The US Forgecraft Site is located at 95 S. 3rd Street in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Site is currently inactive and includes four tracts of property interspersed with two sets of railroad tracks. The property is bordered by the Arkansas River, the Fort Smith National Historic Site, and a city street. The property, owned by US Forgecraft Corporation (USFC), is an inactive metal finishing and plating shop. USFC manufactured specialized hardware for parachute harnesses, fall protection systems, cargo, and other restraint systems. Magnetic particle inspection and laboratory testing were also performed onsite.
In May 2004, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) categorized and segregated liquid/solid waste located in various areas throughout the facility. Waste was then staged in 55-gallon drums inside one of the buildings. Smaller containers including paints, calibration fluids, and other small quantity wastes were staged inside another building.
In 2004, the ADEQ requested the assistance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the immediate threats to human health and the environment existing at the site. EPA conducted a site investigation on December 15, 2004 and initiated a removal assessment in May 2005. Removal assessment activities included the collection of soil samples, wipe samples, and drum/container samples. Drum/container samples were entered into a database (Drumtracker) to assist with future removal activities. An asbestos survey was also conducted. During the removal assessment it was observed that a number of vagrants currently reside in the abandoned buildings.
For additional information See Removal Assessment Polrep #1.
The EPA initiated an emergency removal action at the US Foregecraft site on March 13, 2006. This emergency action will temporarily stabilize the site by addressing source materials and securing the site.
The EPA contractors physically inspected all containers and the hazard categorization (HAZCAT) database complied during the removal assessment in May 2005. To date, contractors inventoried and/or staged 476 drums/containers, 9 wastewater treatment tanks, 18 plating vats, and one sump. Approximately 41 unknown containers require additional hazard categorization sampling. All other containers were consolidated into a total of 13 waste streams: neutral liquids/solids, basic liquids/solids, acidic liquids, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, Sodium dithionite, flammables, and paints. Additionally, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant sump was sampled and submitted for TCLP analysis.
To restrict access to the site, EPA contractors have repaired the perimeter fence and hung warning signs. Open windows were boarded up with plywood and various doors were secured shut. Additionally, an open pit was sealed with plywood and additional floor hazards were marked with high visibility paint.
During removal operations, the EPA START-2 contractors conducted air monitoring inside waste storage areas and around the perimeter of the site. No detectable releases of cyanide gas or volatile organic compounds have been observed.
This week, treatment and disposal contractors will be procured to transport the wastes to their final destinations. Neutral liquids will be consolidated into vacuum trucks. Neutral solids will be consolidated into roll-off boxes. The remaining waste streams will be transported to disposal facility as is (i.e., in drums) or will be consolidated into labpacks. In addition to liquid wastes, solid waste from the plating room (including vats) will be demolished, consolidated into a roll-off box, and transported to a permitted disposal facility. Once categorized, the sump liquids will be removed via vacuum trucks, transported, and disposed of at a permitted facility. After all planned activities are completed, the remaining perimeter windows and doors will be boarded up and secured shut.
This week, all waste staged and profiled will be transported and disposed of at a permitted facility. Once all sources of waste are removed from the site, this emergency removal action will be complete. The EPA has plans to conduct additional time critical removal work at the site. Time critical work proposed, includes excavation of contaminated soils and demolition of sumps and vessels.
The Fort Smith National Historical Site has expressed interest in acquiring the land.
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