United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5502G)
EPA520-F-93-013
Summer 1993
v> EPA Su pertu nd At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Rogue Valley/
Ditch Creek Ranch
Site Profile
Site Description: The western edge
of a 425-acre ranch in Wimer, Oregon
Site Size: 350 acres
Primary Contaminants:
Heavy metals, including cyanide, lead,
copper, and chromium
Potential Range of Health Risks:
Drinking contaminated water could
have caused central nervous system
disorders and an increased risk of
cancer
Nearby Population Affected:
Approximately 550 people
Ecological Concerns: Potential
poisoning of plants near Ditch Creek
and wildlife such as caribou, deer, and
migrating birds
EPA Region: 10
State: Oregon
Congressional District: 2
Cleanup workers excavated soil and debris from the Ditch Creek Ranch,
safeguarding drinking water supplies.
Success In Brief
Criminal Suit for Environmental
Pollution Settled Against
Ranch Owner
In 1988, a company president used his own ranch near Wimer,
Oregon to illegally dump industrial wastes generated at his elec-
troplating facility in a nearby town. The contamination spread
over 18 acres of the Ditch Creek Ranch, endangering local water
supplies and wildlife. Through the efforts of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA), with assistance from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Rogue Valley Circuits, Inc. was
brought to justice and fined $1 million. This case was the largest
criminal action ever taken in the State of Oregon for environmen-
tal pollution. Highlights of EPA's activities at the site included:
• Supervising the removal of highly contaminated waste from the
ranch;
• Taking immediate actions to protect local drinking water; and
• Responding fully to community concerns during the cleanup.
Efforts by the ranch owner were completed in just three months,
and ground water was monitored for two years. The Superfund
program takes such actions to
enforce private party cleanup
under the Comprehensive Envi-
ronmental Response, Compensa-
tion, and Liability Act of 1980
(CERCLA).
The Site Today
Hazardous wastes have been
removed from the Ditch Creek
Ranch and transported to
licensed disposal facilities.
Ground water currently tests
clean under federal safety
standards. No reports of serious
health effects have been re-
ported from area residents.
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Superfund At Work
Rogue Valley/Ditch Creek Ranch, Wimer, OR
Summer 1993
The Ditch Creek Ranch site is
located approximately three
miles north of the town of
Wimer in Jackson County,
Oregon. The ranch includes
some 400 acres of pasture and
forested areas with a wide
variety of plant and animal life.
Land in the surrounding area is
used primarily for cattle grazing,
small produce farms and or-
chards, and private residences.
Local wildlife includes caribou,
deer, and migrating birds. The
population of Wimer is 200, and
approximately 350 people live in
the surrounding area.
The former dump site is
located on a 350-acre portion of
the ranch owned by the presi-
dent of Rogue Valley Circuits,
Inc. Industrial wastes from the
company's electroplating pro-
cessing facility were brought
A Site Snapshot
over from the nearby town of
Medford. Prior to charges of
illegal dumping at his ranch, the
company president had been
fined by Medford officials for
repeatedly violating federal water
discharge standards for copper.
At the Ditch Creek Ranch, an
old gold mining pit located along
the property's western boundary
was used for almost 20 years for
ranch and household garbage
disposal. In the spring of 1988, the
contents of approximately fifty
55-gallon drums containing
electroplating production waste
from the Medford facility were
illegally dumped at the site.
Contaminants identified in soil,
sludge, and ground water
samples included corrosive
chemicals and heavy metals such
as cyanide, copper, lead, chro-
mium, cadmium, nickel, zinc,
Ditch Creek Ranch
Wimer, Oregon
mercury, and silver. Chronic
exposure to these contaminants
may result in serious health
problems, such as cancer and
central nervous system disorders.
In addition, heavy metals pass
untreated through municipal
sewage treatment systems and
into the environment, where they
accumulate in the food chain. At
Ditch Creek Ranch, however, tests
showed that these heavy metals
were confined to an area of
approximately 10,000 square feet
and had not yet migrated to an
underground aquifer.
