[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 163 (Friday, August 22, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 44619-44621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22065]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 300
[FRL-5876-4]
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan,
National Priorities List
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of intent for partial deletion of the Saegertown
Industrial Area Site from the National Priorities List (NPL).
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency, Region III (EPA)
announces its intent to delete certain releases on the Saegertown
Industrial Area Site (Site) from the National Priorities List (NPL) and
requests public comment on this proposed action. The NPL is published
at 40 CFR part 300, appendix B. Part 300 is the National Oil and
Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), which the EPA
promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA).
EPA has determined that the Site as described on the NPL no longer
necessitates remedial measures for the properties affected by those
releases. This proposal for partial deletion includes releases on the
property formerly owned by the General American Transportation
Corporation (GATX) and Spectrum Control, Inc. (SCI) and property
currently owned by the Saegertown Manufacturing Corporation (SMC).
EPA bases its proposal to delete the releases from the former GATX
and SCI properties, and the SMC property (Deleted Properties) from the
Site on the determination by EPA and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
(PADEP), that all appropriate actions under CERCLA have been
implemented to protect human health, welfare and the environment, as
defined by CERCLA, and, therefore, no further remedial measures
pursuant to CERCLA are deemed necessary for the Deleted Properties.
This partial deletion pertains only to releases on the former GATX
and SCI properties and the SMC property at the Site, and does not
include the Lord Corporation property (Operable Unit--1) at the Site.
Operable Unit--1 (OU-1) will remain on the NPL, and response activities
will continue for this Operable Unit.
DATES: Comments concerning this Site may be submitted on or before
September 22, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to Steven J. Donohue, Remedial
Project Manager, 3HW22, U.S. EPA, Region III, 841 Chestnut Building,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, (215) 566-3215, Fax (215) 566-3001,
e-mail [email protected] EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
Comprehensive information on this Site is available for viewing in
the Site information repositories at the following locations: U.S. EPA,
Region III, Hazardous Waste Technical Information Center, 841 Chestnut
Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, (215) 566-5364; and the Saegertown
Area Library, 320 Broad Street, Saegertown, PA 16433, (814) 763-5203.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven J. Donohue (3HW22), EPA Region
3, 841 Chestnut Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, (215) 566-3215, Fax
(215) 566-3001, e-mail [email protected] EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion
I. Introduction
The Environmental Protection Agency, Region III (EPA) announces its
intent to delete releases on certain portions of the Saegertown
Industrial Area Site (Site) located in Saegertown, Crawford County,
Pennsylvania from the National Priorities List (NPL) published at 40
CFR part 300. These releases no longer pose a threat to human health or
the environment and therefore remedial measures according to CERCLA are
no longer necessary on the Deleted Properties. EPA requests comments on
this partial deletion.
The Deleted Properties at the Saegertown Industrial Area Site are
those properties, as originally listed on the NPL in February 1990,
located to the north of Pennsylvania Route 198. The Deleted Properties
are bounded by Route 198 to the south, generally bounded by an unnamed
intermittent tributary of Woodcock Creek to the east and the northern
property boundary of SMC to the north, and bounded by the former
Conrail railroad right of way to the west. A figure and the exact
coordinates that define the Deleted Properties at the Site are
contained in the NPL deletion docket.
Section II of this document explains the criteria for partially
deleting portions of a site from the NPL. Section III discusses the
procedures that EPA is using for this action. Section IV discusses the
Saegertown Industrial Area Site and explains how partial deletion
criteria are met for this Site.
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
Section 300.425(e) of the NCP provides that releases may be deleted
from, or recategorized on, the NPL where no further response is
appropriate. In making a determination to delete a release from the
NPL, EPA shall consider, in consultation with the state, whether any of
the following criteria have been met:
(i) Responsible parties or other parties have implemented all
appropriate response actions required;
(ii) All appropriate Fund-Financed response under CERCLA has been
implemented, and no further action by responsible parties is
appropriate; or
(iii) The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses
no significant threat to public health or the environment and,
therefore, taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
Site releases may not be deleted from the NPL until the state in
which the site is located has concurred with the proposed deletion. EPA
is required to provide the state with 30 working days for review of the
deletion notice prior to its publication in the Federal Register.
