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.

On 8/26 the first two trucks arrived to pick up waste chemicals for shipping to disposal facility in IL.  A total of 140 drums were shipped on the first day.

On 8/27 two additional trucks picked up a total of 171 drums and bulk containers of waste chemicals for T & D in IL.

On 8/28 one truck picked up a total of 85 drums of waste chemicals for   T & D in IL.

Total number of drums and other containers of waste chemicals shipped this week is 385.

Three trucks are scheduled to be on site on 8/31, and two trucks per day afterwards.  It it anticipated that all containers of waste chemicals will be shipped from the Site by Wednesday, 9/2.

After all containers have been shipped off site the last roll-offs of used PPE, crushed empty drums, and contaminated wood pallets will be hauled away for T & D.

An industrial floor sweeper will be used to clean all the floors in the former drum staging areas, all trash/debris in the work areas will be bulked for garbage pick up, and usable pallets will be either given away or stacked neatly outside the building.  All remaining unused drums and overpacks will be transferred to the Alfred Heller Site and credited-back to the Abrachem Site.

Final walk-thru and equipment demobe should occur NLT Friday 9/4.

A close-out letter to the Mayor of Clifton has been drafted and will be finalized following the Site demobe.

Wrap-up and final demobe