United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

EPA has been asked to investigate perchloroethylene contamination in Chillum,  MD and Washington,  DC.  PCE contamination was discovered during an underground storage tank leak spill cleanup involving gasoline at a property adjacent to the PCE site.  The site under investigation includes a dry cleaning facility and a residential community.  The dry cleaning facility is located in Maryland and is immediately adjacent to the Washington, DC border.  Groundwater flow flows from Maryland into Washington, DC.

A. (Omitted, Enforcement Confidential)

B.      (Omitted, Enforcement Confidential)

C. HP Labs won bid for providing passive soil vapor samplers, analysis of samplers, and iso-concentration maps of results for PCE, PCE breakdown products, and benzene.  

D. June 11, 2002: EPA, START hold public meeting for Chillum PERC site.  EPA and START explained hypothesis of PCE traveling along and leaking from sanitary sewer lines, and that sampling will be conducted based on this hypothesis.

E. July 7, 2002: EPA, START hold public meeting for Chillum PERC site.  START informs residents that access agreements are essential for sampling, and should be returned promptly.  

F. July 8, 2002: START submits final application for sampling permit from DC Office of Public Space.   Permit was approved and is ready for sampling event.  

G. August 14, 2002: START resends access agreement letters to PRP property owner and the company that manages the shopping center adjacent to the Chevron gas station via US Post Office certified mail.  START received notice of delivery to management company on August 16, 2002.  

H. August 28, 2002: START resends access agreement letter to PRP property owner via US Post Office certified mail.  

I. September 3, 2002: START received certified mail delivery receipt for access agreement sent to PRP property owner (sent on August 14, 2002).  The letter was signed for on August 26, 2002.    

J. September 10, 2002: EPA, ATSDR, and START hold public meeting for Chillum PERC site.  ATSDR explains they are a non-regulatory agency that acts as a consultant for other government agencies.  ATSDR explained different studies they can undertake.  EPA and START go over access problems and possible resolutions, also talk with residents about samplers and sample locations.  Residents are unhappy with timeliness of sampling and sampling locations.

A. START will deliver map of  PCE contamination to EPA for possible sampling plan revisions.  

B. START and EPA will formulate an alternate sampling plan to prepare for sampling without access to PRP property.  

C. START will update access agreement spreadsheet and resend any necessary agreements.

D. Sampling dates are dependent upon access agreements or DOJ warrants; START will need one week notice to receive samplers back from HP labs.    

E. EPA and START will continue to develop a fact sheet for distribution to the residents.

F. EPA and START will attend the next scheduled publc meeting on October 9, 2002.