It states in the NCP (40 CFR 300.425(e)(3)) that all sites deleted
from the NPL are eligible for further Fund-financed remedial action
should future conditions warrant such action. Whenever there is a
significant release from a site deleted from the NPL, the site may be
restored to the NPL without the application of the Hazard Ranking
System.
[[Page 44620]]
III. Deletion Procedures
Sections 300.425(e) (4) and (5) of the NCP set forth requirements
for deletions of site releases to assure public involvement in the
decision. EPA announced a policy change which permitted the partial
deletions of those releases from the NPL in a document published on
Wednesday, November 1, 1995 in the Federal Register (60 FR 55466).
Accordingly, during the proposal to delete a release from the NPL, EPA
is required to conduct the following activities:
(i) Publish a notice of intent for partial deletion in the Federal
Register and solicit comment through a public comment period of a
minimum of 30 calendar days;
(ii) Publish a notice of availability of the notice of intent for
partial deletion in a major local newspaper of general circulation at
or near the release that is proposed for deletion;
(iii) Place copies of information supporting the proposed partial
deletion in the information repository at or near the site proposed for
deletion; and,
(iv) Respond to each significant comment and any significant new
data submitted during the comment period in a Responsiveness Summary.
If EPA determines that the deletion is appropriate after
considering comments received during the public comment period and
receiving the states's concurrence, EPA then publishes a notice of
partial deletion in the Federal Register and places the final partial
deletion package, including the Responsiveness Summary, in the site
repositories.
Partial deletion of a site release from the NPL does not itself
create, alter, or revoke any individual's rights or obligations. As
stated in section II of this document, Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP
provides that the deletion of a site release from the NPL does not
preclude eligibility for future response actions.
IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion
The following summary provides EPA's rationale for the proposed
partial deletion of the Saegertown Industrial Area Site releases from
the NPL.
The Saegertown Industrial Area Site consists of an approximately
100 acres area located in an industrial park in the Borough of
Saegertown, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Saegertown is located
approximately 25 miles south of the City of Erie, Pennsylvania, and 5
miles north of the City of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
In July 1984, EPA began to investigate the Saegertown Industrial
Area Site. Sampling confirmed the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE)
and trichloroethane (TCA) in ground water on the Site. Soil and sludge
samples from a pond on the Site revealed the presence of TCE,
tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In
late 1989, four companies signed an Administrative Order on Consent
with EPA to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS)
for the Site. On February 21, 1990, the Site was listed on the NPL list
of Superfund Sites.
The Site was defined on the NPL as consisting of four properties in
the industrial park: the Lord property, the former GATX property, and
the SMC and SCI properties. The RI/FS for the Site examined each of
these four areas separately. Based primarily on the information
collected during the RI/FS, EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for
the Saegertown Industrial Area Site on January 29, 1993, which called
for remedial action on two areas of the industrial park: the Lord
property and the property formerly owned by the GATX.
On the Lord property, the RI/FS estimated that 7,500 pounds of
chlorinated ethenes had leaked from a sump area into the ground water.
As a result, the RI/FS estimated that 9.3 million gallons of ground
water were estimated to be contaminated with PCE, 1,2 dichloroethene,
vinyl chloride and TCE. In the January 1993 ROD for the Site, EPA
selected a remedy for the Lord property consisting of the following
components: delineation of the ground water plume; ground water
extraction and treatment through air stripping or UV/oxidation; air
sparging injection wells; vapor extraction and treatment through carbon
adsorption; and long-term ground water monitoring. Subsequent to the
ROD, EPA defined the Lord property remedy as Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) at
the Site.
On the property formerly owned by GATX, the RI/FS estimated that
9,000 cubic yards of sludge and soil were contaminated with volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and PAHs in the lagoon, sludge bed and pond
area. The remedy stated in the ROD for the former GATX property
consisted of the following components: excavation of contaminated
sludge and soil; onsite incineration with air pollution controls;
restoration or replacement of the pond and wetland; and long-term
ground water monitoring. Subsequent to the issuance of the ROD, EPA
defined the former GATX property remedy as Operable Unit 2 (OU-2) at
the Site.
The RI/FS indicated that the releases from the SMC and the SCI
properties posed no significant threat to public health or the
environment. The ROD, therefore, selected no action for the SMC and SCI
properties at the Site. On September 17, 1993 SCI sold it's property at
the Site to SMC.
