Please refer to previous POLREPs for Site Description and past actions.
The following activities took place during this reporting period:
3/25/2009
During this day, ERRS continued to bring chemicals and other hazardous materials from the basement labs up to the staging area on the first floor where a classification system has been started for disposal purposes. Like materials were lab packed in 55 gal drums.
During the morning on the 25th, START with help from IDEM began the process of sweeping the remaining floors of the hospital for any other hazardous materials. No materials were found on floors 3-5 but floors 1 and 2 had various chemicals such as cleaning solvents, sharps, and similar lab chemicals to those located in the basement labs. However, on the first floor the entry team found a room that contained some radiation labeled items. A second entry was made with a mirco-R meter to screen the room and found no levels above background.
In the afternoon a second entry was made into floors 1-5 to conduct a thorough mercury and radiation screening of all floors. This screening determined that there were neither elevated levels of mercury vapor nor radiation levels above background.
Also on this day a UST was found in the back parking lot of the building. The IDEM UST program was contacted and they determined that the tank was not registered with them since the tank most likely contained heating oil. The tank was then referred to the state cleanup section for future removal.
3/26/2009
ERRS again continued to consolidate hazardous items throughout the building into one room for waste streams and disposal purposes. By the end of the 26th, ERRS had completely swept through the first and second floor and finished with the basement. Remaining is the subbasement.
During a morning entry by START, IDEM and EPA OSC, a tunnel was found leading to another building on site that was thought to be occupied. The building is labeled “Winona Wound Care” and though it is attached to another building with the power on is abandoned as well. The latter building is for sale, but calls to the agent on the sign were not returned. An entry was made into the Wound Care building, but neither hazardous materials nor hazardous substances were found.
3/27/09 – 3/29/2009
ERRS completed the consolidation of materials in the building and finished lab packing the chemicals. The lab packs were placed into an onsite storage box and locked until access can be fully granted to dispose of the materials. ERRS and START demobed from the Site on 3/29/2009.
Once access is granted to remove the chemcials from the Site, ERRS will remobilize to the Site for disposal. After disposal, no further action is planned under the emergency phase of the cleanup.
In the future a further assessment of some areas of the building might be completed. One such area is the apparent sump in the basement of the building where it appears chemcials were dumped.
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