Hearing held to discuss SF Hunters Point toxic cleanup discrepancy
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Hearings held Monday called for the retesting of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard after allegations surfaced of fake soil samples that were collected.
The company in charge of the cleanup has offered to pay for and hire an independent contractor to prove their work was valid.
"I want to say on the record, unequivocally, that I want the U.S. Navy to commit to testing parcel A," said SF Supervisor Malia Cohen.
Cohen represents the Hunters Point neighborhood, which for decades has been undergoing testing and removal of toxic materials left behind by the Navy.
But recent allegations of improper cleanup by outside firm Tetra Tech has an entire community demanding an investigation.
"We've been saying that the data that was being collected was fraudulent, we've been saying that the Navy has been lying to us, that their contractors are lying to us," said Bayview-Hunters Point community activist Michelle Pierce.
RELATED: Firm responsible for cleanup at Hunters Point Shipyard to pay for soil retesting
Two whistleblowers have admitted to and been convicted of faking soil samples and falsifying records to demonstrate that the radioactive waste from ships involved in nuclear testing was being properly handled.
Bert Bowers is a third former worker for Tetra Tech. He was a radiation safety officer for the company for 10 years. He was terminated in 2011. "We caught them, but by the time we caught them, we were kicked off the project," he said.
Tetra Tech has received hundreds of millions of federal dollars to perform the work. The company is now offering to pay for and hire an independent contractor to do the re-testing.
RELATED: Navy re-examining clean-up at Hunter's Point Shipyard
"Tetra Hech, again, stands behind the work that it has done. It performed the services that it was contracted to do to the standards that were set by the Navy under the contract with the Navy," Senior VP and General Council for Tetra Tech Preston Hopson said.
Today, the area has the largest redevelopment project in the city.
"We were being told, oh no, you're safe, it's OK for the children to play outside. I'm living witness, thus far, we were not safe," said activist and Green Action spokesperson Marie Harrison.
Click here for more stories and videos on the Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.
