Pollution/Situation Report Profile

Southwest Vermiculite
Albuquerque, NM - EPA Region VI
POLREP #5
Interim POLREP

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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Southwest Vermiculite - Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VI

Subject:

POLREP #5
Interim POLREP
Southwest Vermiculite

Albuquerque, NM
Latitude: 35.1025100 Longitude: -106.6444900

To:

From:

Mike McAteer, OSC

Date:

12/9/2013

Reporting Period:

11/5/2013 to 12/6/2013

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Site Number:	NMN000607041	Contract Number:
D.O. Number:		Action Memo Date:	9/17/2013
Response Authority:	CERCLA	Response Type:	Time-Critical
Response Lead:	EPA	Incident Category:	Removal Action
NPL Status:	Non NPL	Operable Unit:
Mobilization Date:	9/26/2013	Start Date:	9/26/2013
Demob Date:		Completion Date:
CERCLIS ID:	NMN000607041	RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:		State Notification:
FPN#:		Reimbursable Account #:

1.1.1 Incident Category

This is the second Removal Action to be conducted at the Southwest Vermiculite Site. This second removal action is a time-critical removal.

1.1.2 Site Description

Asbestos has been detected in air and soils at and adjacent to the former Southwest Vermiculite Company property. Elevated levels of asbestos have also been detected in dust samples collected inside the former SWV exfoliation building which is now used as a warehouse. Current and future employees and customers located on the former SWV facility, including inside the warehouse, may be exposed to the asbestos and employees located in the railroad right-of-way may also be exposed to asbestos by way of routine commercial work activities such as walking or conducting routine rail maintenance. Transients and homeless residents are also known to frequent the railroad right-of-way using it to access other areas and in some cases, setting up temporary homes and overnight rest stops. These transients and homeless residents may therefore be exposed to asbestos through this routine use of the railroad right-of-way.

1.1.2.1 Location

The former SWV facility is located at 1800/1822 1^st Street, NW in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Geographic coordinates for the site are: 35.10251º N latitude and 106.64449º W longitude, as taken from the northwest entrance to the facility.

This removal action involves three properties: 1) The W. Silver Recycling Company (former location of the Southwest Vermiculite Company); 2) The New Mexico Department of Transportation railroad right-of-way (ROW); and 3) four separate ROWs owned by the City of Albuquerque located along both 1st Street NW and Haines Avenue adjacent to the W. Silver Recycling Company. All three locations are active commercial properties that involve daily human contact with contaminated soils.

The site area is predominantly commercial/industrial however, two residential properties are located immediately north of the W. Silver Recycling company. These properties were the subject of the first removal action conducted at the SWV site in January and February of 2012.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

The previous emergency removal action conducted in early 2012 addressed only the residential properties located north of the former exfoliation facility. This removal action will now include the removal of asbestos contaminated soils on an active commercial facility that is open to the public and from adjacent non-residential properties that are also accessed by the public. These areas pose a risk to public health as a result of elevated levels of asbestos in the soils and in indoor dust. Effects of asbestos on the lungs is a major health concern as chronic (long-term) exposure to asbestos in humans via inhalation can result in a lung disease termed asbestosis. A large number of occupational studies have reported that exposure to asbestos via inhalation can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma (a rare cancer of the membranes lining the abdominal cavity and surrounding internal organs). The routine daily use and disturbance of the soil on these properties greatly increases the potential for exposure to human populations.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

Sample results indicate the presence of Libby amphibole asbestos in both the surface and subsurface soils. Analytical results of soil samples indicate the presence of asbestos in surface soils with concentrations as high as 2%, and in subsurface soils as high as 2%. Activity Based Sampling conducted at the Site also indicates that routine work activities may be releasing elevated levels of asbestos fibers into the air from these soils and resulting in a risk to the health of the onsite workers and customers. Air sampling data from the Activity Based Sampling at and near the former SWV Site shows Libby asbestos contamination in levels ranging from <0.0045 to 0.130 s/cc. Dust samples collected in the former exfoliation warehouse detected both Chrysotile and Libby amphibole asbestos with total asbestos dust loading concentrations exceeding the ASTM benchmark of 5,000 s/cm^2.

2. Current Activities

2.1 Operations Section

2.1.1 Narrative

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

November 5, 2013 to December 6, 2013:

Removal activities over the last 4 weeks have involved the following:

1. All of the five City of Albuquerque street right-of-ways have been excavated down to either one foot or two feet and transported to the Keers Mountainair landfill. The ROWs were then backfilled with clean soil.

2. Grid B and the southern half of Grid A on the W. Silver Recycling property have been excavated down to one foot bgs and transported to the Keers Mountainair landfill. The grids have now been backfilled with Grade A1A road base material (3/4 rock, sand, and clay).

3. The former vermiculite processing building on the W. Silver Recycling property has been abated by a licensed NM asbestos contractor and then the structure was demolished by the ERRS crew. Work is in progress with a local construction firm to rebuild the warehouse structure.

To date, approximately 1,000 cubic yards of asbestos-contaminated soils/debris have been excavated and offsite disposed. This equates to approximately 25% of all soil requiring removal.

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

Enforcement activities including identification of PRPs continues simultaneously with the on-going removal action.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

*Waste Stream*	*Medium*	*Quantity*	*Manifest #*	*Treatment*	*Disposal*

2.2 Planning Section

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

Work will continue on removal of the grids inside the W. Silver Recycling property. Each grid will be excavated to 1 foot bgs, then sampled to see if removal to 2 feet bgs is needed. The goal is to finish removal of these grids by early January 2014.

Removal of the grids on the west side of the NM DOT railroad ROW will start after the Christmas/New Year holiday.
Construction of the new warehouse to replace the abated, demolished warehouse will likely start within about 2 weeks and completion is anticipated by the end of March 2014.

START will collect dust samples inside the main warehouse/office building on Dec. 9. Decisions on possible cleanup in this building will be made by EPA by late December.

All removal work is expected to be completed by January 23, 2014.

2.2.1.2 Next Steps

2.2.2 Issues

We will shut down operations at the site from December 22 to January 5 due to the Christmas/New Years holidays.

2.3 Logistics Section