United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region VI
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Monday, November 19, 2007
From:
Rita Engblom

To:
Jeff Lewellin, TCEQ
Debbie Dietrich, Office of Emergency Management
Ragan Broyles, Superfund Division

Subject: 

On-going
Goodrich Mercury
570 Vicksburg, Goodrich, TX
Latitude: 30.5517800
Longitude: -94.8793300


POLREP No.:
4
Site #:
A6C8
Reporting Period:
D.O. #:
Start Date:
11/1/2007
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
11/1/2007
Response Type:
Emergency
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
Removal Assessment
CERCLIS ID #:
TXN000606836
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
 

Site Description

On 01 November 2007, EPA was requested, to respond to a residence in Goodrich, Texas and investigate a mercury release. The home is a single family dwelling in a remote residential area. A 15 year old child had possession of 8 lbs of mercury for approximately four years at this residence. On 30 October 2007, pet dogs gained access to the bottle of mercury and punctured a hole in it.  As a result, the dogs spread mercury throughout the interior of the residence. Upon the discovery of the spill that evening by the residents the Polk County Sheriffs Department was notified. They recommended leaving the house and the 15 year old left but his mother remained. EPA dispatched the START-3 to investigate on 1 November 2007 and documented the mercury release.  The mother relocated at that time.


Current Activities

Go to cleanup site at 570 Vicksburg Lane, Goodrich, Texas to monitor the remaining dogs at the residence. START-3 monitors 3 adult dogs and 5 puppies for mercury vapors with a Lumex Mercury Vapor detector and found all dogs to read < 1ug/m3. The dogs were released to their owner and removed from site. START-3 also conducted further surveys in the back yard and found all readings < 1ug/m3.

START-3 returned to 125 West 4th street in Kemah, Texas to monitor clothes and boots worn by the nephew of Ms Faulhber the night of the spill. The Lumex unit finds the clothes to read 16ug/m3 and the boots to read <1 ug/m3. START-3 packaged and took the clothes for disposal. The boots were released to the nephew.


Planned Removal Actions

Under CERCLA, EPA will initate a clean-up on the residence.


Next Steps

ERRS contractors will be mobilized to the site to conduct this clean-up on November 26, 2007.


Key Issues

EPA will recycle elemental mercury held by the local sheriff's department as well as mercury collected from the local community during this response.


Estimated Costs *
  Budgeted Total To Date Remaining % Remaining
Extramural Costs
Intramural Costs
 
Total Site Costs $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 0.00%

* The above accounting of expenditures is an estimate based on figures known to the OSC at the time this report was written. The OSC does not necessarily receive specific figures on final payments made to any contractor(s). Other financial data which the OSC must rely upon may not be entirely up-to-date. The cost accounting provided in this report does not necessarily represent an exact monetary figure which the government may include in any claim for cost recovery.


response.epa.gov/GoodrichMercury

POLREP #4 Last Updated 11/28/2007