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Scrub-A-Dubb Barrel Co.

 
Site Contact:
Greg Fife
OSC

(fife.greg@epa.gov)

Site Location:
1102 North Ash Avenue
and adjoining properties
Lubbock, TX 79403-2710
 response.epa.gov/SAD

The Scrub-A-Dubb Site (Site) is an inactive drum refurbisher. The owner/operator began the business in the mid 1970s. Scrub-A-Dubb (SAD) would take drums from a variety of companies and sources, then clean, repair, and repaint the drums. SAD would then sell the drums. Drums that were in too poor of a condition to be refurbished or when the supply exceeded the demand, were stacked on the Site. It is evident that not all drums were empty or even RCRA-empty (40 CFR §261.7) were brought to the Site. It is estimated that more than 2,000 drums with significant quantities of hazardous waste are on the Site. Some drums are completely full of liquid waste. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 drums remain onsite. At this time, is not possible to assess the number and condition of other drums that may be underneath the piles of drums.

The refurbishing process employed by SAD included rinsing the interior and washing the exterior of the drums with water. That water and contents of the drums was drained into a waste water treatment system comprised of several settling vats. The vats have discarded hoses, tanks, and other material dumped in them. The vats have been the source of previous releases that have gone offsite.

At the completion of the drum shredding:

44,340 empty drums shredded.
~400 drum volumes generated from the liquids and solids in the empty drums.
2,480 drums found with significant quantities of liquids.
541 drums of solids and sludges

In addition there are the liquids, solids and sludges in the containments, pits, and tanks.


