Progress at smelter site
The bulk of the preparation work has been completed. Soil have been removed from the contaminated areas and consolidated on site. The area has been reshaped and graded to allow for drainage away from wellheads. Considerable number of trees has been spared to maintain an aesthetically pleasing site. The smelter site had considerable scrap metal and debris scattered throughout. All scrap metal have been stockpiled on a concrete pad on site to be recycled by the property owner at a later time. Debris and contaminated wood chip piles have been placed in the consolidation area.
Chain linked fences have been installed at a 100 foot radius around the three wellheads. The purpose of the wellhead fences is to keep all heavy equipment outside the Sanitary Control Area.
Progress at residential sites
EPA began excavation on residential property #1 on August 9 and finished excavating on August 13. EPA began soil removal on the properties #2 on August 11and #3 on August 12 and finished excavating on August 13.
EPA continues to meet with homeowners to do walkthroughs of their properties to determine what work will be done, point out areas of concerns, and vegetation they wish to preserve.
Ambient Air monitoring
No action levels for ambient air concentration have been exceeded for lead, arsenic, cadmium, copper, or total particulate matter. Monitors and personal air samplers have been situated on fences around the smelter site, next to residential properties where removal work is being conducted, and in areas around the town (Pope and Talbot, the Northport School, the post office, and the temporary water tank under the bridge). Two water trucks (2000 and 4000 gallon capacities) are being used to suppress dust at the Le Roi Smelter site, on streets around town, and at residential properties. They are spreading 25,000 gallons of water per day.
EPA will continue removal actions at residential properties #1, #2, and #3 by backfilling with clean soil and covering with grass, hydroseed, and/or gravel.
EPA will begin excavations on the next residential properties.
EPA will continue meeting with homeowners to obtain access agreements and conduct walkthoughs. EPA lacks access agreements from five homeowners.
Three well heads which serve as drinking water for the town of Northport are located inside the Le Roi Smelter site. Northport staff need access to the well heads for maintenance and to read water usage on a daily basis. In addition, the Northport needs access in case of emergency. However, EPA has installed a chain linked fence around most of the Le Roi Smelter site and have chained the entrance to the roads leading to the wells. The need for the fences is required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations out of health and safety concerns for the public.
EPA has asked that Northport maintenance personnel sign in at the 24-hour guard shack and they will be issued a key to the gate and a hard hat and advised of any health and safety concerns before going on site. In addition, EPA has offered to assist in any emergency with heavy equipment and personnel. If the emergency occurs after hours, EPA contractors can be located in cabins next to the smelter site.
Town of Northport has informed EPA that they own (not easements) 80-foot right-of-ways on streets and 18-foot right-of-way in alleyways. Most properties are clearly defined by a sidewalk. At our first property, there was no sidewalk. It would be costly and time consuming for EPA to survey where private property ownership ends and city ownership begins to conduct a cleanup. While aesthetically the final yard would not look good, more importantly EPA could be leaving contamination in an area which for all intent and purposes are used by residents as their extended yard area.
EPA approached the town council on this issue and asked if we could conduct removal into city property up to the edge of the paved roads. The city of Northport agreed to this and has granted us access to do so. They only ask that we replace in kind. That is, if there is grass, replace with sod and if there is gravel, replace with gravel. EPA has agreed to this arrangement. In addition, EPA has offered to inform the town of Northport before we do removal work on city-owned right-of-way so town personnel can inspect the area for additional concerns.
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