In September, 2007, NYSDEC Region 5 rep. Mike McClean contacted the EPA Region 2 Regional Response Center and requested EPA assistance with an abandoned paint store in the City of Glens Falls, NY. The building had been acquired by the City through a tax foreclosure and the dangerous condition of the building was discovered by while the property was being evaluated for a Brownfields redevelopment Grant.
The building was located in the center of a residential area, adjacent to an elementary school and ball field. The materials inside the building were identified by DEC and Brownfields assessors as paint and solvents.
On September 20, 2007, OSC Eric Daly met with NYSDEC and City officials and performed a preliminary assessment of the building. OSC Daly observed that the roof structure was deteriorated and that approximately 1,000 rusted containers of paint and solvent were haphazardly stacked throughout the facility. EPA conducted air monitoring along the perimeter of the building, inside the premises, and along the school grounds.
The building consisted of the main level, a partial basement, and an attic. The entire structure was unstable. The roof was dramatically bowed and perforated and the main room ceiling was collapsing. Containers of solvents and leaking/rusted containers of paint and unknown substances were located on all 3 levels and haphazardly stacked.
EPA was officially requested to conduct a removal action by the Mayor of Glens Falls, the Glens Falls Fire Department, and the Principal of Sanford Street Elementary School. NYSDEC issued a verbal referral of the site to EPA on September 20, 2007, and, based on the verbal referral, on September 20, 2007, ERRD Director G. Pavlou gave a verbal authorization to proceed with a removal action. A formal written referral was received by EPA on September 21, 2007.
EPA mobilized its ERRS contractor on September 24, 2007. Initial efforts focused on stabilizing the structure and identifying/consolidating the containers. All hazardous substances were packaged into cubic-yard boxes, staged in Conex shipping containers in an adjacent parking lot, and shipped off-Site for disposal. On October 10, 2007 the removal action was completed.
The City demolished the empty structure in the fall of 2007, and hired a consultant to perform a Phase II soil analysis. On June 24, 2008, the City received a report which revealed the presence of elevated levels of mercury in the soil underneath the footprint of the building. Following the release of this report, EPA received a written request from the City for assistance in removing the contaminated soil, and a written referral of the Site to EPA from the NYSDEC for additional removal work was sent on 8/6/2008. Following receipt of that request, EPA conducted a removal assessment of the Site, including the acquisition of numerous soil and paint samples which were tested for hazardous constituents. Based on the analytical results and the close proximity of a public school, a decision was made to initiate a response action. This decision is documented in an Action Memo which was signed on 8/18/2009.
ERRS continues to remove buried sections of old concrete floor that are covered with lead paint. Approval was received to dispose of the concrete in a RCRA-regulated landfill, so all the buried pieces and the intact flooring will be bulked for T & D. Staging of the concrete on-Site is complete and once the T & D bid is awarded it will be shipped.
Testing of the soil for leachable hazardous metals listed in the RCRA regulations revealed that neither the lead or mercury in the soil leaches out, and the soil can be disposed of as a non-hazardous waste stream. The cost for T & D for this waste is 75% less than what the cost would have been if it was a hazardous waste. This amounts to a cost-savings of approx. $140,000.
The 4" diameter pipe running through the Site, uncovered by ERRS last week, has been identified as an old lateral sewer line that had been connected to the former Frasier building.
Subcontracted bid for disposal of contaminated soil and radioactive fly ash was awarded to Capitol Environmental. Disposal of these waste streams is on-hold until the concrete is removed.
ERRS cleared additional debris such as tree stumps and old wire fencing from the Site in preparation for excavating the contaminated soil.
POLREP # 18 was issued updating removal activities for last week's reporting period.
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Planned actions for next week include shipping the contaminated concrete floor sections for T & D. Also planned for next week is removing the top layer of radioactive fly ash and bulking it into trucks for disposal.
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