United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

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.  

In July 2006, Precision injected calcium polysulfide into source areas at the site to reduce hexavalent chromium to a relatively non-toxic form which will precipitate and remain in the soil matrix.  The goal of the treatment was to reduce hexavalent chromium levels in soil to below 60 mg/Kg, and hexavalent chromium levels in Ackerly Creek to below 11 ug/L.  Post-treatment results are encouraging (see "Documents").

In March 2007, Precision began excavation of the basement of the former facility (see "Images").  The purpose of the removal was to mitigate impacts by potentially contaminated soils beneath the basement.  Any contaminated concrete unearthed during the excavation was taken to an appropriate disposal facility.

Hexavalent Chromium levels have dropped in Ackerly Creek due to chemical injection treatments in July 2006 and the basement excavation in March 2007, however they still remain above the target ecological goal of 11 ug/L.  

Further site investigation activities were performed in the Fall of 2007 and February/March 2008.  The soil boring, rock coring and groundwater sampling activities completed in October 2007 and March 2008 confirmed that residual contaminant sources remain at the Site in the weatherered rock and shallow competent bedrock (18 - 30 feet below the ground surface) beneath the former building slab.  Recent sampling of the perched groundwater identified the presence of a source area within the shallow bedrock beneath the building slab.  

In August 2008, will begin in-situ chemical injections using calcium polysulfide to treat these residual areas of contamination in the shallow bedrock.  Perimeter air monitoring will be on-going during the injections to ensure that excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide are not being produced as a result of the treatment.  Remote air monitors with alert capability located between the site and residential areas are also being utilized, and will be relied upon to provide air monitoring during overnight hours.  ATSDR has set an allowable exposure level of 30 ppb for hydrogen sulfide.

A. On Wednesday August 13th, 2008 full scale injections resumed on top of the former building foundation.  Currently, full scale injections will be ongoing for the next several weeks in 17 groundwater wells located on the site. Each day 5 wells will be injected with a calcium polysulfide.


B. On Friday August 15th, Local Emergency Response Staff from Lackawanna County, members of the Clarks Summit Fire Department and John Mellow, PADEP, visited site for tour and to discuss emergency response at the site. Also, LFR and Tetra Tech sampled 3 surface water locations from Ackerly Creek for sulfides, while LFR as sampled monitoring wells for other parameters.

C. Air monitoring is being conducted for hydrogen sulfide every half-hour around the perimeter of the site and every two hours on Arch Ave.   Precision National is continuously recording hydrogen sulfide values between the lagoon and the homes on Arch Ave.

D. To date LFR has injected approximate a total 3,150 gallons of calcium polysulfide.

A. During the week August 18th, LFR will continue to inject calcium polysulfide on site.  

B.      Perimeter air monitoring will continue around the injection site.