EPA signed separate Consent Orders with Lord Corporation in
September 1993, and with GATX Corporation in August 1994, for the
cleanup of their respective current and former properties at the Site.
In 1991, Lord excavated contaminated soil on its property. The area
was backfilled and the soil was taken for offsite incineration. Pre-
design studies and studies of the extent of the remaining contamination
at the Lord property began in 1994. Additional monitoring wells were
installed in the overburden above the bedrock and in the bedrock to
delineate the extent of ground water contamination and investigate the
geology at the Site. In 1996, Lord discovered additional soil
contamination in the ground under the western tank farm (WTF) on its
property. Lord excavated 770 cubic yards of soil from the area. This
soil is currently being biologically treated on the Lord property. Lord
installed a bioventing system beneath the WTF to treat unexcavated soil
around the tank foundations. During the spring and summer of 1997, Lord
has been delineating the extent of ground water contamination on the
west side of French Creek. This contamination has impacted one private
well on the west side of the Creek. Lord has installed a treatment
system on one impacted private well to remove contaminants of concern
at the Site. Lord is continuing to perform additional hydrogeologic
studies on the west side of French Creek.
Because the selected remedy for the Lord Corporation OU-1 at the
Site has not yet been fully implemented and completed, this portion of
the Site is not yet protective of human health and the environment and
is not being proposed for deletion.
In March of 1995 and 1996, EPA modified the former GATX property
remedy to allow off-site thermal treatment of contaminated soils and
sludge and resource recovery. Off-site disposal of the contaminated
sludge and soil began in the summer of 1995 and was completed in the
fall of 1996. Over 32,000 tons of soil and sludge were excavated and
removed from the former GATX property for off-site thermal treatment
and resource recovery. Analysis of samples collected from the pond,
sludge bed and lagoon areas on the former GATX property confirmed that
the performance standard specified by the ROD, which defines the soil
[[Page 44621]]
cleanup goal, was achieved in all the excavation areas. The excavated
areas on the former GATX property were then backfilled with clean soil,
graded back to pre-existing contours and seeded. EPA inspected the
former GATX property on October 10, 1996 and approved the
demobilization of the remedial action contractor from the Site. EPA
reinspected the former GATX property on June 4, 1997 and confirmed that
vegetation had been fully re-established in the disturbed areas.
The ROD did not call for remedial action on the ground water
beneath the former GATX property. Analytical results of ground water
samples taken before the remedial action indicated that contaminants of
concern were either not detected or were detected at concentrations
below their Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)
concentrations. Analysis of ground water samples from monitoring wells
on the former GATX property has been performed quarterly through the
remedial action and following completion of the remedial action. The
concentrations of selected VOCs peaked during February of 1996 with
some detections slightly in excess of allowable MCLs. In samples taken
during quarterly monitoring in November 1996, February 1997 and May
1997 no VOCs have exceeded their respective allowable MCL
concentrations. Monitoring is continuing and VOCs concentrations appear
to be declining. Most VOCs concentrations are now below the detection
limits of the analytical equipment.
GATX has implemented all appropriate response actions required
under CERCLA on its former property at the Site. With the exception of
continuing monitoring of the ground water, no further action is
required at the former GATX property. In July 1997, EPA approved the
remedial action certification report documenting the completion of the
cleanup of the former GATX property in accordance with the ROD. The
remedy selected and implemented at the former GATX property, OU-2 of
the Site, remains protective of human health and the environment. The
former GATX property is available for unrestricted use and unlimited
access. Due to the continued ground water monitoring on the former GATX
property, EPA will include this portion of the Site in the next Five-
Year Review of the Site.
In public meetings in Saegertown the community has requested that
EPA cleanup and delete portions of the Site as soon as possible to
allow development of the industrial park. EPA is proposing to delete
all appropriate areas of the Site in order to foster the re-use of
Deleted Properties at the Site.
EPA believes that releases from the former GATX property, as well
as the former SCI property and the SMC property (where no action was
selected by the ROD), may be deleted from the Site as defined on the
National Priority List and that no further remedial measures are
necessary for the Deleted Properties of the Site.
Dated: August 8, 1997.
Thomas Voltaggio,
Acting Regional Administrator, USEPA Region 3.
[FR Doc. 97-22065 Filed 8-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
