The site is an inactive refinery that operated from 1920 to 1984. From the 1920s, the refinery produced a variety of petroleum products which included gasoline, naphtha, asphalt, and non-chlorinated solvents. The facility was purchased in 1978 by the Oklahoma Refining Company (ORC). ORC continued to produce petroleum products from crude oil. Importation of a maximum of 15.000 barrels of crude oil per day for processing was reached in 1983. From 1920 to 1984, various refining processes were utilized and included: crude distillation, vacuum distallation, fluid- catalyst cracking, alkylation, bi-metallic reforming and downstream processing.
The owners of ORC ceased operations in September 1984 and declared bankruptcy. In 1986, the Bankruptcy Court allowed ORC to abandon the southern portion of the property which included the majority of surface wastes and the ground water discharges into Gladys Creek. In 1987, the Cyril Petrochemical Corporation (CPC) purchased the northern portion of the property, which included the refinery process area, with the intention of reactivating part of the refinery. The refinery has been inactive and abandoned since the last startup attempt in 1995.
The ORC site was proposed for placement on the NPL on June 24, 1988 and subsequently placed on the NPL on February 21, 1990. Pursuant to a Cooperative Agreement with EPA, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) is the lead agency for remedial activities. In 1990, the Remedial Investigation (RI) identified the following 20 source areas: Lime Soda Storage Pit, Pump Pits, Old Caustic Storage Pits, Spent Lime Soda Trap, Slop Oil Pits, API Separator, Sludge Traps, Creek that intercept groundwater flow, South Pond System, North Pond System, Old Storage Pits, Buried Acid Pits, Oil Skimmer Ponds, Pitch Pits, Land Treatment Area, Process Sewer System, Methyl phenol Spill Areas and Diked Areas Surrounding Storage Tanks, Asphalt Pit No. 1, and Asphalt Flow Area. The refinery process area was not considered in the RI, since it was active and under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enforcement at that time.
The sources addressed in the RI contained inorganic constituents, including metals (e.g., arsenic, barium, beryllium, lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc), and organic compounds, including volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and phenolic compounds in various concentrations. The RI also identified groundwater contamination in the upper Rush Springs Sandstone aquifer is contaminated by light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs), metals, and organic compounds. The June 9, 1992, the Record of Decision identified a sediment and surface soil remedy estimated to be $24,044,000; and a groundwater remedy to be $7,668,000. The construction of two landfills on-site and the treatment of contaminated sediment and surface soil was completed in November 2001.
The groundwater remedy was not implemented. According to the Explanation of Significant Difference to the ROD, reported in 1995, this remedy would be reevaluated after the removal of all sources, including those associated with the CPC refinery. The EPA RCRA officials, deferred the CPC Refinery CPC back to Superfund by Memorandum dated August 2002.
In April 2003, the EPA conducted a site visit along with the ODEQ at the CPC refinery, now part of the ORC site. The CPC is located adjacent to the downtown area of Cyril, Oklahoma, with residences abutting the site. There is asbestos insulation hanging off the tanks, piping, and towers, piled up on the ground, and "stored" in buildings. Historical sampling results indicate approximately 87,937 square feet of Amosite and Chyrsotile asbestos containing material. There is an unsecured laboratory with miscellaneous chemicals and improperly stored drums onsite. There is a large tank with a faded sign that reads "Contains high concentrations of lead alkyl." One of these tanks contains a large quantity of liquid (approximately 3/4 full). There are bulk chemicals sitting outside--their containers (bags) dissolved. There is the distinct odor of Hydrogen sulfide from leaks in a portion of the refinery. Additionally, the site is not restricted and there is evidence of children climbing on top of towers as well as vandalizing buildings onsite.
The lead agency for the site, ODEQ, requested assistance from the EPA removal program to address the imminent and substantial threats to public health and the environment from the CPC Refinery. On May 7, 2003, the Superfund Division Director verbally approved a $200,000 ceiling to initiate a classic emergency removal action at the site. Additionally, the Superfund Division Director approved expenditures for a removal assessment of the refinery superstructure and miscellaneous items. The refinery superstructure includes towers, process vessels, and buildings located within the project area, cooling towers and associated aboveground piping. Miscellaneous items include contents of collection basins of the cooling towers, above-ground storage tanks (ASTs) outside the refinery superstructure containing hazardous materials, transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls and structurally unsafe buildings. CPC refinery, specifically, asbestos containing material, product in lines, tanks and vessels. The EPA will also seek funding for the site from the United States Coast Guard allowing for the assessment of Oil Pollution Act (OPA) wastes at site, including ASTs, shallow groundwater and Gladys creek.
