This site is a former fireworks manufacturing facility. During World War 2 some munitions manufacturing may have occurred. Wastes onsite include fireworks components spread throughout the site in a number of small buildings and trailers. Many of these buildings and trailers were unsecured and in poor condition. On 3/25/07, a building onsite caught fire (allegedly started by vandals) and burned.
On 3/28/07, OSC Gregory Ham issued a Special Bulletin to activate an emergency response on site to address the hazards posed by potential fireworks and fireworks components onsite. On 3/29/07, the OSC and technical and cleanup contractors mobilized to the site, collected 21 samples of various materials onsite. Several bags of hexachloroethane were found onsite, along with small bags of pigments containing nitrobenzene. Two drums of material containing potassium perchlorate were found also.
On 4/3/2007, a hazard categorization was conducted on each of these samples. The results revealed 9 substances that were oxidizers, 5 shock sensitive/reactive, 4 flammables, 2 combustible, and 2 that gave off colored smoke (a number of samples were in multiple categories above). 9 samples gave no reactions.
The suspected hazardous/flammable materials onsite were overpacked or bagged and stored in two secure locations onsite, awaiting sample results for final disposition. The operator of the site has repaired the fencing onsite (completed 4/27/07).
On June 8, 2007, EPA and it's contractors returned to the site and shipped four drums of hazardous waste from the site, including various mixtures of hexachloroethane, sodium perchlorate, nitrobenzene, potassium perchlorate, and barium chlorate. These wastes were shipped to an approved offsite disposal facility.
An environmental assessment of the site was completed in June 2008. Surface and subsurface soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment samples were collected at the site.
From December 2007 through the present, EPA and its contractors conducted several surveys of the site to detect magnetic anomalies that might indicate the presence of ordinance related materials. Based on these surveys the OSC identified specific areas (totalling approximately one half acre) for further, intrusive investigations to determine whether or not there were any munitions of explosive concern on the site. In October, 2011, EPA and its contractors investigated these areas by using a White XLT All-Metals Detector, and hand excavating all anomalies down to two feet. During this assessment, one expended hand grenade fuze and one empty 40 mm base fuze casing were identified. Both were determined to be material designated as safe. No other munitions related debris was discovered. The remaining anomalies were determined to be metal scrap from varous sources.
Based on the environmental assessment and the ordinance assessment conducted at this site, no further EPA field actions are anticipated at this site.
No further field actions are anticipated at this site based on current information.
|
