Ken’s Metal Finishing Site (KMF) is located at 2333 Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. The Site is a former metal electroplating and polishing facility that began operation in 1978 in North Minneapolis. The Site is located in a residential neighborhood with approximately eleven residential properties within 200 feet (ft) of KMF. A crisis & childcare center is located to the southeast; a public school & park is located to the west; and a public elementary school is located approximately 700 ft to the west of the Site. At least four churches and one park are within a 1,000 ft radius of the Site.
A Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report completed on June 15, 2006 documented the following site conditions:
• Accumulation, improper storage and management of solid and liquid industrial waste; and
• Poor structural integrity of the facility, including a damaged, leaking roof.
On March 14, 2008, Steve Kennedy with the City of Minneapolis, Chief Fruetel of Minneapolis Fire Department and a building inspector assessed the scene at the facility.
On March 17, 2008, the City of Minneapolis through Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requested U.S. EPA respond to releases and threatened releases of plating shop chemicals and wastes at KMF facility located in North Minneapolis. The operators failed a number of opportunities and demands to comply with the county, state, and federal waste regulatory programs. The condition of the containers and the building makes the current conditions unsafe for the neighborhood.
On March 19, 2008, the owner signed an consent to access the property to perform a site assessment.
On March 19-20, 2008, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) Anita Boseman, Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START), Weston Solutions, Inc. (WESTON) and their subcontractor, Bay West Inc., met with the property owner to conduct a site assessment of the facility. START documented the conditions at the Site to evaluate the potential threats to human health and the environment posed by the Site. Over 180 containers (i.e. drums, small containers, tanks and vats) of metal processing materials and waste were inventoried and sampled to determine the quantity and type of waste located at the site.
The Site was characterized by uncontrolled access; miscellaneous containers of corrosive, toxic, and flammable materials including oxidizers, solutions and solids with cyanide, acids and caustics; questionable integrity of building structures; and identified waste storage violations, all of which pose an imminent and substantial threat to human health and the environment.
Based on the information gathered during the site assessment, the U.S. EPA implemented an emergency removal action to address the Site hazards and to mitigate the imminent and substantial endangerment posed to human health and the environment.
