United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
From:
Raj Sharma


Subject: 

POLREP # 6
Precision National Plating Site
198 Ackerly Road, Clarks Summit, PA
Latitude: 41.5105000
Longitude: -75.7155000


POLREP No.:
6
Site #:
Reporting Period:
10/5/2006 - 10/12/2006
D.O. #:
Start Date:
7/25/2006
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
7/20/2006
Response Type:
Time-Critical
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
Removal Action
CERCLIS ID #:
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
 

Site Description

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 (5) 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.  

A pilot study was conducted from June 12th to June 20th 2006 to determine the radius of influence of calcium polysulfide injected at each injection site.

A public meeting was held on Wednesday, July 19th at the Waverly Community House to discuss upcoming remediation work and the air monitoring plan with residents.  


Current Activities

A. Full scale injections began Tuesday July 25th in the foundation of the former building foundation.

B.On August 15, 2006 around 2100 a resident notified local emergency responders of a strong rotten egg smell in the area of Arch Ave . The resident complained of eye and skin irritation.  Local emergency responders evacuated the area and deconned the residents upwind from the site.  EPA OSC Dennis was notified of the situation around 2300 that night.  EPA and START responded with PADEP and the PRP contractor LFR to the site.   EPA was on-scene at 0000 and was given a briefing by PADEP and Lackawanna County EMA.  Shortly thereafter EPA and PADEP conducted air monitoring in and around the site and found only 6 ppb of hydrogen sulfide at the lagoon.  There were no readings detected on Arch Ave or the perimeter.  Local responders did not get any readings during there air monitoring either.  Residents were allowed back into their homes around 0130 by EMA.  

C. On August 16, 2006 EPA shut down the injection operations by the PRP contractor.  It was determined the odor was likely coming from the lagoon where calcium polysulfide had collected during the injections in the lagoon.  EPA asked LFR to remove all liquid form the lagoon and place in a storage container onsite.  START conducted air monitoring thru midnight on August 16 and 17, 2006 and found no elevated readings on Arch Ave.

D. LFR completed the removal of the liquid from the lagoon on August 17, 2006.  Liquid was stored in a frac tank onsite until further analysis can be done.  EPA ordered all injections to stop until further notice.  

E. On September 28, 2005 LFR/Reardon mobilized to site to restart injections in the rear of the property.  In the afternoon of September 29, 2006, LFR/Reardon began injecting in the northwest area of the property just outside of the interior lagoon gate.  As a condition to allowing the restart to occur, EPA is requiring Precision and LFR to conduct 24-hour air monitoring once an hour around the facility perimeter, and every 2 – 4 hours on Arch Avenue. Precision National is continuously recording hydrogen sulfide values between the lagoon and the homes on Arch Ave.

F. Also as a condition to restart work, Precision and LFR are collecting any incidental pools of calcium polysulfide on the property, or covering them with a tarp and allowing them to infiltrate.  Two stand-alone monitors are located in trees between the site and homes below.  These monitor the air 24 hours a day, and send alerts to LFR should levels of hydrogen sulfide reach 30 ppb.

G. On October 12, 2006, EPA collected water samples from two residential wells to test for hexavalent chromium leaching into groundwater.

   H. To date LFR/Reardon has 1,918 completed injection points on top of the foundation, in the Vault area of the former plating facility, north west of the vault area, and in the western end of the lagoon area.  These injection points have an approximate total 101,528 gallons of calcium polysulfide solution injected.


Planned Removal Actions

START and LFR will continue 24-hour air monitoring for hydrogen sulfide at the site.

As Glenburn Pond will be allowed to refill as a result of a court injunction, thus minimizing the amount of dust generated from the pond, USEPA will postpone dust sampling from around the pond until conditions make this sampling relevant.


response.epa.gov/precision