Rogue Valley
Timeline
* Rogue Valley Circuits illegally disposes of industrial waste
• State receives anonymous tips about dumping at ranch
• City of Medford fines Rogue Valley Circuits for RCRA violations
• Rogue Valley Circuits illegally discharges copper into sewers
• Congress enacts Superfund
• Congress enacts RCRA
• Ditch Creek Ranch purchased
• Gold mining at the site
1
Early 1900s
1967
1976
1980 Early-mid 1980s 1987
Page 2
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Superfund At Work • Rogue Valley/Ditch Creek Ranch, Wimer, OR • Summer 1993
Anonymous Ups Lead to Criminal Investigation
A Pattern of
Corporate Negligence
Rogue Valley Circuits, Inc. is
one of a few electronic circuit
board companies in southern
Oregon that produces communi-
cations equipment for the U.S.
Department of Defense. Follow-
ing several years of increased
production in the early 1980s, the
company started discharging
chemical wastes to a publicly
owned water treatment facility.
Under the Resource Conserva-
tion and Recovery Act of 1976
(RCRA), companies are required
to obtain permits before discharg-
ing or transporting hazardous
wastes. By 1987, the City of
Medford had fined Rogue Valley
Circuits numerous times for
unreported transportation and
EPA and FBI begin joint investigation
disposal of hazardous wastes, a
RCRA violation.
In 1988, the Ditch Creek Ranch
first gained EPA's attention
through the State of Oregon's
Department of Environmental
Quality, which had received
anonymous tips of illegal dump-
ing at the ranch.
In June and July of that year,
Rogue Valley Circuits had ille-
gally transported hazardous
waste materials from the Medford
facility to the company
president's private residence.
These wastes were dumped into a
ravine located 400 feet from a
creek draining into the Rogue
River. Portions of the site drained
directly into a local drinking
water aquifer.
r
• EPA and FBI begin detailed studies
• EPA orders ranch owner to conduct cleanup
• EPA holds first public meeting
• Cleanup begins
Cleanup completed
Ground water monitoring begins
EPA holds final public meeting
Ranch owner fined $1 million for environmental crimes
Ground water monitoring completed
1989 1990 1991 1992
EPA Begins Investigations
and Orders Cleanup
In 1989, EPA and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
launched a joint investigation of
the alleged dumping. In April
1990, equipped with a search
warrant and a backhoe and
accompanied by FBI agents, EPA
began a detailed study of the
nature and extent of contamina-
tion at the Ditch Creek Ranch.
EPA's extensive site investiga-
tion included examinations of
surface geology, as well as sam-
pling of 16 domestic wells, the
soil, and surface water. Some of
the technologies used to investi-
gate the site included electromag-
netic detection, ground-penetrat-
ing radar, x-ray fluorescence, and
aerial photos (see page 6).
The tests ruled out the possibil-
ity of ground water contamina-
tion, but did reveal high concen-
trations of copper, lead, cyanide,
chromium, cadmium, nickel, zinc,
mercury and silver in the soil.
These contaminants were found
in dangerous concentrations and,
given their potential for spreading
to the water supply, EPA con-
cluded that the site posed an
imminent threat. Therefore, the
Agency quickly ordered an
emergency cleanup of the site.
Immediate Actions
Make Listing Unnecessary
Under the Superfund program,
environmental hazards may be
addressed in various ways.
Manageable quantities of waste
can be reduced through contain-
ment or removal. Often, these
actions eliminate the contamina-
Page 3
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Superfund At Work
Rogue Valley/Ditch Creek Ranch, Wimer, OR
Summer 1993
tion before extensive environmen-
tal damage occurs. In such cases,
no further cleanup actions are
usually required. Under CERCLA
authority, EPA conducts removal
operations that take no more than
12 months to complete and cost
less than $2 million.
