long-term protection of public health and the environment. These systems act like a household vacccum by extracting soil gas present below ground and drawing it above ground into a treatment building. The vapor is then treated to remove the VOCs before being safely released into the atmosphere in accordance with permits issued by both the City of Newport Beach and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (Air District).

Preliminary performance evaluations demonstrate the SVE systems are effectively removing VOCs from below the ground. Based on its effectiveness, on April 21, 2025, Ford will begin pulsing (turning on and off) the SVE systems to maximize efficiency and potentially improve contamminant removal. Performance data will continue to be collected to determine how long the SVE systems should continue to operate. The Water Board will review all performance data and approve any recommendations for future changes in operations. More detail can be found in the Remediation/Mitigation page.

Concurrent with the operation of the SVE systems, Ford is operating 14 sub-slab depressurization systems (SSD systems) at homes within the Bayridge Park community where vapor intrusion is occurring. The SSD systems create a pressure difference between the area under the building foundation and the inside of the building which prevents underground vapors from entering the building. SSD systems are a mitigation measure, meaning they lessen the effects of vapor intrusion, while SVE systems are a long-term remediation measure that permanently removes contamination. The SSD systems will be removed, in coordination with each homeowner, after the Water Board determines that the SVE systems have effectively addressed the contamination.

Ford monitors soil gas and indoor air conditions at 438 subsurface locations and about 350 properties at varying frequencies based on soil gas concentrations. Residents at properties that have already been evaluated are notified directly of their sampling frequencies. Ford also continues to monitor groundwater and is developing plans to treat groundwater north of Bison Avenue. Additional details will be provided to affected communities prior to any groundwater treatment. 

The Water Board continues to keep the community informed of project activities through fact sheets and in-person, virtual and/or hybrid community meetings. Click on the Community Outreach tab for more information.