United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region II
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

At 1615 hours on 10/29/08 EPA received a notification from the NRC that a chemical release was occurring at Abrachem Chemical, a bulk chemical packaging facility that leased a building in Clifton, Passaic County, NJ.  The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection was on-scene and requested EPA's presence.

At 1730 hours OSC Ellen Banner and OSC Paul Kahn responded to the scene.  The company was found to be storing drums and bulk containers of known and unknown chemicals in 17 56-foot long intermodal shipping carriers (ISCs), stacked 3 tiers high (approx. 35 feet).  Only 5 of the ISCs could be opened, and inside those it was observed that drums and bulk containers were staged behind tiers of empty poly drums, giving  the impression that the ISCs were used for new drum storage.  EPA observed that in the one ISC where the release originated at least one drum was leaking its contents onto a wooden pallet; strong chemical odors emanated from the open door of the ISC and were also pervasive in the general area.  

The Operator of Abrachem retained the services of a remediation company, and contractor personnel were advised to lay poly sheeting and begin removing and overpacking the leaking and unknown drums that were readily accessible.  Work commenced almost immediately, but at 2100 hours was halted due to lack of adequate lighting and inability to phyusically access the majority of the drums through the narrow doorway.  

The Operator of Abrachem and the Owner of the property was issued a Field Expedient Notice, and in response the Operator stated he would initiate a removal action.  When his efforts to respond to the release, and threats of a release, proved to be inadequate EPA sought voluntary access to initiate a response action.  This access was denied on two occasions.  On 12/4/2008 EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) for access.  The Operator refused to comply with the UAO and EPA referred the matter to the Department of Justice for a legal remedy.  On 1/8/2009 a federal Magistrate issued an access warrant to EPA to initiate a response action at the Site.

EPA has formally consented to the ERRS contractor (Earth Tech) awarding the subcontract for the transportation and disposal of approximately 1,200 drums of waste chemicals to Pollution Control Industries, Inc.  PCI is the lowest bidder responding to the bid solicitation, with a winning bid of $234,000.  This figure will ultimately be slightly lower because two of the 111 different waste streams will be disposed of by alternate means.  Of the remaining 109 waste streams being shipped for disposal, 65 of them (59%) are destined for permanent, environmentally-friendly disposal such as incineration or fuels-blending.  On a volumetric basis these 65 waste streams comprise 84% of all the waste drums.  The formal subcontract award will occur when Earth Tech and PCI complete the necessary paperwork.

The OSC has been given consent from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners (PVSC) to discharge 550 gallons of a water solution with less than 1% of sodium permanganate to the POTW.  PVSC has requested that EPA discharge this non-hazardous material on non-rain days and at a slow rate.  EPA will comply by discharging two drums per non-rain day over the course of 5 non-rain days.

Remobe personnel and equipment to the Site on august 10th to resume removal activities.

Prepare all drums and containers for shipping via common carrier.

See above.