United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region X
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

Franke's Laundromat operated as a laundry and dry-cleaning facility from the early 1960's until the business closed in March 2000.  The site has been unoccupied since.  Site investigation activities conducted by the property owners and City of Caldwell since 1999 have revealed high concentrations of tetrachloroethene, also known as perchloroethylene (PCE) in soils and groundwater at and downgradient of the site.  PCE was detected in shallow groundwater at the site as high as 155,000 ug/l.  PCE is in the lower aquifer 400 feet downgradient from the site at 120 ug/l.  PCE in soils at approximately 9 foot depth are as high as 450 mg/kg.

On June 24, 2003, EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with the property owners for removal site investigation activities, to characterize the lateral and vertical extent of PCE contamination and investigate appropriate removal action.  The property owners refused to enter into additional negotiations for removal cleanup activities.  EPA, therefore, is initiating a removal action to remove PCE contaminated soils that present an on-site human health exposure threat, or threat of continued migration off-site in groundwater and soils.  In order to access highly contaminated soils beneath and adjacent to the former laundromat, the unoccupied building must be demolished and removed.

See Polreps #1 through #4 for work performed prior to June 10.

June 10, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 6
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
Weather:  Dry, high in 70s.
Work Performed:  Completed backfill of first excavation pit, compacted in 12-24" lifts to average 95% compaction rate.  Removed shoring from first pit and began excavation of footprint for second excavation pit, to the SE of first (towards police station).  Loaded out 12 trucks (392 tons)of stockpiled excavated soil for disposal at US Ecology facility in Grandview, ID.  

June 11, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 6
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
Weather:  Dry high in 70s.
Work performed:  Continued excavation of second pit (SE of first).  Collected samples at various depths and analyzed with on-site GC/MS to determine necessary lateral and vertical extent of excavation.  Completed out-loading of contaminated soils from first pit.  Loaded out 3 trucks (93 tons) for disposal at US Ecology facility in Grandview, ID.

June 12, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 6
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
Weather:  Dry, high in 80s.
Work performed:  Continued excavation of 2nd pit.  Installed two shoring boxes total dimension 23 ft. by 32 ft.  Excavated first shoring box to 15-16 ft. depth, as determined necessary from analytical results showing PCE concentrations in ppm range at depth.  Hit major groundwater spring at 16' that quickly began to fill pit with groundwater.  Excavation laterally into 2nd shoring box not possible until we are able to deal with the groundwater situation.  By end of day, groundwater had risen in the pit to 10-11 ft. below ground surface.  Collected 5-point composite samples from three 50-yard stockpiles of excavated soils for TCLP analysis.  Also collected water samples from storage tank and from the groundwater in the excavation pit and shipped for laboratory analysis.  Day off Sunday, 6/13, except for ERRS contractor who came by to monitor groundwater situation.

June 14, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 6
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
Weather:  Dry, high in 70s.
Work performed:  Leaving a berm to hold back water in first shoring box, continued excavation into second shoring box to 15.5 ft. depth.  Pumped water out of first shoring box, and had trucks loaded with clay waiting to dump as soon as water was pumped out.  Put 4-5 feet of clay in and compacted with excavator, thereby stopping groundwater upwelling into pit.  Completed excavation of SE pit, total dimension 23 ft. x 32 ft. x 15-16 ft. depth.

Continue backfilling and compacting fill in SE pit.  Move shoring and begin excavation of third pit to the northwest of original excavation pit (towards 4th Ave.)  Continue excavation of contaminated soils. Install slide rail shoring as necessary.  Field screen during excavation using PID and samples collected for on-site GC/MS analysis.  Collect and analyze samples of excavation pit walls and floor to determine necessary extent of removal.  Stockpile excavated soils in 50-yard piles for TCLP analyisis and disposal.  Send contaminated soils off site for proper disposal based on analytical results.  Backfill excavation pit, compacting each lift, and restore site.

The volume of soils already removed (950 tons) and that have yet to be excavated is far greater than originally anticipated.  This is due to the extent of significant contamination extending further to the south and east of what was thought to be the "hot spot," at the west corner of the former laundromat building.  Previous site investigation results were not adequate to characterize the potential contamination in this lateral direction.  

Laboratory anayltical results show that PCE in excavated soils is below levels that would require shipment to Beatty, NV for chemical oxidation, and can be properly land disposed.  Because the volume of contaminated soils requiring removal is far greater than originally anticipated, the time required for the overall project has increased.  The volume and costs for off-site disposal as well as for backfill have increased.  A ceiling increase to the approved Action Memorandum and and increase to the ERRS contract Delivery Order will be required to properly complete this project.  An Action Memo ceiling increase request has been submitted.

Groundwater quickly filling the SE excavation pit (towards the police station) precluded our ability to collect and analyze cleanup confirmation from below 11 ft. depth.  Good data to show to what extent cleanup goals were acheived along the sidewalls that border the police station may not be available.