The Hull Pottery Company property is located at 327 Amerine Street in Crooksville, Perry County, Ohio 43731.  The geographical coordinates for the Site are 39°45’49.92” North latitude and 82°05’28.67” West longitude. The Site is located in a mixed commercial/residential/recreational area of Crooksville, Ohio.   Approximately 928 people live within 1 mile of the Site. Residences are located approximately 100 feet from the northern and eastern property lines.  Baseball fields also border the property to the east.  The Moxahala Creek forms the southern border of the property.

Previous investigations performed by the OEPA determined that the lead in the pottery glazing material had concentrations of up to 80,700 ppm of lead.   During a Site Assessment conducted in August 2010, the USEPA documented the presence of exposed pottery shard and pottery glazing material at the surface in several areas of the Hull Pottery property.  A subsequent investigation in October 2010 determined that the concentration of lead at Hull Pottery in fill material and surface soils was as high as 111,000 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). and Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) concentrations over 300 milligrams per liter (mg/L). USEPA also documented evidence of trespassing. Additionally, sampling in October of 2012, further identified the presence of glazing material in surface soils of residential yards surrounding the former HPC with lead concentrations as high as 4,000 mg/kg.

According to the ATSDR ToxFAQ, lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system, both in adults and children. Long-term exposure of adults can result in decreased performance in sorhe tests that measure functions of the nervous system. It may also cause weakness in fingers, wrists, or ankles. Lead exposure also causes small increases in blood pressure, particularly in middle-aged and older people and can cause anemia. Exposure to high lead levels can severely damage the brain and kidneys in adults or children and ultimately cause death. In pregnant women, high levels of exposure to lead may cause miscarriage. High level exposure in men can damage the organs responsible for sperm production.
 
1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

On August 25, 2010, USEPA conducted a preliminary site assessment in order to gather in-situ lead measurements using an Innov-X X-Ray Flourescence Spectrometer (XRF) of near-surface soils along seven transects across the Site. The results of the transect investigation determined that near-surface soils had elevated lead concentrations. The laboratory analytical results from nine locations indicated  total lead concentrations ranging from 475 mg/kg to 29,400 mg/kg. Three of the sample locations had TCLP lead concentrations (ranging from 6.04 to 8.92 mg/L) exceeding the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) regulatory limit of 5 mg/L. 

On October 19 – 22, 2010, USEPA returned to conducted additional assessments in order to determine the vertical and horizontal extent of lead contamination.  This consisted of excavating 88 test pits throughout the Site.  A soil cover layer of varied thickness overlies the Site.  The soil cover varied from < 0.5 feet to 6 feet. The underlying area was a heterogeneous layer of fill material consisting of pottery molds/shards, glazing material and building material. The thickness of the fill material layer ranged from <0.5 feet to to over 12 feet.  The volume estimate of fill material underlying the property is over 1,060,000 cubic feet. During this field investigation, fill material  was screened with an XRF and in 43 of the test pits samples were collected for TCLP lead analysis.  The XRF total lead field readings ranged from 21 mg/kg to 111,129 mg/kg.  Thirty of the samples had TCLP lead concentrations ranging from 5.67 mg/L to 341 mg/L.  Based on these results, a fence was constructed around the Hull Pottery Property in March of 2011 to restrict access and limit exposures. 

During these assessments, interviews of residents, former employees of Hull Pottery and local governmental officials suggested that similar types of material were buried throughout the Village of Crooksville.  As a result in 2011-2012 USEPA collected and analyzed historical aerial photographs dating back to the early 1900s in order to identify fill areas within and around the Village of Crooksville in order to conduct an additional assessment of residential areas.

On October 8 - 14, 2013, USEPA conducted a site investigation of suspected disposal sites within the Village of Crooksville that were identified by analysis of aerial photographs and interviews with area residents, former HPC employees and local governmnet officials. The purpose of this assessment was to determine the presence of lead contaminated pottery wastes within Crooksville and whether the contamination poses an imminent risk to human health, welfare, and the environment.  Twenty one residential areas were selected by the USEPA for investigation.  The investigation also included collecting surface water and sediment samples from six locations along the Moxahala Creek upstream and downstream of Hull Pottery as well as groundwater samples from monitoring wells located on and upgradient from Hull Pottery.  The results of this investigation identified that although pottery was observed at a majority of the assessed properties only six of the properties were found to have lead concentrations in surface soils above 400 mg/kg with total lead results ranging from 402 mg/kg to 5,530 mg/kg and TCLP lead concentrations ranged from 8.1 mg/L to 77.8 mg/L.

