&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(2201)
EPA520-F-95-010
Summer 1995
Superf und At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Fisher-Calo
Site Profile
Site Description: Three separate
areas of an industrial park
Site Size: Approximately 400 acres
Primary Contaminants: Volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), poly-
chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
polycydic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs)
Potential Health Effects: Central
nervous system disorders, increased
risk of cancer
Nearby Population: 3,700 people
within a four-mile radius
Ecological Concerns: Wetlands,
prairie, and wildlife including endan-
gered species
Year Listed on NPL: 1983
Region: 5
State: Indiana
Congressional District: 3
Following the 1978 fire, hundreds of surface drums remained at the
One-Line Road facility.
Success in Brief
Innovative Technologies Applied
to Soil and Ground Water
In 1978, a powerful chemical blast rousted thousands of resi-
dents from their beds in LaPorte County, Indiana. Noxious fumes
and soot drifted as far as five miles away from where the Fisher-
Calo Chemical and Solvent Company operated a hazardous waste
facility. The ensuing blaze consumed 20,000 barrels of solvents,
metal plating sludges, and caustic solutions, but at least 5,000 more
tanks and drums remained buried beneath the rubble.
Since then, a team of dedicated specialists has used the
Superfund program to rectify the chaos caused by gross misman-
agement of this facility. Led by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), a number of innovative technologies are at work on
significant sources of contamination. Together with the Indiana
Department of Environmental Management, EPA:
• negotiated agreements with waste contributors for compre-
hensive cleanup of soil and area ground water worth $30
million; and
• engineered the purchase of adjacent land to replace a sensi-
tive prairie and wetlands ecosystem of unlimited value.
State and federal cooperation at the site has made this challeng-
ing remediation a Superfund
success. The next three years will
involve major cleanup efforts
expected to be completed in 1998;
ground water monitoring will
continue for 30 years.
The Site Today
Site managers used soil vapor
extraction technology to treat
contaminants at several areas last
year. Efforts are under way to
quantify the amount of soil requir-
ing excavation. A ground water
treatment plant is planned for
construction following character-
ization of four separate contami-
nant plumes. This phase of the
project will likely start up in 1996.
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Superfund At Work • Fisher-Calo Site, Kingsbury, IN • Summer 1995
Superfund At Work • Fisher-Calo Site, Kingsbury, IN • Summer 1995
A Site Snapshot
The 400-acre Fisher-Calo
site is in the upper northwest
corner of the state of Indi-
ana, roughly 25 miles from
Lake Michigan. The site
abuts the Kingsbury Fish
and Wildlife Area and is part
of a much larger prairie and
wetlands ecosystem that
supports a variety of wildlife
including several endan-
gered species.
Kingsford Heights, a
residential subdivision for
1,400 people, is less than two
miles south. Another 3,700
people live within four miles
of the site; all are on a differ-
that employees were mostly
untrained
and
unaware
of the
Fisher-Calo Site
LaPorte County, I
ent municipal water system of substances handled suggests
private wells.
For about 10 years, the
Fisher-Calo Chemical and
Solvent Company
accepted metals
and industrial
sludges from area
manufacturers.
Poor waste man-
,agement practices
led to improper
mixing of chemi-
cals, stockpiled
drums, and
frequent spills. Little informa-
tion exists on worker expo-
sure, but the diversity of toxic
dangers.
The site ground water was
contaminated with trichlo-
roethylene (TCE) and a
variety of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). Site
soil contains polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), and a wide
array of heavy metals.
Fisher-Calo Site
Timeline
Search begins for responsible parties<
•EPA adds site to NPL
EPA takes soil and ground water samples
State asks for technical assistance
• Congress enacts CERCLA
• State finds buried drums
• Explosion and fire at One-Line Road
•TSCAbanonPCBs.
• Stoc^jiled drums, chemical mixing, i
• Fisher-Calo expands to three separate facilities <
• Fisher-Cato begins solvent recovery
• Industrial Development /
Park opens \
Kingsbury Ordnance Plant
manufactures munitions
1
isuei
1
Explosion and Fire Signal Need for Comprehensive
Cleanup
Industrial Park Attracts
Chemical Companies
During World War H, the
Kingsbury Ordnance Plant
manufactured shells, cartridges,
and mortar rounds. The Depart-
ment of Defense decommis-
sioned the plant in the early
1960s. A private developer
subdivided the property to
form tiie Kingsbury Industrial
Development Park. Fisher-Calo
.hemical and Solvent Com-
pany leased space at the park
and began operating in the late
1960s.
