The City of Chesapeake Fire Marshal requested EPA perform a removal Site assessment at the Currie Avenue Site in the Gilmerton section of Chesapeake, VA. The Site was used as a former salvage yard. The owner of the salvage yard is now deceased.
The Site was brought to the City's attention because of repeated acts of vandalism and trespass at the Site. The Site is currently owned by the children of the previous owner.
EPA performed a sampling assessment in August of 2008. The results of this sampling event are as follows:
Surface Soil Samples: High levels of arsenic (up to 324 mg/kg), chromium (up to 2300 mg/kg), and lead (up to 6,650 mg/kg) were detected in the surface soil samples. Some elevated levels of semi-volatile organic compounds were also detected.
Subsurface samples: No exceptionally high levels of contaminants were detected in the subsurface samples.
Groundwater samples: Elevated levels of arsenic (211 microgram/liter), lead (675 microgram/liter), and chromium (1210 microgram/liter) were detected in the groundwater sample in the southwest corner of the Site.
A trip report was prepared and copies provided to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Chesapeake. The groundwater findings were not included in that Trip Report.
On March 11, 2009, EPA prepared a letter for the current owner of the Site. The letter requires the owner to perform institutional controls at the Site to ensure no offsite migration occurs. The options presented to the owner are to either leave the soils undisturbed in place or perform proper removal and disposal of the soils.
A cylinder assessment revealed the presence of approximately 54 cylinders on the Site. The contents of the cylinders could not be accurately identified.
EPA plans to return to the Site to perform the following additional actions:
* Stage the cylinders in a safe place on the Site;
* Determine potential groundwater receptors;
* Survey the residences to determine if any of the nearby residences are on private drinking water wells. The OSC's consultation with the Virginia Dept. of Health indicates that the majority of residents in the area are likely on public drinking water. However, a survey is needed to verify this.
* SPSA has agreed to remove and properly dispose of the cylinders on Site if they can be staged in an accessible location. EPA will work with START to determine if the cylinders can be safely moved in order to perform a proper assessment.
* In a secondary review of the data, the OSC discovered that contamination was detected in the groundwater sample located at the southwest end of the property. This sample indicates elevated levels of arsenic, chromium, and lead. This indicates the potential for offsite migration. The OSC will contact the property owner to discuss these findings.
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