United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Powhatan Mining Company site is the location of a former asbestos processing facility. The mill operated from approximately 1920 to 1980 primarily processing anthophyllite asbestos.  Asbestos ore for the mill was mined in Maryland until about the 1940s and later brought in from several States including California, Georgia and Alabama. The site is bordered on all sides by residential properties and the residential yards to the southwest lie within feet of the former processing facility and in the path of site runoff.  In 2006, the property to the east of the former mill was  subdivided into residential lots for new home construction. From 2006 to 2008, the residential lots were  cleared and graded and retention ponds were installed. Development ceased after only two homes were constructed.

The former processing facility is a multi-story building with a loading area on the northeast end (cement block portion) and a processing area at the southwest end (rusted metal portion).  The asbestos fiber extraction process took place inside the building complex.  Asbestos ore was reportedly received and first dried in the cement block portion of the complex.  Further processing of the rock ore is believed to have occurred in the metal portion of the facility, a multi-level, timber-framed structure with stone foundation and corrugated metal siding.  In the milling operation believed used at this facility, the asbestos ore was first crushed to a normal, even size and then dried.  Fiber extraction then occured through a series of crushing operations, each followed by vacuum aspiration of the ore running on a vibrating screen.  On the screen, the fibers were released from the ore and collected into a vacuum system.  Fibers recovered from consecutive vibrating screens were brought to cyclone separators, and the air filtered to remove the finer, suspended fibers.

The property was brought to EPA's attention by the Maryland Dept of the Environment.  After an initial assessment, a non-emergency Removal Action primarily intended to secure building openings was initiated by the OSC in a Special Bulletin dated August 11, 2009.  More recent sampling data and conditions warranted a time-critical action. A time-critical Action Memorandum for the site, concurred on by HQ, was signed on June 8, 2010. In addition, a memorandum authorizing demolition and compensation to the property owner was approved by the Region and HQ on this date.

EPA will be conducting removal activities at the site in order to deconstruct the facility and remove/cover soil which may pose a threat to public health and/or the environment.  During activities which will cause significant disturbance of interior dust or outdoor soils, samples will be collected from personal sampling devices on cleanup personnel to determine if proper levels of protection are being used at the site.  Additional air samples will be collected along the perimeter of the site to confirm that engineering controls are protective of the surrounding community.

The floor and stairs in the southside of the structure continue to be secured.   These areas are being secured to inhibit occupational injury due to falls.

The owner's personal items not specified as waste continue to be decontaminated and saved. The two conex boxes onsite are currently retaining some of the owner's decontaminated personal belongings.

Sampling Plans have been developed for soils and suspect materials on the property. A laboratory has being acquired for offsite analysis of these samples.

A draft conceptual cleanup plan for the Site was prepared.

Soil and debris samples were collected from trash bags contained in the shed behind the facility and under the conveyor belt connecting the shed to the sheet metal portion of the structure.  These activities were conducted to determine asbestos content and subsequently characterize potential waste streams for proper disposal.  

Suspect asbestos tiling and soils along the rear of the property near the fenceline and soils in the footprint area of the proposed new garage were sampled for analyses to determine potential asbestos concentration.  These sampling activities will help determine remediation methods and waste disposal requirements as well as engineering and personal protective equipment controls for the public and workers.

Samples have been collected from items removed from the asbestos processing facility during the cleaning method to test decontamination efficiency.  Microvac dust samples have been collected from items before the cleaning process and immediately following cleaning to determine if the cleaning process is effective.  Each material type (rubber, plastic, metal, etc.) has been sampled to ensure the cleaning method is effective on all materials.

A member of the U.S. EPA National Decontamination Team spent an afternoon at the site to assist the OSC in determining cost effective and health protective cleanup measures for the owner’s personal items. The OSC and the Decon Team rep also discussed plans for interior building  cleanup.  

The company who visited the site for a pre-bid meeting for the garage construction submitted a detailed quote and design.

Potential transporters and asbestos disposal locations were identified with the help of the MDE Asbestos Program.

The OSC began contacting several historical archives locations for information on the former Powhatan Mining Company.

The U.S. EPA is conducting removal activities at the site in order to deconstruct the facility and soil which may pose a threat to public health and/or the environment.  Periodically, air samples will be collected from site personnel to determine if proper levels of protection are being utilized at the site.  Air samples will also be periodically collected along the perimeter of the site, especially when cleanup activitiies become more aggressive, to confirm that engineering controls are protective of the surrounding community.

The EPA continues to prepare documentation to assist in the petition for a zoning variance to provide a replacement building for the owner, The applicable paperwork will be submitted to the Baltimore County Zoning Office in the near future.

Await the microvac results of the pre and post-cleaned items to determine if they are below the 5000 s/cm2 being used as a clearance benchmark for returned items.  

The ERRS crew will continue decontaminating the owner's personal belongings by vacuuming and wet wiping.  Items identified as waste will be properly bagged for disposal as asbestos-containing waste.