Franke's Laundromat operated as a laundry and dry-cleaning facility from the early 1960's until the business closed in March 2000. The site has been unoccupied since. Site investigation activities conducted by the property owners and City of Caldwell since 1999 have revealed high concentrations of tetrachloroethene, also known as perchloroethylene (PCE) in soils and groundwater at and downgradient of the site. PCE was detected in shallow groundwater at the site as high as 155,000 ug/l. PCE is in the lower aquifer 400 feet downgradient from the site at 120 ug/l. PCE in soils at approximately 9 foot depth are as high as 450 mg/kg.
On June 24, 2003, EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with the property owners for removal site investigation activities, to characterize the lateral and vertical extent of PCE contamination and investigate appropriate removal action. The property owners refused to enter into additional negotiations for removal cleanup activities. EPA, therefore, is initiating a removal action to remove PCE contaminated soils that present an on-site human health exposure threat, or threat of continued migration off-site in groundwater and soils. In order to access highly contaminated soils beneath and adjacent to the former laundromat, the abandoned building must be demolished and removed.
May 26, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 7
START Contractor - 1
EPA OSC - 1
Weather: Partly cloudy, high in 60s, no precip.
Work Performed: Removed concrete pad and foundation. Loaded out 150 tons non-contaminated concrete from building demolition for recycling. Located gas line and cut abandoned gas line through site. Received one load of linear shoring.
May 27, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 7
START Contractor - 1
EPA OSC - 1
Weather: Partly cloudy, high 60s, turning to rain in afternoon and night.
Work performed: Dug test pit to 11 feet for sample to send to disposal facility in Beatty, NV. Collected samples from 28 drums of investigative waste left on site by property owner. Disconnected power from light tower near excavation. Received additional linear shoring. Secured excavation and stockpiles soils from rainwater.
May 28, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 7
START Contractor - 1
EPA OSC - 1
EPA ERT - 1
Weather: Periods of heavy rain throughout day and night, high 50s.
Work performed: Took down light tower with crane truck and man lift. Set up water treatment process. Quit work early because of heavy rainfall.
May 29, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 7
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
EPA ERT - 1
Weather: Rain in early morning turning to partly cloudy, high 50s.
Work performed: Excavated footprint for shoring and set linear shoring (21'x 19'), starting from parking lot curb. Established protocol for segregating excavated soils (clean, dirty but likely not to fail TCLP, dirty and likely failing TCLP), using field GC/MS analytical results correlated to PID screening of excavated soils. Removed water in drums left by property owner from site investigation and ran through on-site water treatment system for holding in 20,000 gallon on-site tank. Secured excavation and site to mitigate rainwater infiltration until Monday. No work Sunday, May 30.
May 31, 2004
Personnel on site:
ERRS Contractor - 7
START Contractor - 2
EPA OSC - 1
EPA ERT - 1
Weather: Clear and warm. High in mid-70s.
Work performed: Excavated approximately 150 cubic yard soil from first shoe box down to depth of ground water (approximately 15 feet below ground surface). Segregated soils based on screening protocol into 50 yard piles of clean, not clean, and dirty, pending analytical results for disposal. Collected and analyzed 12 soil samples from excavation, using on-site GC/MS, to help in determination of extent of contamination and necessary excavation. Collected 5-point composite samples from two excavated stockpiles for TCLP analysis necessary for disposal. Also shipped samples to confirm field GC/MS results. Samples shipped to Portland, OR on air cargo for quick turn-around lab results.
Continue excavation of contaminated soils. Send off for disposal. Backfill excavation pit and restore site.
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