In 1971, the company pur-
chased 250 acres from the
developer and expanded opera-
tions to three separate areas
identified as One-Line Road,
• Fishef-Calo denies access to site
• Court order grants EPA access
> Vandals destroy records
Two-Line Road, and Space
Leasing. Three subsidiaries —
Midwest Chlorine, Midwest
Ammonia, and Wallace Ware-
house — leased building space
from Fisher-Calo in old Army
buildings on the site. The group
produced sodium hypochlorite,
recovered metal and paint
cleaning solvents, and packaged
sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and
ammonia. These operations
continue today under different
company names.
No Obvious Waste Manage-
ment Employed
Area manufacturers sent
cyanide, acid, and metal plating
wastes to the site which Fisher-
Calo stored in 55-gallon drums.
Solvent recovery took place at
the One-Line Road facility but
workers were apparently over-
whelmed; thousands of drums
in various states of deterioration
were buried or stockpiled
around the facility. Some haz-
ardous wastes were simply
dumped on the ground.
In 1978, an explosion and fire
at the facility sent plumes of
noxious smoke into the air,
forcing residents within a five-
mile radius to evacuate their
homes. The fire was of suspi-
cious origin and destroyed
equipment, several large stor-
age tanks, and an estimated
20,000 surface drums of chemi-
cal waste. The incident raged in
the headlines for days, prompt
• EPA orders removal of tanks and drums
m • EPA discovers 5,000 drums and tanks
• EPA selects long-term remedy
^ • Negotiations with waste contributors
w « 261 parties sign agreement tar cleanup
• Natural resources damages agreement
Repack
anddis.
agino, rem
oosal of ws
oval,
istes ^
1 EPA sues for remaining costs
» • Trust fund set up for land purchase
• Soil vapor extraction piloted
1 Purchase of wildlife habitat
r
1940s and
1950s
mid late
1960s 1960s
1971
mid
1970s
• Construction of ground water treatment plant
* All actions completed (projected)
Long-term monitoring
1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
1984
1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
1998
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Superfund At Work • Fisher-Calo Site, Kingsbury, IN • Summer 1995
ing a state investigation that
estimated hundreds more
buried drums. After the fire,
Fisher-Calo moved operations
to the nearby Two-Line Road
facility. In 1979 and 1980, the
Indiana State Board of Health
removed some of the drums but
discovered additional waste
disposal areas far exceeding
anyone's original estimate.
That December, Congress
had enacted the Comprehensive
Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability
Act of 1980 (CERCLA) authoriz-
ing a hazardous waste cleanup
program nationwide. Instead of
using taxpayer dollars, EPA
conducts site activities with a
"Superfund" derived from
excise taxes on chemical feed-
stocks and crude oil. EPA can
remediate abandoned sites but
makes every effort to locate and
negotiate cleanup by respon-
sible parties.
In 1981, the state requested
technical assistance from EPA's
Chicago, Illinois office. Soil and
ground water samples con-
tained high levels of organic
compounds that were causing
serious environmental damage.
In 1983, EPA placed Fisher-Calo
on the National Priorities List
(NPL), a roster of uncontrolled
or abandoned hazardous waste
sites requiring comprehensive
cleanup. A search for respon-
sible parties commenced in 1984
that eventually found almost
300 generators and transporters
who had sent various wastes to
the site.
Legal Battle and Vandalism
Cause Delays
Field investigations came to a
halt in 1985 when company
officials refused to allow EPA
onto the site. A series of legal
challenges ensued over the next
two years, but EPA ultimately
gained access to the property
following a federal court order.
No taxpayer dollars are in
the "Superfund"
While evidence gathering
was under way, vandals tres-
passed onto the site during the
summer of 1987, burning a
trailer containing EPA records,
field investigation equipment,
and sampling data. Although
EPA was able to reproduce
most of the lost information,
this setback took another two
years.
Emergency Actions Reduce
Immediate Threats
By December 1988, EPA had
mapped out three specific areas
of the site where ground water
was highly contaminated with
chlorinated compounds and
paint solvents. (A fourth area
was located in 1994.) Over the
years, seasonal precipitation
had spread various toxic sol-
vents and acids from aban-
doned and deteriorating drums.
To prevent further environmen-
tal degradation, EPA issued a
unilateral administrative order
to 14 responsible parties, direct-
ing them to remove all drums
and tanks from the site. The
order was amended several
times as new parties were
identified.
Between February and July
1989, investigators discovered
almost 5,000 drums and 65
storage tanks containing sol-
vents and acids. Crews erected
a fence around portions of the
site to discourage trespassers
and prevent direct exposure.
