At 1615 hours on 10/29/08 EPA received a notification from the NRC that a chemical release was occurring at Abrachem Chemical, a bulk chemical packaging facility that leased a building in Clifton, Passaic County, NJ. The NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection was on-scene and requested EPA's presence.
At 1730 hours OSC Ellen Banner and OSC Paul Kahn responded to the scene. The company was found to be storing drums and bulk containers of known and unknown chemicals in 17 56-foot long intermodal shipping carriers (ISCs), stacked 3 tiers high (approx. 35 feet). Only 5 of the ISCs could be opened, and inside those it was observed that drums and bulk containers were staged behind tiers of empty poly drums, giving the impression that the ISCs were used for new drum storage. EPA observed that in the one ISC where the release originated at least one drum was leaking its contents onto a wooden pallet; strong chemical odors emanated from the open door of the ISC and were also pervasive in the general area.
The Operator of Abrachem retained the services of a remediation company, and contractor personnel were advised to lay poly sheeting and begin removing and overpacking the leaking and unknown drums that were readily accessible. Work commenced almost immediately, but at 2100 hours was halted due to lack of adequate lighting and inability to phyusically access the majority of the drums through the narrow doorway.
The Operator of Abrachem and the Owner of the property was issued a Field Expedient Notice, and in response the Operator stated he would initiate a removal action. When his efforts to respond to the release, and threats of a release, proved to be inadequate EPA sought voluntary access to initiate a response action. This access was denied on two occasions. On 12/4/2008 EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) for access. The Operator refused to comply with the UAO and EPA referred the matter to the Department of Justice for a legal remedy. On 1/8/2009 a federal Magistrate issued an access warrant to EPA to initiate a response action at the Site.
The ERRS crew has remobilized to the Site and the removal action has resumed as of 8/10/09.
Disposal profiles for the approx. 1,000 drums of waste chemicals have been received by the OSC, signed, and faxed to ERRS for processing with the disposal facilities.
The OSC provided a courtesy notification to the Passaic River Sewerage Commission, the operator of the local publicly owned treatment works (POTW), informing the POTW that EPA was planning to discharge 550 gallons (10 drums) of dilute (< 1%) sodium permanganate solution to the POTW. The written notification had a lab analysis of the material attached for reference purposes. The POTW replied to the OSC in writing that the intended discharge was acceptable, but requested that the discharges be limited to two drums per NON-rain day; a copy of the letter from the POTW is in the "Documents" section of this web site. On 8/11/09 the first drum was discharged into a nearby sewer access manhole on the Site.
On 8/11 Freehold Cartage picked up a 30-cu. yd. roll-off of crushed drums and scrap metal for recycling.
Ship 13 drums of Exxon-Mobil waste chemicals for T & D at no cost to the government. Continue preparing remaining drums for T & D. Continue discharging drums of dilute permanganate solution to POTW as agreed upon with POTW management.
See above.
See above.
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