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Former Kaiser Smelter

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Dust suppression device attached skid steer equipment.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557333333333<br />Longitude: -117.372008333333<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Excavator with metal sheering attachment.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7556111111111<br />Longitude: -117.372252777778<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
View of building southwest end of building 34.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557722222222<br />Longitude: -117.376791666667<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Unprotected storm drain through which contaminants can migrate of site toward Deadman Creek.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557944444444<br />Longitude: -117.376730555556<br />Tags: Storm drain
Storm drain impacted with building debris.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.755775<br />Longitude: -117.375625<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
View of Robertson siding.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557833333333<br />Longitude: -117.375175<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
View from South side of building 34 with roll off bin staged for Robertson siding removal.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7550361111111<br />Longitude: -117.372558333333<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557444444444<br />Longitude: -117.371886111111<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557444444444<br />Longitude: -117.371886111111<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557444444444<br />Longitude: -117.371886111111<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Robertson siding being removed from building 34.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557444444444<br />Longitude: -117.371886111111<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Dust suppression on Robertson siding.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557055555556<br />Longitude: -117.371925<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Air monitoring and sampling station...Several are placed around the site to ensure contaminants don't affect workers and downwind neighbors.<br />Date Taken: 8/1/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557<br />Longitude: -117.372155555556<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
View of Building 32 and 34 from the SE<br />Date Taken: 7/31/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7550666666667<br />Longitude: -117.373633333333<br />Tags: Building 34, Building 32, Week 1
Robertson siding removal on the eastern end of building 34.<br />Date Taken: 7/31/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7556388888889<br />Longitude: -117.370797222222<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
Air monitoring and air sampling station near Robertson siding removal with excavator.<br />Date Taken: 7/31/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7556888888889<br />Longitude: -117.371252777778<br />Tags: Building 34, Week 1
A view looking west of the southern face of Building 34 from inside the former potline building area. In the foreground is a 40-yard waste bin that is triple-lined for secure transport and disposal<br />Date Taken: 7/31/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7555972222222<br />Longitude: -117.370797222222<br />Tags: Building 34, waste disposal
Work area prepared for removal of siding material using plastic sheeting to catch contamination and debris that could fall off siding as it is being removed.<br />Date Taken: 7/31/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7555777777778<br />Longitude: -117.37075<br />Tags: Building 34
Work crews are required to adhere to strict guidelines to prevent transmission of the Coronavirus.<br />Date Taken: 7/30/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7557666666667<br />Longitude: -117.370758333333<br />Tags: COVID-19
Impacted storm drain near Building 34. Filter material is clogged with contaminated detritus originating from the building siding.<br />Date Taken: 7/30/2020<br />Category: Site Photo<br />Latitude: 47.7556611111111<br />Longitude: -117.370675<br />Tags: Storm drain, Building 34, detritus

Dust suppression device attached skid steer equipment. Excavator with metal sheering attachment. View of building southwest end of building 34. Unprotected storm drain through which contaminants can migrate of site toward Deadman Creek. Storm drain impacted with building debris. View of Robertson siding. View from South side of building 34 with roll off bin staged for Robertson siding removal. Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34. Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34. Robertson siding being loaded into roll off bin from building 34 Robertson siding being removed from building 34. Dust suppression on Robertson siding. Air monitoring and sampling station...Several are placed around the site to ensure contaminants don't affect workers and downwind neighbors. View of Building 32 and 34 from the SE Robertson siding removal on the eastern end of building 34. Air monitoring and air sampling station near Robertson siding removal with excavator. A view looking west of the southern face of Building 34 from inside the former potline building area. In the foreground is a 40-yard waste bin that is triple-lined for secure transport and disposal Work area prepared for removal of siding material using plastic sheeting to catch contamination and debris that could fall off siding as it is being removed. Work crews are required to adhere to strict guidelines to prevent transmission of the Coronavirus. Impacted storm drain near Building 34. Filter material is clogged with contaminated detritus originating from the building siding. Close-up of Building 34 and the first section of siding panels, we attempted to remove. Partially demolished alumina silos left what was estimated to be over 12,000 cubic yards of material in the potline area. Facility sign at front gate. South side of Building 34 where deteriorated siding was found to be releasing PCBs and asbestos. South side of Building 34 where deteriorated siding was found to be releasing PCBs and asbestos. Storm drain near Building 34 (former Metal Products building). Deteriorating siding has led to the accumulation of contaminated material at storm drains and moving into the storm sewer system. Sampling of suspect asbestos containing material during EPA's Removal Site Evaluation. Robertson Siding. Coating contains asbestos and PCBs. Deteriorated physical condition of Robertson Siding. Closeup of deteriorated Robertson siding. Storm drain with accumulation of contamination coming from deteriorated siding. Photo of deteriorated pipe insulation (known as Thermal System Insulation or Photo of deteriorated pipe insulation (known as Thermal System Insulation or Closeup of deteriorated pipe insulation (known as Thermal System Insulation or Building 52 (known as the Carbon Material Storage building or Sampling of waste material during EPA's Removal Site Evaluation. EPA sampling Coal Tar Pitch that was found to to be releasing from one of three Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs). EPA sample results indicated extremely elevated concentrations of the PAH, benzo(a)pyrene (a human carcinogen) in this material. Abandoned piles of what is believed to be Graffiti found on the north side of the plant believed to have been used in the filming of an episode of the television show, Z-Nation. Lower stormwater settling pond. EPA discovered elevated concentrations of PCBs, PAHs, and other contaminants in water and sediment in the two settling ponds located one quarter mile to the north of the facility. Sampling settling ponds during EPA Removal Site Evaluation. Southern face of Building 34 (Metal Products Building). This is the location of EPA's initial test of the approach to removing Robertson Siding. A storm drain south of Building 34 clearly showing how contaminants from the building enter the stormwater system. Close up view of asbestos- and PCBs-contaminated and degraded Robertson siding. Monitor/sampling for dust and other particulate matter, and asbestos at the worksite. Dust suppression during removal of Robertson siding which contains asbestos and PCBs. Decon Trailer near the work zone Demolition workers removing Robertson Siding from north side of Building 34 View from the north of a section of Building 34 now with Robertson Siding removed. Work crews found discarded hypodermic needles in two locations on the property. Special safety precautions were instituted when workers are required to move this waste in preparation for removal activities. Partial removal of siding from Building 32A as well as the lower Ore Bridge Siding removal from Building 32A Panoramic view of former potline area. Project team evaluating upper section of the Ore Bridge. Excavation of contaminated sediment from upper settling pond. TSI pipe insulation blocking access to removal of Robertson Siding. Preparing Building 32 for incidental TSI removal. Morning safety meeting. Removing mercury lamps and PCB ballasts in preparation for Robertson Siding removal. Mercury lamps and PCB ballasts staged for packaging and disposal following removal. KAIC contractors loading contaminated sediment from upper settling pond for off-site disposal. KAIC contractors removing contaminated sediment from the upper settling pond. Approximately three feet of drain rock was found below a filter material, which provided a relatively clear division between the sediment rock. KAIC prepared removal of lower settling pond by pulling away vegetation and piling saturated sediment to begin dewatering process. Lower settling pond before dewatering process began. Building 1A with Robertson Siding being evaluated prior to siding removal. Siding removal of Building 1A. Workers in man lifts to complete abatement of incidental TSI that is preventing access to Robertson Siding. Evaluation of roof vents of Buildings 58 (left) and 55 (right). The 200-foot long vents on buildings 60 and 58 are made of Robertson Siding, while the vent on Building 55 is made of another siding material. Rooftop vents of Buildings 60 (left) and 58 (right) made of Robertson Siding. Building 1A partially completed. Building 1A partially completed KAIC's Phase I removal of contaminated sediment from upper settling pond completed. Building 1A following removal of Robertson Siding. KAIC's contractors began pumping contaminated water from the lower settling pond to begin dewatering sediment prior to its removal. Water was transfered to the upper settling pond where it will await treatment before reintroduction into the stormwater conveyance. Kaiser Aluminum, as part of Phase I of their removal of contamination from the settling ponds, installed a bladder in the aqueduct to block stormwater from flowing into the lower pond during the cleanup. Water was pumped from this aqueduct to the upper pond where it staged and treated prior to being reintroduced into the conveyance system. During KAIC's Phase I project, the lower