For the next three years, EPA
supervised the repackaging,
removal, and disposal of haz-
ardous wastes as well as visibly
contaminated soil. EPA also
collected soil samples and
surveyed beneath the site,
detecting PCBs in three of seven
excavation areas. Friable asbes-
tos was a concern in abandoned
buildings as well as other ille-
gally dumped materials, includ-
ing construction debris.
Comprehensive Plan Relies on
Emerging Technologies
Based on the complexity of
cleanup objectives, EPA evalu-
ated an array of alternatives and
selected a comprehensive plan
that included many treatment
technologies that had been
developed during the early
days of CERCLA and applied
successfully at other sites:
• excavation and thermal
treatment of soil contami-
nated with semi-volatile
compounds and PCBs;
• treatment of VOC-con-
taminated soil using flush-
ing or vapor extraction
techniques; and
• extraction and treatment of
contaminated ground
water by means of air
stripping and carbon
filtration.
In addition, one of the wells
for the Kingsbury Industrial
Development Park was con-
taminated with TCE and would
have to be grouted shut and
another well drilled in an un-
contaminated area.
EPA announced the preferred
remedy at a public meeting in
LaPorte in April, 1990. The
meeting and ensuing 60-day
public comment period brought
out community concerns which
EPA incorporated into the final
proposed plan.
continued on page 6
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Superfund At Work • Fisher-Calo Site, Kingsbury, IN
Summer 1995
A State Success:
Natural Resources Given a Second Chance
Kingsbury, Indiana is located
in biologically diverse prairie
and wetlands that used to cover
the top third of the state. At one
time, lush meadows harbored
populations of mink, foxes, and
various reptiles. Metropolitan
growth and monocultured farms
put many indigenous species in
jeopardy. The state was forced
to add the Franklin ground
squirrel, the Indiana bat, the
upland sandpiper, the black
tern, the yellow-headed black-
bird, and the least bittern to the
list of species endangered from
habitat destruction.
The Fisher-Calo site contrib-
uted to the environmental
degradation in silent, insidious
ways. Of all the chemicals
present at the Fisher Calo site,
the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR) and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
found PCBs to be the most
environmentally destructive.
Scientific studies have shown
that PCBs are unusually persis-
tent and bioaccumulate in all
species of the food chain. In
addition to central nervous
system disorders, PCBs are
suspected carcinogens and
mutagens. Even though the
Toxic Substances Control Act of
1976 (TSCA) banned the manu-
facture, distribution, and use of
PCBs, nearly everyone has some
internal level of this chemical.
The soil excavation work
planned would irreparably
damage the site's ability to
support wildlife. One alternative
was to acquire and convert
approximately 150 acres near the
site for addition to the Kingsbury
Fish and Wildlife Area. A rem-
nant of the old Kingsbury
Ordnance Plant, more than
5,000 acres were deeded to the
State of Indiana in 1965. Bor-
dered on the south by the
Kankakee River, the wildlife
area is a small portion of the
original Grand Kankakee Marsh
which once covered 7iO,000
acres.
The 261 cooperating parties
agreed to pay $200,000 to the
state and $20,000 to the U.S.
Department of the Interior to
replace lost wildlife habitat. The
state Division of Fish and
Wildlife is working on a land
acquisition to support the
Franklirt ground squirrel. Tak-
ing title to the land is planned
before the end of this year; the
parcel of land will become a
"satellite" for the Kingsbury
Fish and Wildlife Area.
A yellow-headed blackbird feeds her young
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Superfund At Work • Fisher-Calo Site, Kingsbury, IN • Summer 1995
continued from page 4
Enforcement Yields Results
Between 1988 and 1991, EPA
issued unilateral administrative
orders to numerous parties,
directing them to remove
drums and tanks of waste for
disposal at approved off-site
facilities. In addition, EPA
negotiated an agreement with
261 parties, both major and de
minimis (small volume) waste
contributors, to conduct the
comprehensive cleanup of soil
and ground water.
Finalized in October 1991 and
valued at over $30 million, the
agreement represented approxi-
mately 95% of total site cleanup
costs, including $3 million in
EPA's past costs. The following
year, EPA sued the remaining,
non-settling parties to recover
another $1.6 million in out-
standing costs. Negotiations are
ongoing.
Success at Flslteir-Calo
Failed efforts at solvent sapow^y tp the early 1970s
ted to the f^^^iling of Cartels and feSfcs «o»t&inittg toxic
wastes* A ^jor,$m alerted state and federal investigators
e.dniimlmried &* saturated soil
to fteifoaqatkm f«dies to
tionpian,' ';v ;,;
w
i»ient
' ate on c
activities at the site are
long-term monitoring ivlBi,
J«ave agreed to cooper-
. Construction
ion in
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