Department of Toxic Substances Control California Environmental Protection Agency

The Draft Removal Action Work Plan For The Empire Ranch Elementary School, Folsom, CA

Fact Sheet, April 2006

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District plans to build a new elementary school, originally called Empire Ranch Elementary School, located at 375 Dry Creek Road, Folsom, California 95630. The school name has recently been changed to the Russell Ranch Elementary School.

The school site consists of approximately 10 acres of undeveloped land. During site investigations, elevated levels of naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) were found in the soils across the entire site. When NOA is found on a school site, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) requires school districts to submit a work plan to identify activities that will be taken to minimize release of asbestos from school soils into the air during construction of the school.

The cleanup of the site will provide a clean environment for building a new elementary school with 25 classrooms and a couple of basketball courts. The new school will accommodate 613 students. The school will be easily assessable to the families moving into the new Prairie Ranch community.

The draft Removal Action Workplan (RAW) proposes actions to reduce the generation of NOA dust. The draft RAW is available for your review at the information repositories listed later in this fact sheet. The purpose of this environmental process is to ensure that the site will provide a safe environment for students, faculty, and staff of the new school.

This fact sheet provides information about:

Site history and background

Investigation findings

Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA)

Summary of the draft Removal Action Workplan (RAW)

What you will see during school construction

Information on the California Environmental Quality Act - Notice of Exemption

Next Steps