1.1.1 Incident Category
CERCLA Incident Category: Inactive Production Facility

1.1.2 Site Description

Albany Fire Department became aware in early October 2013 of a potential public safety and health hazard involving Absorbent Technologies, Inc., at 140 Queen Avenue SW and 2830 Ferry Street SW. Absorbent Technologies had been in business on these leased properties since 2004, creating a soil additive and fertilizer that was used to improve crop irrigation efficiency. The company ceased all operations at 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 11, 2013.

The process for producing Absorbent’s product involved the use of various hazardous materials that were abandoned at the site when the company closed its doors. Of primary concern is a tank at the Queen Avenue site containing acrylonitrile, a flammable and corrosive chemical with the potential to impact human health. When the plant was abandoned, Albany Fire Department immediately took steps to ensure the safety of the community by stabilizing the acrylonitrile tank, hiring security staff for the site, and working on a plan to appropriately deal with the other hazards that were left behind on both properties.

City staff contacted the EPA on Tuesday, October 15. EPA staff immediately mobilized to the site and as of Thursday, October 17, two federal on-scene coordinators were in Albany with a team of 12 contractors, chemists, engineers and other specialists. Tank removal of the product is planned for Monday, October 21, with decommissioning of the tank the following day.

EPA is working closely with Albany Fire Department, Public Works Environmental Services, the City Attorney’s Office, and Linn County Public Health. Facility operators and both property owners are cooperating.

1.1.2.1 Location
The Queen Plant is located south of Queen Avenue SE between SW Ferry Street (to the west) and SE Lyon Street (to the east) in Albany, Oregon. 

The City of Albany is located approximately 20 miles south of Salem, Oregon and approximately 70 miles south of Portland, Oregon, along the Interstate 5 corridor in the Willamette River Valley region.

The Queen Plant is located in a mixed use area with a 400-person industrial facility to the west, and residences to the east.  Parking areas are located to the north, and an undeveloped lot is located to the south.  Further, additional residential and light industrial populations are present.

An additional facility used for ATI's research and development is located nearby at 2830 SW Ferry Street, Albany, Oregon (Ferry R&D).  Light commercial lots exist to the north, south, and west and residential area exist to the east.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat
Hazardous Materials and wastes are located at the Queen Plant.  The chemical of greatest concern is approximately 2,700 to 2,800 gallons of acrylonitrile (AN), present inside a 20,000 gallon STI Fireguard ®, UL 2085 (protected, insulated, and fire resistant) tank designated TK-0110.  TK-0110 is located within secondary containment.  TK-0110 is equipped with fire detectors, fire alarm, foam fire suppression system, and acrylonitrile vapor detectors, but testing and calibration of these systems has expired.  TK-0110 is also equipped with a nitrogen “blanket” system designed to prevent AN from contacting oxygen in ambient air.  AN is considered highly hazardous due to flammability and toxicity characteristics and can degrade into cyanide gas in a fire situation above 800 degrees F.  

Also of concern is the fact that a "stabilizing agent" added to the AN to inhibit both its corrosive effects and to prevent polymerization (which could lead to ignition) is only effective for six months.  The AN in this tank has been there over eighteen months.  Neither the chemical expert for the manufacturer, nor the chemist who managed the facility could assure responders that any stabilizer remained in the AN.  Both experts agreed that adding more stabilizer to the tank would be futile because it needed to be blended and the tank had no agitator.

Other identified chemicals of concern at the Queen Plant are potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, cerium ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and smaller quantities of various lab and industrial chemicals and compressed gases. 

Undetermined liquid wastes in plastic totes are also present at the Queen Plant.

There is no evidence that any of the chemicals or wastes at the Queen Plant have discharged into the environment at this time.  Most of these chemicals are within warehouses at both sites and are properly contained.

Seventeen liquid waste totes (approximately 275 gallons each), 2 methanol tanks, and various lab chemicals are located at the Ferry R&D facility.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results
TK-0110 has been examined by EPA, START, ERRS, and by the City of Albany Fire Marshal.  ERRS created a plan for the removal of AN from TK-0110 to a cleaned chemical tanker trailer for transport to a TSDF facility in Aragonite, Utah.  EPA and the Fire Marshal approved the ERRS transfer plan on 10/20/2013, and the transfer was completed on 10/21/2013.  The tanker truck left the site on 10/22/2013 and the material was bound for destruction in Texas rather than Utah.

