Pollution Report Profile - EPA OSC Response

Seven Out
Waycross, GA - EPA Region IV
POLREP #4 - Final POLREP

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On-Scene Coordinator - Matthew Huyser	6/10/2005
Emergency - Removal Action	Pollution Report (POLREP) #4
Start Date: 1/27/2005

Site Description
The Site is located at 901 Francis Street, Waycross, Georgia.  The past operational history of the site involved the storage and treatment of industrial waste water.   Most of the tanks were full of waste water from the operation.  The tanks are located adjacent to a public road in an area frequented by area residents and workers.  Before the start of EPA's action some of the tanks were uncovered and overflowing.  Access to the Site is unrestricted.

On 27 January 2005, OSC Stilman mobilized to the Seven Out Tank Site to conduct a removal site evaluation, based on a request from the State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the City of Waycross.  On 26 January 2005, both EPD and the City of Waycross contacted EPA regarding an overflow of  facility tanks, causing wastes from the tanks to overflow into secondary containment.  Secondary containment was also reportedly overflowing.   While conducting a reconnaissance of the site, OSC Stilman discovered approximately forty-one abandoned tanks on the site, located near a public road bordering the site.  Thirty-seven of the tanks are located within a low concrete secondary containment wall that was overflowing.  Four of the tanks were outside of secondary containment.  The secondary containment was overflowing with a mixture of rainwater and waste (waste water) from uncovered tanks.  The waste water was flowing over the secondary containment wall into a drainage ditch.  The total amount of waste water in the tanks were estimated to be 450,000 gallons.

The Seven Out facility notified EPD as a used oil processor, but operated a wastewater treatment plant that failed to meet the discharge limits for the City of Waycross’s Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW).  On March 1, 2004, the City of Waycross disconnected the facility’s connection to the POTW, and the facility has not been in operation since that time.  When the facility discontinued processing wastewaters, it ended up with an overflow of incoming wastewater, which had to be stored in four rented portable/temporary tanks that were placed on the adjoining property owned by CSX.  At the time of EPA's assessment those tanks were still on-site.  The EPD considered the facility to be incorrectly storing hazardous waste and out of compliance with State of Georgia regulations.

During the week of August 23, 2004, EPA sampled the tanks, at the request of the EPD.  Acetone, benzene, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and other hazardous constituents were found.  On 27 January 2005, OSC Stilman found the facility abandoned.  Facility buildings were also found open and unlocked.  One facility building housed what appeared to be a small testing laboratory.

EPA arrived on-scene to reduce the threats posed by the Site through the following actions:

Emergency stabilization of the secondary containment and the tanks which had been observed to be overflowing;

Sampling of waste from tanks and secondary containment to determine the specific nature of the contents;

Bulking of waste materials and disposal off site;

Determination of the extent of sludge and soil contamination and disposal off-site;

Movement and/or removal of tanks to allow for the safe clean-up of the Site.

Current Activities
EPA, ERRS and the USCG-GST arrived onsite to stabilize the Site.  USCG-GST providing safety and contractor monitoring.

Based on the analytical information collected by EPA's START contractor, waste water from the on-site tanks was shipped off-site.

Approximately 350,000 gallons of waste water was shipped off-site for disposal.

All three frac tanks used by EPA to temporarily hold waste water were deconned and returned to Baker tanks.  Three out of the four frac tanks initially found on-site have been emptied of waste water and returned to Baker tanks.  One frac tank has approximately five feet of hardened sludge and remains on-site.  Of the tanks remaining, all contain some amount of sludge.  All pumpable waste has been removed.

All drums and small tanks have been sampled and haz-catted.  Based on laboratory analysis, the containers were consolidated and the waste disposed of off-site.

In addition approximately 3,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide and 3,000 gallons of feric chloride have been shipped off-site for recycling.  Four 5,000 gallon poly tanks of low and high pH material used by Seven Out for the treatment of waste water remain on-site.

The Site was demobbed on June 10, 2005.

Planned Removal Actions
EPA Fund lead activies have been completed.

Next Steps
A determination will be made as to the appropriate mechanism to address the remaining Site wastes. An additional removal action may be necessary to address the sludge in the tanks and the reactive materials still stored on Site.

Disposition Of Wastes

Waste Stream	Quantity	Manifest #	Disposal Facility
Corrosive (Acidic) D002, D007	1100 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Corrosive (Basic) D002	275 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Potassium Permanganate, D001	55 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Bisulfites D002	55 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Hydrogen Peroxide D001	55 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Oxidizing Liquid D001	55 gallons	1	Clean Harbors, Baltimore, MD
Non-Haz Waste Water	352,600 gallons		Water Recovery, Jacksonville, FL and Onyx Pecan Road Landfill, Valdosta, GA