United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region V
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Tracy Lead Battery Site is located at 361 South 4th Street, 380 South 4th Street, and the former Central Livestock yard in Tracy, Lyon County, Minnesota.  The Site is located on both sides (east and west sides) of South 4th Street and is bordered by open farmland to the west, a livestock yard and residential properties to the south, undeveloped land to the east, and a drainage ditch to the north.  The ditch contains water and flows from west to east.  Commercial properties are located north of the ditch.  The Meridian coordinates for the Site are 44.230251° North and 95.623263° West.

The former owner of the 361 South 4th Street property, Mr. Shirley Stowell, crushed lead batteries on the property for over 25 many years.  These operations likely ceased upon the death of Mr. Stowell in 1970.  Battery casings, metals, and debris remain piled and scattered on the Site.
The property at 380 South 4th Street was also used for battery crushing, but no visible battery crusher remnants are located at 380 South 4th Street.  The 380 South 4th Street property was a salvage yard in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.  Tax records indicate that the property was a salvage yard during this period and went through several ownership changes.  The lead battery cracking operations on this property occurred during the 1960s and early 1970s.  The property is currently used as a single family home.
Historic lead battery recycling operations at the Central Livestock property are indicated by the presence of empty battery casings and battery-casing chips located along the central and eastern portions of the abandoned railroad spur.  The batteries likely came from the 380 South 4th Street property which used the railroad spur to transport the lead batteries for recycling.  Additional lead contamination is also located along the northern boundary of the property.  This contamination likely spilled over from the adjacent salvage yard (380 South 4th Street).
  
STS Consultants Ltd. conducted Phase I (2004) and Phase II (2007) investigations for the 380 South 4th Street and Central Livestock properties (STS Consultants Ltd. 2007), and Delta Environmental Consultants, Inc., conducted a Phase I (2004) investigation for the 361 South 4th Street property (Delta Environmental Consultants, Inc. 2004).  The Phase I and II investigations were performed for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
In June 2007, the MPCA requested U.S. EPA assistance to evaluate the Site.

In April 2008, U.S. EPA conducted a time-critical removal assessment at the Site.  U.S. EPA and Weston START mobilized to the Site on April 21, 2008, to perform this investigation.  The Site Assessment found levels of lead as high as 26,000 parts per million (ppm).

An Action Memorandum (Action Memo) indicating the need to perform a Time-Critical Removal Action was approved on August 5, 2008.

The Scope of Work for the Removal Action includes the following:

• Mobilize/Demobilize Equipment
• Excavate and Remove Impacted Soils
• Soil Sampling
• Transport/Dispose of Impacted Soils
• Backfill and Grade Excavated Areas
• Site Restoration
Removal activities at the Site began on September 16, 2008.

The removal activities at the Tracy Lead Battery Site started for 2009 construction season on April 21, 2009.  Excavation activities on the 361 South 4th Street property were completed on April 27.  Backfilling of the excavated areas with clay was performed on May 4, 6, and 7.  Placement of top soil still needs to be performed.

Excavation began on the 380 South 4th Street property on April 27.  The excavation of the far eastern portion of the property has been completed.  Work is proceeding toward the west.  The cutting down of trees on the property was initiated on April 29 and was completed on May 16.  The excavation of the far western portion of the property (near of house on the property) began on June 1 and was essentially complete on June 15.

Excavation on the Central Livestock property was also started on April 27.  The areas on the eastern end of the property, which were not completed in 2008, have been completed.  Small hot spot areas on the western portion of the property will be excavated during the week of June 15.  All excavation activities for the Site are planned to be complete by close of business June 20.

The transportation and disposal of the material stockpiled on the Central Livestock property was initiated on May 14.  As of the close of business June 13; 377 loads (9525 tons) of material have been transported to the Veolia landfill in Buffalo, MN.  Approximately, 2,000 tons remain to be transported.

Backfilling activities for the 380 South 4th Street and Central Livestock properties are scheduled to begin the week of June 22.