A plan submitted by ATI’s former process chemist to neutralize the AN by processing it into unfinished inert product was not adopted by EPA due to the relatively long processing time (several weeks) and uncertain conclusion.

The waste totes are currently under evaluation.  Preliminary field tests on a subset of the totes were performed and definitive samples were collected and were submitted to a commercial contract lab for expedited definitive analysis.

a.    The Sites (Queen Plant and Ferry R&D) were abandoned by the operator due to bankruptcy.

Queen Avenue Facility

• The remaining Acrylonitrile in above-ground bulk storage tank was removed on 21-October-2013 and transported to a hazardous waste incineration facility, largely abating the main hazard associated with the site.
• Per an agreement between EPA and the property owner of the facility, and with the approval of the bankruptcy court, the owner contracted with River City Environmental, Inc. (River City) and developed a plan to remove the remaining dangerous chemicals from the facility.
• EPA reviewed a draft work plan developed by River City's subcontractor, NRC.  EPA provided comments and approved a final work plan. River City also subcontracted Wastexpress, Inc. to sample, profile, and dispose of chemical and hazardous wastes generated from the facility. On 2-December-2013 EPA met with representatives from River City and NRC to discuss the logistics of the chemical removal plan.
• NRC began removing and containerizing chemicals (acids, hydroxides, and other industrial chemicals) from tanks, and rinsing cleaning tanks, vessels and piping systems at the Queen Avenue facility.
• On 3-December-2013 Wastexpress measured pH and collected a sample from each of twenty liquid waste tote containers located at the facility.
• On 4-December-2013 START collected samples from three of the twenty liquid waste tote containers  at the Queen Avenue facility. The samples were transferred to EPA custody for analyses.
• Containerized chemical and waste materials were profiled and transported from the Queen Avenue facility by Wastexpress for recycling or disposal.
• EPA evaluated the waste/chemical removal work at the ATI Queen Avenue location and determined that the contractor had not followed their work plan, and did not adequately remove the contents and rinse portions for the chemical piping system. EPA required that the contractor perform additional work at the site.  NRC performed the additional cleaning work, which included opening acrylonitrile lines and flushing the lines, between 26-December-2013 and 3-January-2014.

Ferry Street Facility

• On 12-December-2013 Wastexpress collected samples from each of the eighteen liquid waste totes staged at the ATI Ferry Street facility.  The labels on the totes indicated the water in the totes originated from four sources: (still) bottoms water; boiler water; cooling tower water, and laboratory water. A sample from each tote was collected for Flashpoint analyses.  Composite samples were collected for Volatile Organic Compounds and Total Metals, based on wastewater source and appearance.
• NRC began removing the contents of tanks, vessels, piping systems, and industrial equipment at the ATI Ferry Street facility.
• On 17-December-2013, START collected samples from three vessels associated with the methanol distillation process at the Ferry Street facility. START collected samples of the Methanol Supply Tank, the Methanol Still Feed Tanks, and the Still Bottoms Tank.  Results indicated the material was flammable liquids in the tanks contained methanol and other volatile organic compounds. The laboratory did not detect elevated levels of metals or acrylonitrile.
• On 18-December-2013 NRC removed the contents of the Methanol Supply Tank, the Methanol Still Feed Tanks, and the Still Bottoms Tank.
• The contractors (River City and subcontractors NRC and Wastexpress) finished cleaning the pipes, vessels and equipment, and transporting chemicals and wastes offsite for disposal, in January-2014.

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

• The former operator is a PRP, but is under bankruptcy.
• The creditors (current property owners) are PRPs.
• No other PRPs have been identified at this time.

START is demobilized.

START – Jim Petersen

EQM – Pat Heyneman (H2O)

EPA
Daniel Heister (OSC, UC)
Mike Sibley (OSC)

START
Jim Petersen (PM)
Brad Martin (PD)
Ryan Whitchurch
Eric Nuchims
Mike Worden
Chris Whitehead

ERRS
Jerry Wade (PM)
Pat Heyneman (PM, H2O)
Doug McManamy (Equipment Operator)
Randy Rhoads
Two subcontractors from Global Diving and Salvage

HAZMAT TEAM 5
Ryan Bond (UC)

CITY OF ALBANY FIRE MARSHAL

CITY OF ALBANY FIRE DEPARTMENT

OREGON STATE FIRE MARSHAL