Front gate Aerial of Site Boneyard in the back Front gate (chain is usually locked) Evidence of child play, little fingers in the sand. Right in the middle of the Site. Through the gate South east corner Waste water sumps waste water treatment vats Pump down of vats Labeling West side property A few drums White plastice drums, from one company Between the shop and a trailer The business to the north of the west side property Overpack area. Some drums still on the trailer Bad drum, bad bad drum Sumps to the right, shop to the left in the background Contents releasing outside of the fence West side Looking north at the south east corner A few totes Residence on the north side, the back fence is lined with drums. North east corner. Adjacent to the residences. Sampling Pulling a sample Sampling some drums Crusty Drum drainage system Drum Drainage system. Invert a drum, let it drain through the cinder blocks and pallets Area burned in early July 2011 fire Some of the drums affected by the July 2011 fire Wash rack in the building View of soil staining from leaking drums View of product and soil staining from leaking drums Soil staining from leaking drums on east property. The drums were removed and this goo was left behind. View of full steel drums staged on east property with ERRS loading forklifts with empty HDPE drums. View of AreaRAE deployed adjacent to drum shredder during shredding activities. View of skid steer loading empty HDPE barrels into shredder. View of skid steer loading HDPE drum shreddings into roll off boxes. Panoramic view of shredding operations on east property. Panoramic view of shredding operations on east property. View of START checking temperature of HDPE shredded drum stockpile in secondary containment with infrared thermometer. View of START field calibrating AreaRAE with zero air. View of IDW collected in drip pans from shredder conveyor belts. View of 40 cubic yard roll off box full of HDPE shredded drums being loaded onto haul truck. Action view of forklift dumping load of empty drums and excavator picking up empty drums to be shredded. View of START monitoring plastic shredded drum plastic stockpile at air monitoring location. Close-up view of drum shredder blades inside of hopper. Close-up view of START monitoring air with MultiRAE around shredded drum plastic stockpile. View of START recording field notes and roll-off dumpster being off loaded on west tract. View of excavator loading roll of dumpster with shredded drum plastic. View of START and OSC discussing site geology and contaminant migration pathways. View of vast soil staining in front of Scrub A Dubb building. View of soil contamination in front of Scrub A Dubb building. View of soil staining in front of Scrub A Dubb building. Panoramic view of drums in west property. Panoramic view of drums staged on west property. Panoramic view of drums staged on west property. Panoramic view of drums staged on west property. Panoramic view of drums staged on west property. Panoramic view of drums staged on west property. View of ERRS transferring contents of drum shredder drip pans into a 55 gallon HDPE drum. View of ERRS transferring contents of drum shredder drip pans into a 55 gallon HDPE drum Close up view of ERRS transferring contents of drum shredder drip pans into a 55 gallon HDPE drum. View of START recording drum and label information into hand held PDA. View of ERRS testing drum liquids for pH on east property in drum staging and drainage area. View of START and OSC B. Rhotenberry discussing drum information on east property. View of drums on west property. View of west property View of chemical salts formed on exterior surface of drum on east property. View of ERRS loading forklift drum basket with polypropylene-lined 55 gallon steel drums in Level C PPE. Soil staining from leaking drums between main building and wastewater treatment pits. Soil contamination adjacent to wastewater treatment pits View of soil staining approximately 20 feet west of main building. View of full drums in the back of trailer on east lot. View of full drums inside trailer on east lot. View of drums staged on east property. Solar power array adjacent to command post. View of salts deposited on bung of plastic 55-gallon barrel View of ERRS checking drum contents with a drum thief in level C View of START flagging drum with contents and legible manufacturing/shipping label to be inventoried later. View of ERRS applying calcium chloride solution to unimproved roads for dust suppression. View of ERRS and START performing hazard categorization on unknown drums. View of ERRS cleaning and staging residues generated from shredding RCRA-empty steel drums into lined 55 gallon barrels. View of START performing hazard categorization analysis on an unknown drum. View of waste pits east of main building recently uncovered by ERRS from shredding operations. View of soil staining from drums stored on east lot, just south of historical improvised drum drainage area. View of historical, improvised drum drainage area on southeast corner of east lot. View of ERRS moving full 55 gallon steel drum with grappler attached to forklift. View of full drum staging and bulking area on west lot. View of ERRS unstacking totes on east property so START can assess contents. View of START checking headspace of totes. View of START drawing a small amount of liquid from tote to determine pH of liquid View of START opening bung of tote on east property in level c. View of START checking headspace of tote in level c. View of START drawing small aliquot of of unknown liquid from tote to determine pH. View of Republic Waste Services dropping off two empty roll off boxes onsite. Children's toy discovered onsite during shredding activities View of START flame testing unknown liquid. View of ERRS applying calcium chloride solution to dirt roads on the property to suppress dust generated from heavy equipment operations. View of START assessing liquids in drums stored in trailer on west tract. View of START-3 interns performing inventory on staged full drums. View of START-3 thieving aliquots from drums for future field hazcat operations. View of aliquot collected from unknown barrel with START-3 interns in background. View of barrel that had been assessed as pH neutral but produced positive results on flammability. View of safety shower and eyewash inside main SAD building barricaded by full barrels. View of flammables stored on floor on office in main SAD building. View of office inside of main SAD building. View of salts