The USS Lead Site includes the residential area north of the US Smelter and Lead (USS Lead) facility in East Chicago, Indiana. The geographical coordinates for the Site are 41.625676 North latitude and -87.461557 West longitude. The public housing portion of the removal action is located in the southwest corner of the residential area. It is bounded by Magnolia Lane, Gladiola Ave., E. 151st Street, and Aster Ave. The remaining areas with elevated lead levels are scattered throughout the central and eastern portions of the residential area in East Chicago, Indiana.
3. Site Characteristics
The USS Lead Site includes about 1200 homes, a small number of parks, open space as a part of the railroad right-of-way, schools, and public buildings. Some properties in the residential area have levels of lead elevated above U.S. EPA cleanup levels. The likely source for the lead contamination is the USS Lead facility and other industrial sources in the East Chicago, Indiana area.
The USS Lead facility was a primary and secondary smelter of lead in the East Chicago, Indiana area. It began operations around 1906 and ended in 1985. From about 1920 until 1973, USS Lead was a primary smelter of lead. This included a refining process to create high quality lead free of bismuth. From 1973 until its closure in 1985, USS Lead was a secondary smelter and a reprocessor of car batteries. The secondary refinery operations included: battery breaking with tank treatment of spent battery acid at a rate of 16,000 gallons per day; baghouse dust collection with storage in on-site waste piles of up to 8,000 tons of flu dust; and blast furnace slag disposal, which was deposited in the wetland adjacent to and along the southern boundary of the facility. Secondary lead recovery operations ceased in 1985. USS Lead paid out a settlement to fund the operation and maintenance at the closed and remediated facility in a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action agreement with the U.S. EPA.
The East Chicago neighborhood around USS Lead has been an area of intense industrial activity dating back to the early 1900's. Smelting and other metal related processes dominated the activities in the area. Many of the companies involved in metal work included lead-related processes which operated smelting and lead compound production facilities. As a part of their activities, the companies in the area generated lead product or waste in a particulate form. The potential emission sources at these facilities included: furnace stacks, waste piles, and spills of lead products. Chronic airborne pollution from USS Lead and other facilities in the area is the probable source of the lead contamination in the area.
4. Release or threatened release into the environment of a hazardous substance, or pollutant or contaminant
The threat is presented by the presence of lead-contaminated soil.
5. NPL status
This Site is on the National Priorities List (NPL).
6. Maps, pictures and other graphic representations
B. Other Actions to Date
1. Previous actions
U.S. EPA performed a removal action at the Site in 2008. At that time, U.S. EPA remediated 13 properties.
2. Current actions
A Remedial Investigation/Feasibility (RI/FS) Study is ongoing at the USS Lead Site.
C. State and Local Authorities’ role
1. State and local actions to date
The State of Indiana does not have the financial resources to eliminate the threat posed by lead-contaminated soils. The City of East Chicago, Indiana has taken no action.
III. THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT, AND STATUTORY AND REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
Conditions at the Site may pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare or the environment, based upon factors set forth in the National Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 300.415 (b)(2). These conditions include:
Actual or potential exposure to nearby human populations, animals, or the food chain from hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants.
Lead contaminated-soil is situated throughout the residential community near the Site. Samples taken by U.S. EPA of the soil in specific residential properties showed elevated concentrations of lead. Surface soil samples collected at 12 properties showed levels of lead exceeding the removal action level of 1,200 ppm. The highest sample found had a lead level of 5,993 ppm.
Elevated levels of hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants in soils largely at or near the surface.
U.S. EPA sampling verified many of these results. There are elevated levels of hazardous wastes present at the residential areas surrounding the USS Lead Site. Surface soil samples (0-6”) collected at 14 properties as part of the RI/FS showed levels of lead exceeding 1,200 ppm which exceeds the removal action level of 1,200 ppm. The highest sample found had a lead level of 5,993 ppm.
Weather conditions that may cause hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants to migrate or be released.
The RI/FS documented surface soil samples with elevated total lead concentrations of up to 5,993 ppm. Heavy rains may cause further migration of contaminants off site. Winds could cause dust particles containing heavy metals to continue to migrate into the surrounding community. These weather conditions could result in a continued release of the hazardous wastes described herein to the surrounding soil, air and surface water.
The availability of other appropriate federal or state response mechanisms to respond to the release.
The State of Indiana does not have the financial resources to eliminate this threat.
IV. ENDANGERMENT DETERMINATION
Given the Site conditions, the nature of the known and suspected hazardous substances on Site, and the potential exposure pathways described in Sections II and III above, actual or threatened releases of hazardous substances from this Site, if not addressed by implementing the response actions selected in this Memorandum, may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, welfare, or the environment.
V. PROPOSED ACTIONS AND ESTIMATED COSTS
A. Proposed Actions
1. Proposed Action Description:
Removal action activities at this Site will include, but are not limited to, excavation and proper disposal of lead-contaminated soils. The removal action for this Action Memorandum will conduct lead-contaminated soil removals at five East Chicago Public Housing addresses and 7 residential properties. In addition, two properties that were not remediated in 2008 because of access issues will be remediated during this removal action if access can be obtained.
The response actions described in this memorandum directly address actual or potential releases of hazardous substances on Site, which may pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, or welfare, or the environment. Removal activities on Site will include:
a) Develop a Work Plan for the lead-contaminated soil assessment of the Site.
b) Develop and implement a site health and safety plan.
c) Develop and implement an air monitoring plan.
d) Develop and implement site security measures.
e) Conduct land surveying to the extent necessary to establish a grid system to locate all property boundaries, special features (pipes, storage tanks, etc.), and sample locations.
f) Based upon soil results, remove, transport and dispose of all characterized or identified hazardous substances, pollutants, wastes or contaminants at a RCRA/CERCLA approved disposal facility in accordance with the U.S. EPA off-site rule.
g) The soil clean-up criterion is 400 mg/kg lead unless analyses indicate the existence of additional contaminants, hazardous substances, pollutants or waste.
h) Backfill excavated areas with clean material and topsoil with seeding as needed.
The removal action will be conducted in a manner not inconsistent with the NCP. The OSC has initiated planning for provision of post-removal Site control consistent with the provisions of Section 300.415(l) of the NCP and the response actions proposed herein are consistent with any long-term remedial actions which may be required. However, elimination of all threats presented by hazardous substances in the vicinity of the residences is expected to minimize the need for post-removal Site controls.
