Environmental Cleanup

Through illegal dumping or disposal or through industrial or commercial activities, sites may become contaminated with chemicals at concentrations that pose risks to human health and/or the environment. The goal of the County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health Division’s (CSCEHD) Environmental Cleanup Program (ECP), formerly the Site Mitigation Program, is to protect human health and environment from exposures from releases of contamination and to facilitate the completion of site cleanup in a timely manner. Additionally, ECP provides environmental review of redevelopment projects for properties within the unincorporated areas and participating cities and is the permitting program for groundwater monitoring wells.

ECP – Land Development & Environmental Assessment Reviews

ECP staff review environmental assessment documents related to site conditions at proposed commercial and residential developments and provides conditions as part of the planning process in unincorporated areas of the county and within participating cities. Contact your planner for ECP requirements for your development project. ECP environmental assessment reviews require the submittal of a ECP Application and the appropriate environmental assessment documents.

Site Cleanup Program

The CSCEHD’s Site Cleanup Program (SCP), formerly the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), provides oversight of environmental investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites.

Monitoring Wells & Soil Borings

The CSCEHD’s ECP administers and enforces state and local ordinances pertaining to the new construction, alteration, replacement, maintenance, supplemental, and/or destruction of groundwater monitoring wells, cathodic protection wells, and other types of non production wells, other types of non-production wells, and soil borings.