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Ulah Battery Site

All POL/SITREP's for this site Ulah Battery Site
Asheboro, NC - EPA Region IV
POLREP #9
and Final - ERRs completes Site Restoration Phase
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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Ulah Battery Site - Removal Polrep
Final Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region IV

Subject: POLREP #9
and Final - ERRs completes Site Restoration Phase
Ulah Battery Site

Asheboro, NC
Latitude: 35.6385953 Longitude: -79.8283982


To:
From: Perry Gaughan, OSC
Date: 1/30/2012
Reporting Period: 11/07/2011 through 12/15/2011

1. Introduction
  1.1 Background
   
Site Number: 04HV    Contract Number:  
D.O. Number:      Action Memo Date: 7/28/2011
Response Authority: CERCLA    Response Type: Time-Critical
Response Lead: EPA    Incident Category: Removal Action
NPL Status: Non NPL    Operable Unit:
Mobilization Date: 8/30/2011    Start Date: 8/31/2011
Demob Date: 11/19/2011    Completion Date: 12/15/2011
CERCLIS ID: NCD981864614    RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:    State Notification:
FPN#:    Reimbursable Account #:


1.1.1 Incident Category

Time Critical Removal Action

1.1.2 Site Description

Region 4 ERRB received a request from North Carolina Department of Environmental Natural Resources (NC DENR) to perform a Removal Site Evaluation (RSE) at the Ulah Battery Dump along Dinah Road in Asheboro, Randolph County, North Carolina. NC DENR performed an assessment of the site indicating lead concentrations up to 35,600 parts per million (ppm) in some areas. This exceeds EPA residential Removal Action Level (RAL) of 400 ppm for lead.

1.1.2.1 Location

Dinah Road, Asheboro, North Carolina 27203

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

Lead and arsenic contaminated soils are present from battery cracking operations previously done by lead reclaimers along Dinah Road in Asheboro, NC. The reclaimers operated from 1965 to 1985.  Hundreds of batteries were cracked to remove the lead plates and further melted in drums to be recycled to local vendors. Battery acid (sulfuric acid) was reportedly allowed to spill onto the ground. 

EPA and Superfund Technical Assessment Response Team (START) conducted a site assessment on April 1st, 2010 revealing x-ray flourescense (XRF) detections up to 59,700 ppm lead and up to 3,735 for arsenic.  The Site is a one-acre wooded parcel behind 159 Dinah Road and bordered by a private gravel road, Coy Stella Trail. Battery chips and casings were found to be scattered throughout the property but concentrated in a bermed area along the southern edge adjacent to the private road.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

During the week of July 18th, EPA conducted additional XRF analysis of the property at 159 Dinah Road. This parcel is approximately 140 feet by 280 feet and the front and back yards adjoing the wooded area in the southern half of the property were subdivided into several managable grids for XRF investigation. In this manner,  EPA and Start found that lead levels in two grids of the front yard ranged from 400 - 1450 ppm lead, and four grids behind the home levels ranged from 397 - 2890 ppm. In addition, two grids in the back yard indicated elevated arsenic levels over 100 ppm arsenic. The driveway leading to the back of the home indicted lead levels approaching 3300 ppm lead.

To confirm these xrf readings, Start was tasked to collect ten samples for analytical analysis and the resulting analytical matched up well with the field results. XRF correlation ranged from 84.7 to 96.8%.  As previously indicted, lead levels in the dump area along the southern perimeter of the site range from 41,000 to 59,000 ppm lead.


2. Current Activities
  2.1 Operations Section
    2.1.1 Narrative

Monday, November 7th through Saturday, November 12th, 2011

ERRs continued treating lightly contaminated soils stockpiled on site with sodium phosphate and disposing of this soil at the Uwharrie Landfill in Gilead, North Carolina. 1360 tons of lightly contaminated soil has been disposed of to date. ERRs continued procuring fill material and backfilling excavated areas to previous grade levels. ERRs conducted final site clean up activities, made arrangements for a hydroseeding subcontract and fence repair subcontract during the final week of site restoration.

Monday, November 14th through Thursday, November 17th, 2011

ERRs oversaw hydroseeding operations and fence repair activities between 135 and 159 Dinah Road as well as fence repairs along the Coy Stella Trail along the southern boundary of the site.


 

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

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

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

Waste Stream Medium Quantity Manifest # Treatment Disposal
 Lead contaminated battery casings and soil (high lead levels)  soil  290 tons  19  none  EQ Waste Landfill, Canton, Ohio
 Lightly contaminated soil (passes TCLP for lead, arsenic)  soil  1370 tons  78  sodium phosphate  Uwharrie Landfill, Gilead, NC
           



  2.2 Planning Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.3 Logistics Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.4 Finance Section
    No information available at this time.

  2.5 Other Command Staff
    No information available at this time.

3. Participating Entities
  No information available at this time.

4. Personnel On Site
  Errs Contractors 1-Response manager, 3 laborers, 1 equipment operator, 1 field cost accountant, and 
OSC



5. Definition of Terms
  No information available at this time.

6. Additional sources of information
  6.1 Internet location of additional information/report
Information collected from local residents indicates that several people in the Ulah area cracked batteries to reclaim lead during the 70's and early 80's. Mr Hoskins provided a copy of a license/permit from North Carolina essentially permitting him to operate a lead reclaiming operation.


6.2 Reporting Schedule

7. Situational Reference Materials
  No information available at this time.