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Double H Pesticide Burial Site

All POLREP's for this site Double H Pesticide Burial Site
Grandview, WA - EPA Region X
POLREP #5 - Removal and investigatory work
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On-Scene Coordinator - Andy Smith, On-Scene Coordinator 8/18/2009
Time-Critical - Removal Action Pollution Report (POLREP) #5
Start Date: 7/21/2009 Completion Date: 9/30/2009
Pollution Report (POLREP) #5
Current Activities
August 3 – 7

Site A
Further excavation has turn up more buried containers:

* 3 poly drums labeled stylet oil.  This oil is a carrier for pesticides is not hazardous by itself. [8/21/09 Correction:  Stylet oil is a mineral oil.  It is used in organic farming for fungicide and pesticide control by suffocating the organism or interfering with the attachment of an organism with its host.  It also controls virus transmited by aphids.]
* Four 2-gallon containers labeled Epimek
* Four 2-gallons containers labeled Gramoxone (paraquat)
* Several plastic bag outer packaging labeled Guthion
* Two 2-gallon containers labeled Sevin
* Two empty backpack pesticide sprayers
* Oil was seen leaking from side walls of the excavation and floating on ground water in excavation pits.

Two roll-off containers with clean debris from Site A were taken to the Yakima County Landfill.


Site B

The following is an approximate accounting of what has been excavated:

* Fifty 5-gallon oil containers with a quarter containing residual amounts of oil.  The condition of the oil containers that were excavated have all been compromised by being crushed, dented, and/or punctured.
* Two metal drums and one poly drum with no labels and at this time their contents, if any, are unknown.
* 20 empty non-chlorinated aerosol brake cleaner cans.
* 24 lead-acid batteries.
* Large concrete slabs with rebar from foundation of former chicken coop along with other construction debris.
* The chassis of a three wheeler, two engine blocks, a lawnmower, a water pressure tank, and a couple of bicycles.

The containers have been intermixed with household appliances and garbage which constitute the bulk of the debris excavated.


August 10 – 14

On Monday it was decided to suspend work for the week in order to repair the mechanical screener and because they were waiting on results of soil samples from Site B.


Next Steps
For week of August 17, screen debris from soil at Site B.  Segregate and properly dispose of containers and debris.