Total lead analysis of surface water samples collected from six sample locations along the Moxahala Creek indicated that the lead concentrations were below the Ohio EPA’s water quality standard of 5.0 ug/L.  The total lead analysis of sediment samples collected from the six sample locations along the Moxahala Creek ranged from 4.6 mg/kg to 286 mg/kg.   The lead concentration of 286 mg/kg was in the sediment sample collected just downstream of the Hull Pottery Site and exceeded the Ohio EPA’s threshold effect concentration  of 35.8 mg/kg.  The laboratory analysis of the ground water samples indicated that the lead concentrations were below EPA maximum concentration limit (MCL) of 0.015 mg/L.  Barium (0.21 mg/L) was detected in the groundwater sample collected from the upgradient well.  However this concentration is well below the EPA’s MCL for barium (2.0 mg/L).

The site is a former pottery manufacturing facility, located in a mixed commercial/residential/recreational area of Crooksville, Ohio.  The Site was referred to USEPA by the OEPA based upon the results from site assessments OEPA conducted previously. 

USEPA conducted a Site Assessment (August/October 2010) to document the threat of a release at Hull Pottery.  During the Site Assessment.  In March 2011, EPA installed fence to restrict access to the property.   

USEPA requested analysis of historical aerial photographs of Crooksville and met with residents and local officials to discuss the status of removal activities and confirm information about potential pottery debris being used as backfill material on off-site properties. 

• Located underground utilities;
• Conducted pre-excavation meetings with residents;
• Collected samples of identified backfill and topsoil;
• Began and completed excavating Area 8 Grids 13 and 14;
• Detected and repaired a broken phone line in Area 8;
• Collected confirmation samples from Area 8 Grids 13 and 14;
• Began excavating Area 16;
• Conducted real-time dust monitoring and collecting air samples around excavation areas;
• Obtained access and collected surface soils samples from three additional properties adjacent to a residential yard identified for excavation;
• Collected profile sample for transportation and disposal of excavated material.

Week of April 29-May 3, 2013

ERRS continued excavation and stockpiling activities and excavated approximately 1688 tons of contaminated soil for an approxiate total of 2805 tons.  Depth of contaminated material in Areas 12-16 extends to depths >4 feet.  As a result excavation was stopped at 2 feet and a contamination barrier will be installed to prohibit vertical migration of contaminants. START continued real-time air monitoring and air sampling activities around excavation and stockpile areas. Confirmation sample results from Area 8 were all below 400 mg/kg.  Surface soil samples collected from three residents were all below 400 mg/kg.  Profile sample for suspected non-hazardous soils was above the TCLP limit of 5 mg/L.  All soils will be considered hazardous until sampled to confirm TCLP concentrations.

• Constructed temporary road to staging piles;
• Completed excavation of Area 16;
• Began and complete excavation of Areas 15-1 and 15-2;
• Installed contamination barrier in Areas 15-1 and 15-2 and began backfilling;
• Began excavation or Area 14-1 and 14-2;
• Began and completed backfilling of Area 8;
• Located a collapsed storm water drain and removed collapsed section;
• Detected and repaired a broken gas line in Area 14;
• Located water lines in Area 24;
• Combined tailings from October 2012 Assessment into staging stockpiles;
• Collected a sample from an alternate source of topsoil;
• Collected confirmation soil samples from Areas 15-1, 15-2 and 14-1

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

EPA is still in the process of locating and determining viable potentially responsible parties.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

Not Applicable.

• Excavate out contaminated soils and glaze containing material, to the extent practicable, at the six residential properties;
• Attempt to treat the waste material to render it non-hazardous;
• Conduct real-time air monitoring and collect air samples around the excavation areas;
• Backfill and restore all excavated areas;
• Consider options for disposal of excavated material.

* The above accounting of expenditures is an estimate based on figures known to the OSC at the time this report was written. The OSC does not necessarily receive specific figures on final payments made to any contractor(s). Other financial data which the OSC must rely upon may not be entirely up-to-date. The cost accounting provided in this report does not necessarily represent an exact monetary figure which the government may include in any claim for cost recovery.