deposited on outer bung surface of barrel inside main SAD building. View of START-3 intern flame testing unknown liquid with START-3 observing. View of drum that has been field characterized as pH-neutral and flammable inside main SAD building. View of START-3 intern flame testing unknown liquid. View of ERRS collecting aliquots for composite waste profile sample. View of ERRS collecting waste profile sample. View of ERRS collecting composite waste profile sample View of ERRS collecting composite waste profile sample. View of rear of SAD building. Note soil staining from past full drum storage. close up view of rear of SAD building with full drums and soil staining in foreground. View of recently uncovered waste pits immediately east of SAD building. View of coals recently uncovered on northeast corner of east tract. View of earthen mound exposed on east end of east tract recently exposed from drum shredding activities. View of ERRS bulking oils on west tract. View of ERRS bulking oils on west tract. View of ERRS bulking oils on west tract View of ERRS draining oils for bulking. View of D000025 placed in plastic open top drum and flagged for future disposal. Close up view of D000025 placed in drum liner and 55 gallon open top HDPE barrel. View of striping paint marking underground utilities running north-south beneath the present shredder location. View of ERRS bulking like liquids on the east property adjacent to waste pits. View of ERRS draining like liquids into catch basins for bulking on east property adjacent to waste pits. View of ERRS bulking liquids from catch basins on east tract adjacent to waste pits. View of START recording drum information prior to bulking liquids on east tract. View of underground utilities marked on east property facing south from north fence line, View of underground utilities marked on east property. View of AreaRAE downwind of bulking operations on east tract, just east of waste settling impoundments. Remnants of children's toy discovered on site. View of area outside Scrub-A-Dubb building in poor condition. View of quart-sized oil cans staged for bulking. View of oil can discovered on site. View of ERRS workers as they disassemble the drum shredder before removal from site. Final shredding before drum shredder is removed from site. Destruction of shredder belt for disposal. Final disassembly of drum shredder before removal from site. ERRS workers cleaning mouth of drum shredder before removal from site. View of START worker operating Geoprobe for core sample collection on site. ERRS worker decontaminating excavator. View of START workers performing ongoing soil sampling activities. View of START workers collecting sample rinse water from Geoprobe shoe. View of START worker collecting soil sample for VOC testing in Encore. View of START worker operating Geoprobe for soil assessment. View of hazardous drum removal from back of abandoned trailer. View of ERRS workers decontaminating disassembled drum shredder. View of START worker cleaning decontamination water for Geoprobe shoes. View of ERRS worker decontaminating disassembled drum shredder before removal from site. View of ATMOS Energy excavating for access to gas shut-off valve. View of ERRS workers removing hazardous drums from abandoned waste-settling pits. View of ERRS workers removing hazardous drums from abandoned waste-settling pits. View of ERRS workers removing hazardous drums from abandoned waste-settling pit area. View of staged drums and nearby haul road after snow storm. View of ERRS workers melting ice on tractor before proceeding with debris removal. View of Scrub-A-Dubb building before drum staging and demolition inspection proceedings. View of ERRS worker drilling hole for vacume placement for storage tank content removal. View of ERRS workers preparing storage tank for content removal. View of abandoned storage tank contents. Inside view of abandoned Scrub-A-Dubb building. View of flammable liquid bulking before demolition inspection proceedings. View of hazard categorization of flammable solvents before bulking inside abandoned Scub-A-Dubb building. View of drum painting area and N. side door on main building. View of dataram south of main building for baseline particulate data View of dataram inside center of main building for baseline particulate data View of drum painting area and N. side entrance with debris cleared View of START drawing building site plan. View of main work area in building with most of the debris/barrels removed and dataram. View of three compressors in compressor room of main building. View of trash collected from inside building, bagged, and staged onsite. View of full and bulked barrels staged on east end of east tract awaiting future disposal. View of START inspecting building materials inside office of main building on east tract. View of ERRS operator controlling vacuum truck to extract free liquids in east tract waste pits. View of ERRS workers pushing liquid/sludge to corner of waste impoundment for extraction. View of ERRS extracting liquids from waste pits on east tract. View of ERRS extracting liquids from waste pits on east tract. View of ERRS breaking ice on surface of sludge in waste settling pits on east tract. View of excavator removing visibly contaminated soil. View of ERRS unearthing UST on west tract. View of ERRS excavating contaminated soil after removing USTs on west tract. View of ERRS collecting confirmation sample from soil beneath former USTs on west tract. View of ERRS stinging barrel contents on east end of east tract. View of ERRS dismantling UST on west tract. Panoramic view of ERRS barrel stinging activity on east tract. View of ERRS loading gaylord box with paint cans and household products. View of START assembling electric wind turbine to augment electricity needs onsite. View of ERRS beginning to demolish main building. View of main building immediately after demolition. View of OSC and local news personnel with demolished building in background. View of OSC and local news station discussing site operations. View of wind turbine, solar power array, and EPA Response Trailer. View of ERRS pumping out liquids in waste pits on east tract. View of ERRS stinging full barrels in Level C PPE. View of ERRS stinging full barrels in Level C PPE with vacuum truck in background. View of ERRS Operator segregating building materials for recycling. View of ERRS stinging collection tubs after stinging full barrels. View of ERRS Operator backfilling former UST pit on west tract. View of ERRS Operator