If the extent of contamination is
so great that even a series of quick
actions will not reduce the risk of
exposure, EPA will carry out a
comprehensive cleanup. In this
case, the site must be scored and
listed on the National Priorities
List (NPL), the nation's roster of
uncontrolled or abandoned
hazardous waste sites that qualify
for federal funding. In the case of
Ditch Creek Ranch, EPA's early
actions precluded the need for
listing on the NPL.
Besides protecting the
environment, Superfund
deters future pollution
Another goal of the Superfund
program is to compel those
responsible for contaminating the
sites to undertake prescribed
cleanup actions. In October 1990,
EPA issued an administrative
order on consent to the ranch
owner, requiring him to perform
the emergency cleanup, valued at
approximately $500,000. The
order required stabilizing and
removing the sources of contami-
nation, and monitoring ground
water.
Emergency Cleanup
Stabilizes Site
Cleanup of the ranch began
under EPA direction in Novem-
ber 1990. Private cleanup crews
hired by the ranch owner exca-
vated soil and solidified it with
cement. Next, they sorted and
removed 700 cubic yards and 20
drums of debris from the site. In
total, 40 truckloads of soil and
debris were taken to a federally
approved hazardous waste
landfill located off site. All drums,
scrap wood and tree roots satu-
rated with contaminated sludge
were transported off site and
incinerated. More than 1,500
gallons of wastewater generated
during the removal were trans-
ported to a licensed off-site dis-
posal facility. The cleanup crew
then covered the former dump
area with hay and planted native
vegetation and conifer saplings to
prevent erosion. These emergency
actions were completed in mid-
January 1991.
The quick and thorough
cleanup of the site took only three
months to complete. Because
portions of the site drain into a
drinking water aquifer, local
residents requested that EPA
continue monitoring ground
water to ensure future protection.
EPA agreed to do so for two years
after the cleanup was completed.
Two years later, the ground water
tested clean by federal safety
standards.
As the last truck left the site,
the EPA On-Scene Coordinator
exclaimed, "The Ditch Creek
Ranch is now as clean as a
whistle."
The quick and thorough
cleanup of the site took
only three months to
complete
Polluter Fined $1 Million:
Oregon's Largest Criminal Suit
On May 28,1991, Rogue Valley
Circuits, Inc. was found guilty in
U.S. District Court of illegally
transporting and disposing of
hazardous wastes at Ditch Creek
Ranch. The court imposed a $1
million fine, the largest environ-
mental criminal penalty ever
assessed in Oregon. The court,
however, allowed the corporation
to deduct the cleanup costs from
the overall fine. The court also
ordered Rogue Valley Circuits,
Inc. to serve five years' probation
and pay for any additional
cleanup costs incurred, including
the two-year ground water moni-
toring program.
The thoroughness and speed of
the removal operations contrib-
uted to making the site a model of
Superfund success. In addition to
protecting the environment, EPA
enforcement actions ensured the
private party cleanup of illegal
hazardous waste disposal.
Page 4
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Superfund At Work
Rogue Valley/Ditch Creek Ranch, Wimer, OR
Summer 1993
EPA Assures Concerned Residents
EPA's First Public Meeting
Draws Fire
The Wimer community was
worried about the possibility of
contaminated ground water, and
attendance at the first public
meeting EPA held in October
1990 was nearly double the size of
the town itself. Three hundred
residents from Wimer, Medford,
and surrounding areas crowded
into the town hall to voice their
concerns and to hear more about
the contamination discovered at
Ditch Creek Ranch.
At this emotional and some-
times hostile public meeting,
residents expressed concern that
area streams, ground water, and
drinking water might become
polluted. EPA's On-Scene Coor-
dinator explained that the ranch
owner had agreed to conduct the
cleanup under EPA supervision,
and would begin removing the
hazardous waste long before
contamination could spread.
