The Petaluma Marsh Wildlife Area straddles the county line between Sonoma and Marin Counties just north of San Francisco, CA. The wildlife area is owned by the California Department of Fish and Game and at 1844 acres is one of the largest remaining natural tidal brackish marsh areas in the San Francisco Bay estuary. The Site is located deep within the marsh center, with access by boat or by a dirt access road that is under water at very high tides and is controlled by a privately held dairy farm.
The Site housed an old communications station used by nearby Hamilton Field, US Army Air Corps, circa WWII. The station includes a cement masonry unit building and a raised concrete pad that supported electrical equipment (including 3 transformers) within a fenced enclosure.
In December 2006, the three electrical transformers abandoned on the concrete pad at the communications station were vandalized by unknown persons. The vandals removed the copper from within the transformers, potentially for the recovery value as scrap metal. During the vandalism event, the transformers were placed on the ground and were smashed or crushed. The PCB dielectric oil contained in the transformers was released onto the adjacent soil near the concrete pad.
