The Alum Creek Bike Path Drum Site, is located on the eastern portion of, and adjacent to, 2101 Integrity S. Drive, Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. The Site is 1.3 acres and is a portion of a bike path presently under construction by the Franklin County Metropolitan Parks System. The bike path runs along the western edge of Alum Creek.
Partially buried and subsurface waste drums are located on the Site. The subsurface drum area is located directly in the proposed bike path route. The proposed bike path will provide unrestricted access to the drum area by pedestrians and cyclists. A residential neighborhood is located immediately southeast and northeast of the Site.
The 1.3 acre property is owned by the Franklin County Metropolitan Parks System (Metroparks), with a small portion of the Site abutting the Ohio Department of Transportation (Ohio DOT) embankment for Interstate 70 (I-70). Alum Creek runs along the eastern edge of the Site and I-70 is to the north. Alum Creek flows south-to-north less than 50 feet to the east of the Site. Residential areas are located on the east side of Alum Creek southeast and northeast of the Site. The Site is located in a mixed industrial and commercial park in the western flood plain of Alum Creek.
The Site was initially investigated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) on August 30, 2006, following a report that an equipment operator for the Metroparks had struck a drum and the contents had sprayed onto the operator, equipment, and onto the ground.
The Alum Creek Bike Path Drum Site has an historical connection to another U.S. EPA funded-removal action in the general area. In 1995, U.S. EPA conducted a removal at the Integrity Drive Drum Dump Site. This Site was used for industrial waste disposal from the 1950’s until the 1970’s. During the 1995 removal action approximately 300 surficial drums were removed from an adjacent parcel, however, no underground contamination was discovered.
On October 30, 2006, the OEPA requested assistance from the U.S. EPA Region V, Emergency Response Branch 1 to determine whether a time-critical removal was warranted at the suspected waste burial area (aka Alum Creek Bike Path Drum Site). Please see the Site profile for additional information.
Monday, April 16th, U.S. EPA’s START contractor Weston Solutions, Inc. and ERRS contractor Environmental Quality Management (EQM) mobilized to the site. START provided written and photographic documentation, air monitoring using a photo-ionization detector (PID) and airborne particulates monitoring. The ERRS contractor mobilized personnel and equipment including: a Response Manager, two Operators, one excavator, one roll-off truck, and one small bobcat loader.
Tuesday, April 17th, ERRS began excavation work at the Site approximately 50 feet west of Alum Creek and immediately south of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Right-of-Way bounding Interstate-70 (I-70). Several Franklin County Metroparks and ODOT representatives, and one Ohio EPA representative, were on site at various stages throughout the excavation work. The excavation reached a maximum depth of 14 feet below grade. The top 2-3 feet of excavated material was primarily a light brown fill material mixed with broken glass and debris. Between 2-14 feet below grade the excavator uncovered remnants of former landfill usage at the site:
33 (of 63 total) 55-gallon drums; all damaged, partial and/or open;
Approximately 35 small containers; primarily 1-5 gallon paint cans;
A 2-foot thick layer of blue/green, dried paint type material
Light, yellow-brown opaque grease discharged from several of the 55-gallon drums;
Black oily liquid discharged from several of the 55-gallon drums;
One 55-gallon drum of hardened orange paint material.
START collected a composite sample for disposal analysis from the excavated materials. A slight odor was noted emanating from materials uncovered between 2-14 feet below grade. Odors were usually briefly accompanied by slightly elevated PID readings of 0.1 to 8.0 units downwind of the excavation, suggesting the presence of volatile organic compounds. Odors and PID readings were typically quick to return to baseline in the breathing zone due to steady 5-15 mph wind moving northwest to southeast across the site.
Four 20-ton capacity, roll-off boxes with poly-liners were delivered to the site. All four roll-offs were loaded with excavated material. Four additional roll-off box sized loads of clay were delivered and dumped at the site in preparation for backfilling the excavation.
START collected air monitoring data throughout the day. At two hour intervals START used a Trimble GPS and Rapid Assessment Tools (RAT) software to log air monitoring data around the site perimeter bordering I-70 and Alum Creek.
Wednesday, April 18th, ERRS continued to expand the excavation along the ODOT I-70 Right-of-Way. The trench was expanded east-west along a drainage tile previously installed by a Franklin County Metroparks contractor. The drain tile includes a concrete drainage box located directly south of the excavation area, and runs eastward approximately 50 feet until ultimately discharging into Alum Creek. The OSC noted former landfill materials were visible below and directly adjacent to the drainage box.
An additional 30 55-gallon drums were unearthed during the expansion of the trench. A portion of the manufacturer labeling was observed by the OSC on one drum. Although the majority of the painted label was worn or weathered, the word “National Alluminate” was still visible. An approximate total of 63 drums were removed from the excavation area during this removal action.
Four more 20-ton capacity roll-off boxes were delivered to the site. All were filled with excavated materials.
START personnel continued to collected air monitoring data and log it in the Rapid Assessment Tools (RAT) software.
Thursday, April 19th, ERRS continued to load additional 20-ton capacity roll-off boxes with excavated material. Seven roll-off boxes were loaded on April 19th, bringing the total number of loaded roll-off boxes at the site to 15. The roll-offs were weighed at an adjacent facility after being filled, and were filled with additional excavated material when notably under-capacity. The roll-off weights averaged approximately 17-tons after their final weighing.
At the request of OEPA, two additional shallow trenches were excavated southeast of the excavation along the most probable location of the proposed Metroparks bike path to confirm that no drums would be unearthed during the eventual grading work. Both trenches were approximately 10 feet long and were excavated 3-5 feet deep. No drums or signs of contamination, aside from occasional broken pieces of glass, were observed in either of the trenches.
Franklin County Metroparks’ contractor Shaw & Holter, were on site April 19, 2007, to assist with backfilling, grading and compaction of soil in the excavation area. The contractor brought a bulldozer, a compaction rig, and a dump truck to the site. The bulldozer was used to evenly grade the excavation to a consistent slope. A plastic/fiber grid material was placed on the slope to inhibit uneven settling of backfill material. Clay soil was deposited, graded and compacted in 1 foot layers until the slope was returned to its original elevation and grade.
Excavation work and loading of roll-off boxes was completed on April 19, 2007, by the ERRS contractor. ERRS removed equipment from the excavation site and staged the roll-off boxes and equipment for pickup at a later date.
Friday, April 20th, Franklin County Metroparks contractor Shaw & Holter returned to the site to continue backfilling, grading and compaction of the excavation. START returned to the site to collect final documentation and photos of site conditions following the removal action. The site was seeded to prevent erosion.
May 8-11, all 15 20-yard roll-off boxes of Non-Hazardous Waste were transported off site for disposal. The waste was transported to Republic Services, Inc.’s Pine Grove Landfill, 5131 Drinkle Road, Amanda, OH, 43102.
No further removal actions are anticipated for this site.
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