The Southern Illinois Railcar (SIR) Site is located at 7570 Ottawa Road, Cairo, Allen County, Ohio 45807. The facility is a former fertilizer plant adjacent to the Warrington Ditch a tributary of Rattlesnake Creek and Little Auglaize River. The Site is currently owned and operated by Southern Illinois Railcar as a railcar repair facility.
On December 2, 2008, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency documented a drainage trench on the SIR Site discharging a dark brown liquid. Field-testing showed the dark brown liquid contained ammonia levels as high as 1000 ppm and pH above 11 standard units (s.u.). On December 3, 2008, Allied Environmental Services (AES) working on behalf of Southern Illinois Railcar provided the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) with analytical results showing ammonia as high as 3,130 mg/L (Under Ohio Administrative Code Section 3745-1-07, the maximum default criteria for ammonia in the Warrington Ditch is 13 mg/L. The default criteria for pH is 7.3 s.u.).
AES is conducting interim response actions. Starting on December 3, 2008 and continuing to date, AES by use of vacuum trucks has been collecting leachate and storm water.
AES is also in the process of performed a site assessment; collecting 41 bore hole samples from 0-2 ft, 2-4 ft, and in some locations 4-6 ft intervals. Data taken by AES and provided to U.S. EPA show ammonia levels at the 0-2 ft interval as high as 14,200 mg/kg (Bore Hole-16: 0-2 ft: Sample ID SIR-121008-ME-040).
AES is to provide a site investigation report to U.S. EPA by January 7, 2009. The site investigation report will be used to develop a work plan.
U.S. EPA will review the pending site investigation report and work plan. U.S. EPA sent a General Notice of Potential Liability to Southern Illinois Railcar on December 30, 2008. The OSC and enforcement team are working on completing an action memorandum and administrative order on consent.
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