1.1.1 Incident Category

Time Critical Removal Action

1.1.2 Site Description
The site is a former chemical plating facility, currently owned by the Kent County Land Bank. When the property tax reverted, historically accumulated plating wastes were abandoned in the building, and discovered by the Land Bank. 

1.1.2.1 Location

The site is located at 1516 Blaine Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan 49507. The site totals approximately 1/4 acre, and contains a one story industrial building and an open lot. The site was recently occupied by the Hard Chrome Plating and HCP Finishing LLC companies, and tax reverted to the Kent County Land Bank in 2014.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

See POLREP 1.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

See POLREP 1.

2.1.1 Narrative

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

2.1.2.1 Actions During Reporting Period

Over the reporting period, work focused primarily on the following activities:

- Continuing to implement air monitoring program

- Continuing to clear debris from within the building and decontaminate building floors. Non-hazardous debris is being consolidated in rolloff boxes. Sweepings are consolidated in cubic yard boxes for disposal.

- Continuing to remove liquids and solids from vats, and dismantle vats. To date, 7 vats have been evacuated and fully or partially dismantled. Evacuation of the remaining vats was completed over this reporting period. The entire nickel plating line has been dismantled, and vats evacuated and staged for disposal/recycling. We completed evacuating vats in the chrome plating line this reporting period. After the vats are evacuated, we are removing them from their locations where they are inset into the facility floor. Four of these vats are very large, and removal from the floor inset areas is challenging due to the vat sizes and space limitations within the facility.

- Removal of ventilation system located near Vat #6.

-Pumping out sumps in the exclusion zone (Sumps 9, 10, 15, and 16) and staging contents (waste) for disposal.

-Loosepacking small containers smaller than 30 gallons.

- Compiling additional composite samples to create waste profiles for disposal and delivering samples to the laboratory for analysis.

- Mobilizing a conex box into the northwest yard of the site, and staged some properly packaged waste in the conex box pending disposal.

-Pumping, cleaning, and cutting of the poly tank located in the southern

courtyard of the building

2.1.2.2 Air Monitoring
Every day that cleanup activity work will be ongoing, air monitoring will be conducted to ensure public and worker safety. Please see the air monitoring plan and POLREP 2 for details.

A website has been established to view the current and past air monitoring data for the site. To view the data go to the web address: viper.ert.org. You have to create a login on your first visit to the site. Once logged in, go to the R05 Hard Chrome Metals Deployment to view site data. 

Particulate Air Monitoring:

Over the reporting period, no exceedances of the perimeter or work zone action levels (calculated as work day averages) for particulates were detected. 


MultiGas Air Monitoring:

Over the reporting period, no exceedances of the perimeter or work zone action levels were verified.

Hydrochloric Acid Monitoring

Over the reporting period, no exceedances of the perimeter or work zone action levels were detected. 

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)
General notice letters were issued to former owners of the property. Investigation is ongoing.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

See POLREP 1.

2.2.1.2 Next Steps
Over the next week, we will continue work to remove vats from floor insets and dismantle vats; decontaminate building and floors; and remove and stage air filtration infrastructure for disposal. We also plan to demobe the air trailer over the next reporting period.

-   Security will be on site during non working hours.

2.2.2 Issues

3.1 Unified Command

3.2 Cooperating Agencies

Kent County Land Bank
MDEQ

1/25/16
EPA: 2
START: 1
ERRS: 7
USCG AST: 5

1/26/16
EPA: 2
START: 1
ERRS: 7
USCG AST: 3

1/27/16-1/29/16
EPA: 1
START: 1
ERRS: 7
USCG AST: 3