settling pond was de-watered to enable excavation of contaminated sediment. Water was transferred to the upper pond where it was treated before it was put back into to the conveyance system. After Phase I excavation of sediment was completed in the upper pond, the pond was used to store water pumped from the lower pond. The water was then treated. KAIC advances test borings to gather information on the subsurface hydrology in order to determine the best location for their proposed groundwater swale, which would replace the existing settling ponds and conveyance system that discharges to Deadman Creek. Asbestos abatement workers prepared to remove some early runs of TSI pipe insulation that is blocking access to Robertson Siding. Aerial overview of the 170-acre former Kaiser Aluminum plant. Excavators mixing wood pellets with sediment in the lower settling pond in order to adequately solidify the contaminated material in preparation for off-site disposal. Excavator mixing sediment with wood pellets in order to solidify the waste material in preparation for off-site disposal. Excavation of solidified sediment out of lower settling pond. Two excavators mixing sediment with wood pellets in order to solidify the material in preparation for off-site disposal. EPA and ERR reviewing strategy for safe removal of green mill waste material abandoned in the footprint where Building 54 once stood. This area has several sumps and hidden subsurface vaults that pose additional safety challenges for crews performing removal activities. Abatement workers removing TSI from the pipe bridge outside Building 49 and near the front entrance of the facility. Three abatement crews working simultaneously on the removal of TSI from the outdoor pipe bridge between Building 48 and 49 near the front entrance to the facility. Air quality was extremely hazardous in the Spokane area during the entire week of September 14th due to particulate brought into the valley from wildfire burning throughout the Pacific Northwest. Loading out piping insulated with TSI following encapsulation. Photo of damaged liner in lower settling pond discovered during KAIC's excavation of contaminated sediment. Asbestos abatement workers construct containment cell to enable crews to safely remove asbestos from two Abatement workers constructed a scaffold and first of three encapsulation layers around the tanks in Building 32A requiring abatement of magnesia asbestos insulation. Piping with TSI insulation following encapsulation and removal from Building 32. TSI was later placed in lined bins and hauled to a facility approved for disposal of asbestos. Photo of one of many dozen containers discovered in the former carbon laboratory (Building 41). Crystals forming on the outside of this container indicate the potential for the contents to have shock sensitive properties. TSI removal from outdoor pipe bridge near front gate of the facility. Consolidation of Green Coke waste material left outside Building 52 (Green Mill Building) and within the footprint of the former Building 54. This was in preparation for forthcoming loading into haul trucks. KAIC excavation of contaminated sediment from the lower settling pond. Removal of Robertson Siding from Building 52. KAIC begins installation of the new liner for the lower stormwater settling pond. KAIC installation of liner in lower settling pond. Consolidation of pile of green mill waste mixed with demolition debris containing asbestos. This material was left outdoors, exposed to wind and rain in the footprint of the former Building 54. High reach Asbestos abatement contractors removing TSI Building 55 from man lifts. Staging area for over 2,000 containers of chemicals collected throughout numerous buildings and locations across the site. Containers were staged for further evaluation, sorting, potential sampling, categorizing, and finally disposal. High reach Lower settling pond following completion of installation of a new liner. Consolidation of alumina from partially demolished ore silos in the former potline /reduction plant area of the former Kaiser Aluminum smelter property. ERRS subcontractor performing cleanout of storm drains with a vacuum truck. This team targeted those storm drain vaults most likely to have been impacted by the migration of source material through storm water. Anode baking oven pits inside Building 53. These pits measured approximately 2 feet wide by 11 feet long by 13 feet deep (approximately 10 cubic yards each). Eighty nine pits were found to have been filled with green coke. The potline area pictured following removal of alumina from silos and ground surface. This material was stockpiled inside Building 32. Bldg 49 demolished Footprint of Building 1 where 9 Building 44 roof repair following removal of Robertson Ventilator Mercury lamps in process of packaging for transportation and disposal. Hurricane Vacuum in process of recovering Green Coke abandoned in anode oven baking slots in Building 53. Some of the over 5,000 containers of chemicals staged for off-site disposal. Anode oven baking slots in Building 53 following completion of removal activities. Each slot can contain approximately 10 cubic yards of material. EPA used high-powered vacuums to recover nearly 1,400 cubic yards of Green Coke from these slots. Building 34 - Before and After EPA Removal Action Building 52 and abandoned waste piles of Green Coke - Before and after EPA Removal Action. Green coke waste piles inside Building 52 - before and after EPA Removal Action. Ore Bridge - Before and after EPA Removal Action. Former potline area looking southwest - Before and after EPA Removal Action