backfilling former UST pit with clean fill dirt. View of water well service company pulling well pump and casing out of ground. View of water well service contractor removing well casing. View of water well service contractor cutting well pipe sections. View of 4 foot screen at bottom of well pipe after removal from well casing. View of bottom of well pipe and intake. View of water well pump after being thoroughly decontaminated prior to insertion in well casing. View of Well Service company using a suction bailer to remove corroded well casing flakes, sand and gravel from well. View of START collecting lab qa/qc sample. View of sheen atop water removed from well. View of clean and dedicated pipe being dropped into well. View of 90 degree elbow and valve on pipe/pump assembly. View of well water being purged. View of liquids seeping out of concrete pits into adjacent soil. View of cracked concrete waste pit with liquids pooling around outside of pit. View of ERRS mixing lime into liquids in waste pits. View of ERRS assembling air compressor powered pump for transferring liquids. View of ERRS transferring pH basic liquids from original drums to DOT shippable drums. View of Jarvis Metal Recycling delivering roll of box in order for ERRS to recycle metals collected from main building. View of ERRS loading flattened, empty barrels into front end loader. View of ERRS transferring crushed, empty barrels into front end loader. View of MultiRAE readings cross gradient of solidification/mixing operations. View of wind turbine, solar power array, and EPA Response Trailer. Elevated view of ERRS solidifying sludge onsite. View of plugged and abandoned well located on the northeast corner of the former building. Downhole view of P&A'd well on northeast corner of former building. Note: well was plugged up to the base of the concrete slab to allow for ERRS to remove slab and contaminated soil beneath, if needed. View of ERRS workers preparing to pour barrel contents into waste pit for solidification. View of ERRS excavator with hydraulic hammer attached preparing to break concrete slab of former building. Note: slab and adjacent soil has been sprayed with water to minimize dust. View of ERRS operator mixing stabilized lime into waste pit for solidification. View of ERRS mixing lime into sludge/liquids waste pits for solidification. View of partially demolished concrete slab from former main building. View of ERRS transferring solidified sludge out of pits to stockpile. View of of ERRS operator breaking concrete slab from former main building. View of ERRS operator solidifying sludge. View of ERRS stinging barrels on east tract. View of broken concrete slab from former main building on east tract. View of DataRam deployed adjacent to soil excavation operations. View of DataRam deployed adjacent to soil excavation on east tract. View of phone lines uncovered from excavation operations. Note OneCall was made, and utilities company did not flag lines. View of exploratory trench on east tract. Note, trenching was utilized in select areas to evaluate the vertical extent of contamination. View of ERRS pouring liquids into pit to solidify. View of yellow pinflags marking 6 inch, high-pressure gas main extending through the middle of drum drainage area. View of ERRS excavating contaminated soil from the former building sump area. View of ERRS excavating contaminated soil from former building sump area. Note black staining in center of excavation area. View of ERRS transferring contaminated soil from bobcat to wheel loader to stockpile adjacent to waste pits. View of ERRS back-scraping southwest corner of east tract to smooth out excavated areas. View of heavily contaminated soil adjacent to drum dumping pits on east tract. View of DataRam adjacent to roadways and excavation operations on east tract. View of barrels removed from earthen pits east of former building. View of DataRam adjacent to heavy equipment operations. View of uncovered septic system just east of former main building. Close up view of 4 foot diameter septic system with 2 View of wastewater basin excavated east adjacent to former main building. View of ERRS operator removing contaminated soil from septic system area. View of ERRS cutting empty HDPE barrels to save space in disposal. Left to right view of non-hazardous paint waste, non-pcb ballasts, hazardous acids, and hazardous bases appropriately labeled and staged for disposal. View of hazardous waste placarding on 55 gallon barrel containing acids. View of non regulated waste placarding on DOT pail containing non-PCB ballasts. View of non-regulated waste placarding on 55 gallon barrels containing paint waste. View of contaminated soil beneath waste settling pits. View of ERRS hand excavating down to locate water line extending from water meter. View of 5,000 gallon vacuum truck and ERRS stinging pH neutral liquids on east tract. View of groundwater well with submersible pump, support rope, tubing, and water level meter in casing. View of ERRS using a bobcat to move broken concrete foundation to the roll-off box View of storage shed after all equipment was removed View of backflow preventer and water tap used for dust control View of ERRS removing sheetrock inside the storage shed. View of dust control operations inside storage shed prior to demolition. View of contaminated soil under the south fenceline. View of ERRS using a tape measure to determine the depth of excavation. View of ERRS using a wheel loader to spread backfill. View of ERRS placing a sprinkler on the stock pile of contaminated soil for dust control. View of ERRS loading contaminated soil prior to hauling off-site View of ERRS using a bobcat to scrape the south alleyway View of pit excavated under the south fenceline. View of backfill operations status on east tract. View of backfill operations status on east tract View of backfill operations status and excavator staged for demobe on east tract. Panoramic view of east end of east tract after backfill operations. View of compressors and equipment of SAD owner staged on southwest corner of east tract. View of east end of east tract after backfill operations. View of backfill operations on east tract. View of ERRS preparing to distribute native grass seed on east property. View of ERRS distributing native grass seeds on east tract. View of SAD after backfill operations prior to demobe. Note ERRS trucks in background loading tires to be disposed of.
For additional information, visit the Pollution/Situation Report (Pol/Sitreps) section.