South Bay Asbestos Area

Overview

The South Bay Asbestos Area covers 550 acres in the Alviso District of San Jose, California. It includes former landfills, a ring levee, and truck yards. Two landfills accepted asbestos-containing material from a nearby pipe manufacturing plant between 1953 and 1982. A ring levee built from locally quarried rock also contained naturally occurring asbestos that spread through wind and rain. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. The NPL is the federal list of the most contaminated sites in the country.

Asbestos is the only contaminant of concern. It appears in soil, solid waste, debris, buildings, and air across the site. EPA conducted air sampling in 1994 and again in 2007. Both studies found no significant threat to Alviso residents from asbestos fibers in the air. Human exposure is currently under control, meaning no unsafe pathways exist for people to contact the contamination.

EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers led cleanup work. Actions included removing the ring levee, installing asphalt caps on the landfills, paving contaminated truck yards, and restoring wetlands. Remedial work on the Ring Levee unit ran from October 1993 to September 1998. Construction across the full site was completed in September 1998. Property owners must follow soil management plans and maintain the landfill caps indefinitely because asbestos-containing material remains beneath them. Annual inspections and ongoing maintenance are required.

EPA has completed six five-year reviews to confirm the remedy continues to protect public health and the environment. The most recent review, completed in September 2025, found the remedial action remains protective. The site achieved readiness for anticipated reuse in September 2011. Today it includes the 70-acre America Center with commercial offices and a hotel, the Gold Street Tech Center, wetlands, open space, and recreational areas. As of December 2024, sixteen on-site businesses employed 2,757 people and generated about $918 million in annual sales. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly. Records are also available in person at EPA's Regional Records Center at 75 Hawthorne Street, Room 3110, in San Francisco, or by calling (415) 947-8717.