United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Precision National Plating Site is located at 198 Ackerly Road, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, which is approximately 10 miles north of Scranton, Pennsylvania.  The property measures 46 acres, approximately five acres of which were used for site operations and the remainder of which are undeveloped and largely wooded.  A 45,000 square foot operations building was the principal structure on the site.

The site began operation as a chromium electroplating facility for locomotive crankshafts in 1956.  This operation continued when Precision bought the facility in 1971.  Precision operated an industrial component reconditioning facility on site from 1971 until 1999.

Site operations ceased in April 1999.  With PADEP and USEPA oversight, the former plating building was demolished in the Fall of 2000.
EPA approved the Remedial Action Plan (RAP), submitted on behalf of Precision National Plating by the Retec Group in September of 2005.  The RAP details plans to use calcium polysulfide to reduce the hexavalent chromium in the soils and groundwater to trivalent chromium.  
In July 2006, Precision injected calcium polysulfide into source areas at the site to reduce hexavalent chromium to a relatively non-toxic form which will precipitate and remain in the soil matrix.  The goal of the treatment was to reduce hexavalent chromium levels in soil to below 60 mg/Kg, and hexavalent chromium levels in Ackerly Creek to below 11 ug/L.  

In March 2007, Precision began excavation of the basement of the former facility (see "Images").  The purpose of the removal was to mitigate impacts by potentially contaminated soils beneath the basement.  Any contaminated concrete unearthed during the excavation was taken to an appropriate disposal facility.

Further site investigation activities were performed in the Fall of 2007 and February/March 2008.  The soil boring, rock coring and groundwater sampling activities completed in October 2007 and March 2008 confirmed that residual contaminant sources remain at the Site in the weathered rock and shallow competent bedrock (18 - 30 feet below the ground surface).  

In August 2008, in-situ chemical injections began using calcium polysulfide to treat these residual areas of contamination in the shallow bedrock. Chemical injections were completed on January 9th, 2009.  
Hexavalent Chromium levels have dropped in Ackerly Creek due to chemical injection treatments in July 2006 and the basement excavation in March 2007, and subsequent injection activities beginning in August 2008 and continuing through the December 2010, however they still remain above the target ecological goal of 11 ug/L.  

EPA issued the Final Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis, the Responsiveness Summary for the December 7, 2010, public meeting and the Final Action Memorandum on September 9, 2011.  EPA and Precision will negotiate an order based upon these documents in the coming months.

On Monday, September 26, 2011 Precision began well installation activities at the site.  
Nine wells were installed from September 26th to October 7th.  The wells included 4 Overburden wells (MW-21, MW-22, MW-23, MW-24), 4 shallow depth wells (MW-11s, MW-12s, MW-13s, MW-14s), and one intermediate depth well (MW-12I.)
During the week of October 3rd, Precision conducted semi-annual water sampling.  Approximately fifty samples were collected by Precision. Surface water samples along Ackerly Creek were split between the Precision and EPA.  Due to dry conditions, no samples were collected along the swale.

Other activities on site included preparation for injections to start October 11th.

• Injections of calcium polysulfide are scheduled to begin October 11, 2011, and are expected to continue for 6 to 8 weeks.  

• Perimeter air monitoring will begin around the injection site with the use of the remote monitors (continuously) and hand held units (every hour) by EPA and Precision contractors, and will continue for one week after the injections have ceased.