Pollution Report Profile - EPA OSC Response

Powhatan Mining Company
Woodlawn, MD - EPA Region III
POLREP #21

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On-Scene Coordinator - Jack Kelly	4/9/2011
Time-Critical - Removal Action	Pollution Report (POLREP) #21
Start Date: 8/16/2010

Site Description
Site Description
The Powhatan Mining Company site is the location of a former asbestos processing facility. The mill operated from approximately 1920 to 1980 primarily processing anthophyllite asbestos.  Asbestos ore for the mill was mined in Maryland until about the 1940s and later brought in from several States including California, Georgia and Alabama. The site is bordered on all sides by residential properties and the residential yards to the southwest lie within feet of the former processing facility and in the path of site runoff.  In 2006, the property to the east of the former mill was  subdivided into residential lots for new home construction. From 2006 to 2008, the residential lots were  cleared and graded and retention ponds were installed. Development ceased after only two homes were constructed.

The former processing facility is a multi-story building with a loading area on the northeast end (cement block portion) and a processing area at the southwest end (rusted metal portion).  The asbestos fiber extraction process took place inside the building complex.  Asbestos ore was reportedly received and first dried in the cement block portion of the complex.  Further processing of the rock ore is believed to have occurred in the metal portion of the facility, a multi-level, timber-framed structure with stone foundation and corrugated metal siding.  In the milling operation believed used at this facility, the asbestos ore was first crushed to a normal, even size and then dried.  Fiber extraction then occured through a series of crushing operations, each followed by vacuum aspiration of the ore running on a vibrating screen.  On the screen, the fibers were released from the ore and collected into a vacuum system.  Fibers recovered from consecutive vibrating screens were brought to cyclone separators, and the air filtered to remove the finer, suspended fibers.

The property was brought to EPA's attention by the Maryland Dept of the Environment.  After an initial assessment, a non-emergency Removal Action primarily intended to secure building openings was initiated by the OSC in a Special Bulletin dated August 11, 2009.  More recent sampling data and conditions warranted a time-critical action. A time-critical Action Memorandum for the site, concurred on by HQ, was signed on June 8, 2010. In addition, a memorandum authorizing demolition and compensation to the property owner was approved by the Region and HQ on this date.

EPA will be conducting removal activities at the site in order to deconstruct the facility and remove/cover soil which may pose a threat to public health and/or the environment.  During activities which will cause significant disturbance of interior dust or outdoor soils, air samples periodically will be collected from personal sampling devices on cleanup personnel to determine if proper levels of protection are being used at the site.  Additional air samples will be collected along the perimeter of the site to confirm that engineering controls are protective of the surrounding community.

Current Activities
03/28 - OSC in Philadelphia all day for meetings.  Surveyor staked out property lines.

3/29 - Weston PE and ERRS meeting onsite to complete building design. Major issue is new building wall foundation.  A total of 72 trucks of R6 have been delivered onsite to date.  The new garage pad is 95% complete.

3/30 - ERRS crews conducting asbestos removal activities at exterior hopper and conveyor belt.  ERRS conducting grading activities at the new pad.  A scrap dealer arrived onsite to speak with owner. The OSC explained to the owner that any items removed by a scrap dealer must be free of asbestos and there are some items EPA cannot clean. ERRS obtaining a supplier for clean fill.  The OSC will review MDE guidance/regs on sampling fill for site use.

3/31 - Three truckloads of wood chips removed from the site by City Parks personnel.  The OSC and RM continued coordination with the Weston PE on new building issues.

4/1 through 4/2 - OSC not onsite due to family issue.

4/4 through 4/9 - OSC not onsite due to ongoing soil analysis activities in Philadelphia and mandatory EPA Region III exercise.  ERRS continues encapsulation activities.  New garage pad is complete.  Subcontractors for driveway installation onsite to provide estimates.  The OSC directed START to conduct sampling on clean fill material.  Final grading/building foundation design received.

Planned Removal Actions
- Continue encapsulation in former processing section of old facility and complete interior cleaning especially of items in Bay 1.

Next Steps
- Complete an E&S/Stormwater plan for approval by MDE.
- Coordinate start-up of building construction. The subcontractor (Rasche Bros) will want to obtain a building permit from Baltimore County. The OSC will accompany Rasche to County Building in Towson.
- Coordinate work with the newly acquired demolition sub contractor (LVI Services Inc); obtain H&S Plan and Workplan.

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Disposition Of Wastes
Friable and Non-Friable asbestos-containing waste (ACM) has been disposed of. This includes porous, contaminated personal items and demolition waste. Personal "white good" items that were cleaned of asbestos but identified as not needed by the owner were sent off to the local county landfill for disposal.

Waste Stream	Quantity	Manifest #	Disposal Facility
Asbestos from interior cleaning	40 cu yds	057176	Old Dominion Landfill, Richmond, VA 10/16/10
Asbestos from interior cleaning	40 cu yds	057177	Old Dominion Landfill, Richmond, VA 11/11/10
Asbestos from interior cleaning	40 cu yds	057178	Old Dominion Landfill, Richmond, VA 12/17/10
Asbestos " "	1.92 tons	057183	Old Dominion Landfill, Richmond, VA 02/24/11