United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IV
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The ESB, Inc., Site (Site), located at 1246 Allene Street in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, is a defunct manufacturing facility which produced lead-acid automobile batteries from 1948 to 1988.  Facility operations included casting lead alloys, producing oxides of lead, mixing lead pastes, and forming positive and negative battery plates.  Manufacturing operations ceased in 1988.  The Site, situated on 12 acres of land in a mixed-use zoning area in southwest Atlanta, Georgia is bordered by a railroad spur on the north, and residential properties on the west, southeast and south. The nearest residential property is located approximately 500 feet to the west of the facility.  A child care center is located directly across the street from the facility to the west.  It was alleged that during the manufacturing process, lead particles were released to the atmosphere via emissions from elevated roof stacks at the facility and impacted some of the surrounding properties.  

Refer to previous POLREPs for more detail in regard to Site description.

The following activities were conducted during this reporting period:

September 22-30, 2008
In response to the findings from the expanded site investigation (ESI), performed in June 2008, EPA mobilized its ERRS and START contractors to mitigate lead-contaminated soils identified at a ditch located near the University Avenue Terminus along the western boundary of a commercial property. The geological coordinates of the ditch are North 33° 43’ 18.6” latitude by West 84° 24’ 38.2” longitude. Lead was detected in soils at this location at concentrations exceeding 80,000 ppm. Two facilities, one located due east of the spill site and the other due west, were eliminated as a potential source of the spill.  Based on historical operations, identification of a subsurface culvert which appeared to lead to the facility, and elevated concentrations of lead detected in soils located immediately beneath the culvert's outfall, the ESB facility was suspected as being a potential source of the spill. Lacking site plans and piping diagrams for the facility and surrounding area, following notification of intent to the PRP, EPA administered a dye tracer test to determine if a connection existed between the facility's storm water lateral and the outfall identified at the ditch. The test revealed a direct connection between the storm drain and outfall.

October 1-10, 2008
Donned in Level C personal protective equipment (PPE), ERRS began and continued excavation and staging activities of the lead-contaminated soil from the ditch. XRF readings in the ditch exceeded 400,000 ppm at some locations. Excavation and staging of the contaminated soil was completed during this reporting period. Work was halted for two days during this period due to heavy rain. Real-time XRF sampling data performed by EPA's START contractor confirmed  the removal of all of the lead-contaminated soil prior to the rain event. An estimated 1,100 tons of lead-contaminated soil was excavated and transported to a nearby staging area, where it will remain covered and secured until approved for disposal. A profile sample collected from the soil stockpile and analyzed for TCLP lead, revealed a TCLP lead concentration of 1,480 mg/l (exceeding the 5.0 mg/l regulatory limit maximum for this contaminant).

Restoration activities at the ditch will continue through the next reporting period and is expected to be completed in 2-3 days. Treatment options will be evaluated in the near future to determine the most effective commercially available means of treating the lead-contaminated soil. The method of disposal will be selected based on the results of the treatability study.

Upon completion of restoration activities at the ditch, ERRS will mobilize to the Capitol View Neighborhood to mitigate lead-contaminated properties remaining from EPA's previous Fund-lead removal action. This effort, including restoration activities, is expected to be completed in 4-6 days.

Prior to the completion of EPA's initial residential removal action, prospective purchasers of a parcel located due north of the ESB facility conducted a Phase I/II Environmental Assessment. The assessment identified elevated concentrations of lead in an earthen ditch on the parcel, located immediately due west of a commercial business. Given the elevated concentrations of lead detected in the ditch, EPA was asked to consider the ditch as part of the ESB Site cleanup. Based on the review of historical data and soil sampling conducted immediately following the request, EPA determined that possible attribution may exist between the spill and the ESB facility via a subsurface storm-water drainage system. A dye tracer test, performed during this reporting period, linked the outfall at the ditch to a storm drain inlet located at the ESB property.