Three hundred local
residents crowded into a
town hall to voice their
concerns
The people of Wimer initially
were skeptical, wanting to know
the full extent of the threat to their
homes and businesses. As the
cleanup progressed, residents
grew to appreciate EPA's techni-
cal expertise in supervising the
removal. EPA representatives
soon became allies of the commu-
nity and were welcomed into
Wimer homes. A slide show at
On-Scene Coordinator Thor Cutler (foreground, with back to camera),
discusses EPA's proposed plans with Wimer residents. In three months,
EPA's handling of the Ditch Creek Ranch cleanup turned local skepticism
into support.
the last meeting in January 1991
described in detail all that had
been done at the site, and ad-
dressed remaining concerns.
According to the On-Scene Coor-
dinator, "The community de-
scribed what they wanted, and we
delivered on the coin."
Effective Community Relations
Key to EPA Success
News that ground water was
not contaminated spread quickly,
and only 40 residents attended
EPA's last public meeting held
after the cleanup was completed.
The atmosphere was very posi-
tive, a marked change from the
anger and mistrust that pervaded
the first meeting. EPA's On-Scene
Coordinator observed that the
site's successful cleanup was due
in large part to the community's
attention and cooperation.
"We...are very impressed
with the way EPA has
conducted itself both in...
community relations and...
the physical cleanup
work." - Wimer Resident
Community members were
pleased with the speed and
efficiency of the cleanup. A local
newspaper ran an article in March
1991 entitled, "Three Cheers for
EPA" in which one resident,
noting initial skepticism about the
Agency, acknowledged, "We
have to admit that we are very
impressed with the way EPA has
conducted itself, both in the
matter of community relations
and in accomplishing the physical
cleanup work. They have been
extremely cautious and extremely
thorough."
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5. Library (PI -1?J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, 12th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
Pages
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Superfund At Work
Rogue Valley/Ditch Creek Ranch, Wimer, OR
Summer 1993
Creative Technology Applications
Imagine digging 2,000 large
holes 18 feet deep throughout 350
acres, just to check the soil for
metal. That's what EPA's Thor
Cutler and his cleanup crew
would have had to do if it weren't
for good old American ingenuity-
using an old technology for a new
purpose. The Electro-Magnetom-
eter was originally developed by
Allied Forces during World War
II to locate enemy submarines,
and later to locate ore deposits.
This instrument screens large
areas for buried substances and
debris by identifying magnetic
field variations. Detected metals
change the field, allowing investi-
gators to pinpoint the metal and
determine its shape, quantity and
size. The device measures to a
depth of 20 feet, easily sweeping
large areas. At the Ditch Creek
Ranch, Cutler knew drums and
toxic debris were buried on the
site, but where? The Electro-
Magnetometer enabled investiga-
tors to scan the entire site and
quickly locate hazardous waste
and drums in two areas.
That problem aside, Cutler
next had to investigate reported
dumpings underneath an area
where a new barn was under
construction. This would have
involved demolishing the build-
ing and excavating the site,
marring the land and creating a
great deal of dust. Ground-
penetrating radar, originally used
by the oil industry, was used
instead: this device uses sonar to
examine soil underneath build-
ings. The use of radar allowed
Cutler to "see" whether under-
ground contamination existed.
In addition, x-ray fluorescence
was used to measure for lead and
copper levels in the soil, provid-
ing an instant screening of the
Success at
Rogue Valley
In three short months,
hazardous wastes were
removed from the Ditch
Creek Ranch. The polluter
was ordered to conduct the
cleanup under EPA supervi-
sion, and paid a $1 million
fine for the illegal disposal.
The Oregon case is just one
example of how Superfund
works not only to clean up
hazardous sites, but to en-
courage proper disposal from
the start.
bottom of the ravine. It allowed
workers to make sure they had
removed even trace metals from
previously contaminated areas.
These technologies may be old,
but at the Ditch Creek Ranch site,
the Superfund program put them
to new, creative uses.
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