United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

EPA has been performing an emergency removal action at this site which has primarily involved the stabilization, repackaging, transportation, and removal of hazardous magnesium materials and other hazardous solid wastes from the facility. EPA completed repackaging abandoned magnesium materials that have been stored in drums that have succumbed to varying degrees of corrosion.  The repackaged materials are staged inside site buildings pending removal from the site. Areas of the site including open pad areas, low areas and drainage ways are being cleared of residual wastes that had spilled when the facility was operating.  The remaining drums of low-level radioactive solids have been weighed and staged pending disposal. Recycling and disposal options continue to be investigated for the repackaged materials. Lime has been removed from eight large vertical vats that are located on the west and south side of building 2, at the north-west corner of the property. The lime has been neutralized and steps are being taken to arrange for the disposal of the lime. PADEP is overseeing site activities for the state and providing support. EPA START contractor TechLaw is providing technical and administrative support to the EPA. EPA and PADEP officials continue to control access to the site as well as coordinate activities with the various generators and disposal contractors.

Personnel On-Scene:    
10/06/08  START-1, ERRS-9, Other-3, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/07/08  START-1, ERRS-9, PADEP-1, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/08/08  START-1, ERRS-9, PADEP-1, Other 1, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/09/08  START-1, ERRS-9, Security-1 (24 hr)
Weather:
10/06/08  Low of 38° F, high of 62° F, partly cloudy, 0.00” precipitation, wind W 1-12 mph.
10/07/08  Low of 34° F, high of 64° F, partly cloudy, 0.17” precipitation, wind W 2-9 mph
10/08/08  Low of 47° F, high of 61° F, mostly cloudy, 0.88” precipitation, wind W 2-9 mph
10/09/08  Low of 48° F, high of 70° F, partly cloudy, 0.01” precipitation, winds  6-9 mph

10/06/08
Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. held its morning safety meeting and discussed the days planned activities. ERRS continued mixing material in the reaction pit. After the material was neutralized in the pit, it was staged in an area near the pit to await disposal.
Work framing lumber over the opening of the concrete block wall on the south side of building 2 continued. Plastic tarps were attached to the frame to protect the magnesium-filled drums inside the building from inclement weather conditions.
START mobilized to the site and provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, drum inspection, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.

10/07/08
ERRS continued hauling material to the reaction pit from the vat area on the west side of building 2, and mixing the material in the reaction pit. After the material was neutralized in the pit, it was placed in a pile near the pit to await disposal.  Work was completed on covering the large opening on the south wall of building 2. Demolition was conducted on small unstable block structures that were extending from the south wall of building 2.
The bulk pile of lime under the vat on the west side of building 2 has been transferred to the reaction pit area for neutralization. The crew used hand tools around the vat area to remove the lime that can’t be accessed using the small end loader. ERRS used a street sweeper to sweep around the vat areas and inside building 2.

START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation. START conducted a visual inspection and used an IR heat detector to examine the magnesium drums that remain in building 2.

PADEP Representative Mary Hoffman mobilized to site to assist with oversight.

10/08/08
Crew members completed the task of mixing the lime material in the reaction pit today. The reacted material has been staged on the south side of the pit to dry in preparation for disposal. General cleanup of residual material in and around the building 2 area has been ongoing today using a street sweeper and hand tools.
PADEP Representative Mary Hoffman mobilized to site to assist with oversight.
START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation. START and PADEP conducted a visual inspection and used an IR heat detector to examine the magnesium drums that remain in building 2. A visual inspection was also conducted on the rad drums remaining in building 7 and the miscellaneous waste drums remaining in building 9.
10/09/08
ERRS removed the remaining residual material from the reaction pit and staged it in the pile to await off site disposal. ERRS scraped and swept residual waste product in and around some of the smaller buildings at the facility. The waste was placed in 55 gallon drums. Final cleanup was conducted on equipment in preparation for demobilization from site tomorrow.
ERRS will return October 14, 2008.

ERRS will arrange for transportation of the drummed magnesium material to an off-site disposal or recycling facility.  ERRS will also continue to arrange for off-site treatment and disposal of hazardous waste materials in building 9. ERRS will continue to remove spilled material from drainage ways, low areas and grounds areas. Disposal will be arranged for the remaining low level radioactive drums located in building 7, and the lime material staged on the south side of the reaction pit.

None

Magnesium Turnings, Flammable Solid, Haz Mat:   4,530,351 pounds
Magnesium Scrap, Non-Haz Mat:                  766,273 pounds
Total:                                            5,296,624 pounds

Low Level RAD drums:                                             323,000 pounds
Bulk Load Waste Piles:                                         5,927,900 pounds

Waste misc. liquids (Non-magnesium): 1,315 gallons
Waste misc. solids (Non-magnesium):                          149, 700