United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IX
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

See POLREP No. 1

The Graybill Metal Polishing, Inc., site (Graybill) is located in a commercial/residential area at 1245 East Florence Avenue in Los Angeles, California, geographic coordinates of -118.25247 longitude and 33.97598 latitude. Until recently, the facility conducted copper cyanide, nickel and chrome plating and buffing and polishing operations.  

Formal EPA involvement with Graybill began on May 9, 2006 with the issuance of a general notice of CERCLA liability to the property owner and facility operator.  Based on the observed site conditions, evidence of a continued release of hazardous materials, the unsecured nature of the facility, and statements by facility representatives, OSC Benson initiated an immediate stabilization and removal action through exercise of warrant authority on May 9, 2006.  A transition from EPA stabilization to PRP full-scale site cleanup was initiated on May 15, 2006.  Phase I cleanup operations, involving the identification, bulking and removal of all identified above-ground bulk and non-bulk wastestreams, was completed on May 25, 2006.

Phase II cleanup operations involving shallow subsurface soil and building component characterization and removal is currently underway and is expected to continue to be led by the PRP contractors under the terms of a CERCLA 106 Order.

POLREP No. 1 documents site activities on 5/9/06.
POLREP No. 2 documents site activities from 5/10/06 – 5/15/06
POLREP No. 3 documents site activities from 5/16/06 – 5/25/06
POLREP No. 4 documents site activities from 5/26/06 – 7/10/06
POLREP No. 5 documents site activities from 7/11/06 – 8/4/06


8/8/06

A. Enviroserv (PRP removal contractor) and Ceres Associates (PRP technical contractor) on-site to begin Phase II excavation preparation.  An underground utility locator (ground penetrating radar) was employed to survey, locate and mark any utilities beneath the excavation areas of the plating and polishing pads.  Air monitoring guidelines were established and site security was re-established for Phase II operations.

B. LA County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) representative B. Barnum notified of work scope and schedule.

C. PRP Attorney begins preparation of access agreement for removal of surface soil in designated area at adjacent 1238 71st Street residence.

8/9/06

A. Enviroserv and Ceres continue site set-up.  Debris and piping from the designated excavation areas (plating area, polishing area, exterior plating area, and north fence line) were removed and staged pending disposal.  Materials include fluorescent light tubes and housings, capacitors, anti-freeze, paints and miscellaneous debris. The eastern side yard was prepared for contaminated concrete staging.

B. Ceres collected composite concrete chip samples from the walls and bottoms of the interior and exterior clarifiers.  Data will be used to help facilitate clarifier closure steps with the LACSD.

8/10/06

A. Enviroserv began concrete and soil excavation (to approx. 1.5’ bgs) in the polishing room (AOC 4).  Contaminated concrete is broken with a backhoe and/or skid steer with hammer attachments and loaded into roll-off bins or staged in the designated area pending loading for transport. A mini excavator is used to excavate and load contaminated soil.

B. Ceres collected confirmation soil samples in the identified grids within AOC 4.  All Phase II confirmation samples consist of soil composites from the excavation face and sidewalls.  

C. One 40 yd3 bin of contaminated concrete and debris manifested off-site.

8/11/06

A. Enviroserv completed soils excavation (approximate 1.5 foot depth) in identified (AOC 4) polishing room grids and Ceres completed the first round of AOC 4 confirmation sampling.

B. Enviroserv began concrete removal from the plating room (AOC 1), exterior plating area (AOC 2) and waste storage area (AOC 3).  Excavation of contaminated soil in AOC 1 to a depth of 5’ bgs also began.

C. Four manifested loads were transported off-site representing, chromium contaminated soil, non-PCB capacitors, universal waste fluorescent tubes, and non-RCRA hazardous waste.

8/14/06

A. Enviroserv continued with AOC 1 soil excavation activities.  

B. Three 40 yd3 bins of contaminated concrete and debris manifested off-site.

8/15/06

A. OSC Benson on-site.  Enviroserv completed soils excavation (approximate 5 foot depth) in identified (AOC 1) plating room grids and Ceres completed the first round of AOC 1 confirmation sampling.  

B. Three 40 yd3 bins of contaminated concrete and debris manifested off-site.

C. A thin strip of metals contaminated soil in the residential yard at 1238 71st Street, which abuts the Graybill facility, was identified in the original characterization sampling.   The PRP Attorney and Enviroserv presented the data to the property owner (Julia Lee) and continue to attempt to secure access to remove the surface soil and replace with clean fill.  

D. Polishing room (AOC 4) confirmation soil sample data was received.  The data revealed four grids within AOC 4 that require continued soils excavation due to remaining elevated levels of chromium, copper, lead and/or zinc.  Enviroserv began additional soils excavation and Ceres began a second round of AOC 4 confirmation sampling.  

E. The laboratory data from the composite concrete chip samples from the walls and bottoms of the interior and exterior clarifiers was also received.  Chromium, copper, nickel and zinc concentrations are elevated but below waste determining thresholds.  The data will be presented to the LACSD for assistance with clarifier closure options.

Continues

• Stockpiled contaminated soils loading and transport on 8/17 and 8/18.
• Awaiting confirmation sample data from AOC 1 and second round confirmation sample data from AOC 4.  Additional soils excavation will be driven by these results expected by 8/23/06.
• Ceres Associates will continue to conduct confirmation sampling events following soils excavation within each identified contaminated grid/area.
• EPA will not investigate or respond to deep soil or groundwater contamination at the Site.

• START team oversight assistance is provided for each day of site activities.
• Pursuant to the terms of a written agreement between the residential property owner and the PRP Attorney, Enviroserv will remove the contaminated soil and backfill the identified off-site soil area.
• Fact Sheets are available on-site.  To date, there has been limited community, local residence interest.  
• An up-to-date project Waste Tracking Log with manifest and disposal facility information for project wastestreams can be found in the documents link at www.epaosc.net/graybill
• A multi-agency coordination group meeting will be organized in the near future to review site issues and facilitate a transition to State lead.