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Yakima Mercury Release

All POLREP's for this site Yakima Mercury Release
Yakima, WA - EPA Region X
POLREP #6 - Continuation of Action
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On-Scene Coordinator - Kathy Parker 5/18/2007
Emergency - Removal Action Pollution Report (POLREP) #6
Start Date: 4/16/2007
Pollution Report (POLREP) #6
Current Activities
5/7/2007: Received air confimation results from Tacoma lab. Samples from all three rooms in the house at 1013 S. 6th street yielded results of between 500 and 600 ng/m3 mercury in air (cleanup level is 1000 ng/m3).

5/11/2007: ICS Operational period conference call held. Yakima Health District fact sheet nearly ready for neighborhood distribution.

5/14/2007: OSC retrieved Garcia's jewelry and DVD of inventory from ACE.

5/15/2007: OSC and three ERRS mobilized to site. Vandals had cut straps on the roll-offs. One of the soil roll-offs had been opened. ERRS bought and replaced the damaged straps.  At 0800, the OSC checked the air inside the house with the Lumex in air. Mercury readings varied between 57 and 65 ng/m3 (outside background reading was around 20 ng/m3) except for the laundry room closet which had been closed and yielded a reading of 211 ng/m3. Five waste roll-offs transported off-site.

Two ERRS worked on vacumming the gutter and street in front of the house at 1013. The OSC used the Lumex in air to test the street. A thirty foot area of the street gutter gave readings over 50,000 ng/m3 during the warmest part of the day, with transient readings of up to 5,000 ng/m3 in the breathing zone. At the end of the day two ERRS demobilized.

5/16/2007: OSC and ERRS RM on-site. Wayne Diesen from Yakima City Public Works arrived at 0800 and agreed to cover the thirty foot gutter area with asphalt to encapsulate the mercury. City crews arrived and laid the asphalt and were off-site by 0900. 0920 Fire Marshal Joe Caruso arrived to discuss rebuilding permits and was given a tour of the inside of the house. OSC met with Mark Layman of WDOE to transfer ICS forms from Planning Chief to EPA site file. The OSC and Planning Chief agreed to end the ICS effective immediately. At 1400 hours, two staff from Yakima County Health District on-site to start distributing mercury fact sheets to neighborhood. OSC accompanied the two staff for the first four blocks. OSC requested clearance to reoccupy the house at 1013 S. 6th St. from Yakima Health District director, Gordon Kelly.

5/17/2007: Remaining six waste roll-offs transported off-site. OSC demobilized. Traffic signs and cones returned to rental store. ERRS RM remained on-site to meet with general contractors.

5/18/2007: ERRS RM finished meeting with general contractors and demobilized.


Next Steps
Get Yakima Health District clearance to reoccupy the house.

Replace building components.


Key Issues
Explore relocation cost savings measures - look for furnished apartment in Yakima near Middle School for Garcias.

Negotiate compensation agreements.


 
Disposition Of Wastes
The soil was disposed of at the non-hazardous waste landfill, "Columbia Ridge Landfill" in Arlington, OR and the debris (household and building materials) was disposed of at the hazardous waste landfill, "U.S. Ecology Idaho, Inc" in Grandview, ID.  One drum of high concentration mercury waste was disposed of at "Burlington Environmental, Inc." in Kent WA.

On 5/4/07 a 25 pound drum of Mercury waste was shipped off site on manifest #002702484

On 5/15/07 four 15 ton roll-off boxes of soil were shipped off site on manifest #'s 47545-07, 57549-07, 47555-07 and 47556-07.  Also on 5/15/07 two 20 yard bins of debris were shipped off site on one truck on manifest #001355776.

On 5/17/07 two 15 ton roll-off boxes of soil were shipped off site on manifest #'s 47557-07 and 47558-07.  Also on 5/17/07 three 20 yard bins of debris were shipped off site.  Two were on one truck on manifest #001355777 and one went solo on another truck on manifest #001355778.