United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Sunday, November 16, 2008
From:
Raj Sharma


Subject: 

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


POLREP No.:
29
Site #:
Reporting Period:
D.O. #:
Start Date:
8/11/2008
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
8/4/2008
Response Type:
Time-Critical
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
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.  

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.


Current Activities

• On Monday, November 10th, LFR ceased injections on the former Precision National Metals site.  Over the past several weeks LFR has been injecting a 1% calcium polysulfide solution into 19 groundwater wells to treat the hexavalent chromium contamination.

• Air monitoring is being conducted for hydrogen sulfide every half-hour around the perimeter of the site and every two hours on Arch Ave and at the lagoon.   Precision National is continuously recording hydrogen sulfide values between the lagoon and the homes on Arch Ave. This will continue 1 week after all injections have ceased.

• To date LFR has injected approximately a total of 142,766 gallons of calcium polysulfide.

• LFR has removed approximately 875 gallons of contaminated groundwater from the EPA well on site since August 28th in regards to sample collections results of elevated hexavalent chromium levels possibly due to the injection process.  This week the water was treated with a calcium polysulfide and if pH levels are within the range for the water to be treated, it will be ran through the treatment system on site.


Next Steps

• During the week November 17th, LFR will be installing 2 new wells around the EPA well.  These wells will have geophysical work done on them, and may be converted into injection wells.

• Perimeter air monitoring will continue around the injection site with the use of the remote monitors, and will continue when the injections begin, and for one week after the injections have ceased.


response.epa.gov/precision