United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
From:
Raj Sharma


Subject: 

POLREP #12
Precision National Plating Site
198 Ackerly Road, Clarks Summit, PA
Latitude: 41.5105000
Longitude: -75.7155000


POLREP No.:
12
Site #:
Reporting Period:
11/17/2006 - 11/23/2006
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:
12/15/2006
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. For a summary of site activities prior to September 28, 2006, please see POLREP #5.

B. On September 28, 2005, Precision National’s contractors, LFR and Reardon Environmental, 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.

C. Also as a condition to restart work, LFR and Reardon are collecting any incidental pools of calcium polysulfide on the property, or covering them with a tarp or mulch 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.

D. EPA START collected post-treatment split subsurface soil samples with LFR from lagoon and Area E (west of pad) on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 and analyze them for hexavalent chromium.

E.To date LFR/Reardon has completed 2,699 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 183,081 gallons of calcium polysulfide solution injected.

F.On Thursday, November 16, 2006 heavy rains caused flooding at the former plating facility and surrounding area.  Injections of calcium polysulfide was halted, and LFR/START upgraded air monitoring in the vicinity of Arch Avenue.  Maximum hydrogen sulfide readings identified were 25 parts per billion, which was not sustained for greater than 10 minutes. The pH of flood waters migrating offsite remained between 6 and 8.


Planned Removal Actions

A. EPA START will collect surface water samples from Ackerly Creek and analyze them for sulfides.

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

C. 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