures, experimental processes and labeling.
When asked why the clamor over the spill in April Voss said, "I do this to stay forthright with my regulator. People see a vacuum truck and caution tape and think something happened when in reality this was very controlled."
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