The Atlas Iron and Metal Co., Inc. site (Atlas) is located at 10019 South Alameda Street in the City of Los Angeles, California. Atlas is bordered to the north by LEX-West, a Lexington Steel Corporation, to the south by David Starr Jordan High School facilities and to the west by the Jordan High School sports field. Alameda Street and the Alameda corridor border Atlas facility to the east. The Los Angeles River is located 3.5 miles southeast of Atlas. Atlas is an approximately three acre active metal recycling facility where scrap metal is stored and prepared for reuse by cutting, welding and sorting operations. The site has operated as a metal recycling facility since approximately 1949.
In October, 2005 the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), submitted a formal Request for Federal Action to EPA to address two waste piles present at the facility. Subsequent negotiations between EPA, DTSC and the PRP resulted in an EPA-approved PRP Removal Action Workplan and Health and Safety Plan for the excavation and disposal of the waste piles and any associated areas of soil contamination. The PRP removal team mobilized on August 14, 2006. EPA field operations are expected to conclude in September 2006.
See POLREP #1 for additional site description.
All removal activities are being conducted by the PRP under the terms of an EPA-approved Removal Action Workplan (RAP) and Site Health and Safety Plan (HASP). EPA approved the RAP on 8/3/06 and the HASP on 8/7/06. The following organizations are participating in the removal action:
• EPA - Providing primary oversight of RAP implementation.
• DTSC - Providing oversight of RAP implementation and lead for community involvement coordination.
• SOS - Prime PRP contractor responsible for overall site removal activities. In addition they are collecting perimeter air samples for lead contamination.
• ERRG - SOS subcontractor; responsible for sorting through waste piles to separate ferrous metals and waste, loading of wastes for off site disposal, and exclusion zone air monitoring for dust emissions.
Current Activities
9/6/06
A. Planning was finalized with Atlas removal contractors (SOS, ERRG) to resume large pile area excavation, stockpiling and removal activities on 9/7/06 based on the visual results of the 8/31/06 exploratory “pot-hole” excavations. The pot-holes were dug with an excavator to approximate 5 foot depths in an attempt to roughly delineate the remaining below grade volume of waste across the large pile footprint. At 7 of the locations, visible waste body materials transitioned to a uniform grey-brown soil layer at between 1-3 feet below existing grade. SOS collected grab samples of this potentially native soil from each of these 7 grids for off-site laboratory analysis of metals and PCBs (data pending). Split samples were also received by DTSC. At Grid #8 (southeast corner of the large pile footprint), waste was encountered to a depth of about 6-8 below grade (sample not collected). Exploratory excavation was stopped at this depth due to metallic debris impeding the excavation.
9/7/06
A. OSC Benson and START on-site. Re-mobilization of SOS and ERRG to continue large pile area excavation activities. The waste soils were excavated from north to south and stockpiled on-site for removal.
B. The SOS Project Manager advised EPA that what appeared to be an old septic tank system was discovered in the northeast corner of the excavation area (Grid #5) at a depth below the sample collection point from 8/31/06. Dark colored soils, black liquid, redwood fragments and a concrete surround could be seen in the Grid area.
9/8/06
A. START on-site. ERRG completed excavation activities. The final depths of excavation corresponding to each of the 8 waste pile grids is to be reported by SOS and documented in final project reporting. The surface dimensions of the final large pile excavation area as measured by START are 40 feet along the northern boundary, 45 feet along the southern boundary and 145 feet in length.
B. Approximately 252 yd3 of stockpiled waste was transported off-site.
B. In a discussion between OSC Benson and SOS lead Dr. L. Russell, OSC Benson advised Dr. Russell that the data from the 7 samples collected on 8/31/06 could be used to supplement, but not fully replace, the confirmation sampling requirement specified in Section 4.0 of the EPA approved RAP. Dr. Russell agreed to collect additional samples prior to covering the excavation face.
9/11/06
A. START on-site. Work effort focused on the loading and off-site transportation of approximately 198 yd3 of stockpiled waste.
9/12/06
A. START on-site. Work effort focused on the loading and off-site transportation of all remaining stockpiled waste (approximately 72 yd3).
B. All wastes were manifested to the Chemical Waste Management facility in Kettleman City, CA, under the Basic Description:
RQ, Hazardous Waste Solid, N.O.S., 9, NA 3077, PG III (D006, D008)
C. SOS collected 8 post-removal confirmation samples at the previously identified grid center points for off-site analysis of metals and PCBs. The Grid #5 sample location was moved to just south of the old septic tank system and a 9th composite sample of the dark stained soils within this area was collected at the request of OSC Benson (data pending).
D. EPA CIC V. Rosen provided a bi-lingual (English-Spanish) EPA Atlas Fact Sheet to DTSC for distribution within the adjacent Jordan High School community.
9/13/06
A. ERRG conducted site cleanup, covered the large pile excavation with plastic sheeting, and completed equipment and personnel demobilization.
9/14/06
A. EPA CIC Rosen mailed the Atlas Fact Sheet to 2,800 recipients in a one-quarter mile radius around the Atlas facility. The recipient list, provided by DTSC, has been used in the past to communicate site issues and DTSC actions with the community. To date, OSC Benson has received no community inquiries.
• Continued EPA lead oversight for this project will be dependent upon the results of confirmation sampling and negotiations with DTSC and the PRP.
• Receipt and review of SOS analytical data from the 8/31/06 and 9/12/06 sampling efforts. Receipt of DTSC split sample analysis (8/31/06 effort).
• Receipt of SOS reports including the sampling Report of Findings and Conclusions and Removal Action Report which is to provide a comprehensive summary of the removal action.
• EPA-DTSC project transition meetings and final report(s) delivery to DTSC.
• A Final POLREP will document the outcome of these steps
An approximate total of 522 yd3 of below grade waste (29 loads) were excavated and removed in the re-mobilization period from 9/7/06 – 9/12/06. Approximately 1,764 yd3 (98 loads) of both small and large pile waste materials were removed in total. An Atlas Manifest Summary Table can be found in the documents link at www.epaosc.net/atlas.
|
