United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
(2201)
520F96006
SummeF 1995
&EPA Superfund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Pesses Company
S'West Site Profile
U,S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PL-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, 12th Floor
Chicago, IL 60
Success in Brief
Former Metals Reclamation
Facility To Be "Delisted"
For 15 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
managed a program for comprehensive cleanup of abandoned or
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Hundreds of old landfills, pesti-
cide manufacturing plants, incineration facilities, and metal plating
shops are included on the National Priorities List (NPL). After years
of effort to reverse the environmental degradation, and if the work has
been done to the community's satisfaction, the site will be "delisted."
The Pesses Company S'West site in Fort Worth, Texas is a good
example of the process coming full circle. Operators at this former
metals reclamation facility abandoned corroded, leaking barrels and
piles of spent batteries. EPA undertook emergency actions to remove
immediate threats and stabilized the site.
Then using funds provided by EPA under a state cooperative
agreement, the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission
(TNRCC) installed a permanent protective cap to seal contaminated
soil and debris. Fort Worth officials anticipate that a major portion of
the site can be returned to commercial use in a manner consistent with
environmental and community concerns.
EPA expects to recover $2.6 million in federal and state cleanup
costs from waste contributors. This summer, EPA plans to remove the
Pesses S'West site from the
NPL, bringing the process to
closure and marking another
victory for the environment.
„<£
The Pesses S'West metals reclamation facility when abandoned in 1981.
The Site Today
Cleanup crews finished
work in 1992. A protective
concrete cap covers all of the
former property. A com-
pany that specializes in
computer salvage now leases
the former warehouse and
office building. State envi-
ronmental protection spe-
cialists maintain a 30-year
monitoring program for the
site.
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Superfund At Work • Pesses Company S'West Site, Fort Worth, TX • Summer 1995
A Site Snapshot
The 4.2-acre site is located in
a mixed industrial and residential
area of Fort Worth, Texas. Over
time, municipal development crept
within a mile of the property line
and included houses, a hospital,
and five schools supporting
approximately 19,500 people. A
drug rehabilitation center with
outdoor facilities adjoins the site;
an office building and warehouse
occupy the northern part of the
site where some reclamation
operations once took place.
From about July 1979 to
January 1981, Pesses operators
recovered nickel and cadmium
from dry cell batteries and metal
sludge brought by area manufac-
turers. Furnaces separated cad-
mium from waste mixtures,
forming solid balls for re-use in
plating. Evidence suggests that
workers collected the reclaimed
scrap in 55-gallon drums for
shipment to the company's recla-
mation plant in Pennsylvania,
another facility that would become
a Superfund site. Faced
with a series of air
pollution citations, the
operators abandoned the
facility, leaving
approxi-
mately 1,500
deteriorating
drums at the
site. A grass
fire in 1983
alerted city officials
to contaminants spilled on
the ground.
Inspectors found soil, build-
ings, equipment, and debris
contaminated with heavy metals
including cadmium, lead, copper,
and nickel. Indoor air was thick
with dust and two on-site sumps
held 2,000 gallons of contami-
nated water. Metcoa, the parent
company, later declared bank-
ruptcy.
Pesses Company
S'West Site
Fort Worth, TX
t SPA files for cost recovery h tatoptey court
la
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Superfund At Work • Pesses Company S'West Site, Fort Worth, TX • Summer 1995
In the early days of regulating
hazardous waste, few options were
available for proper treatment,
storage, or disposal. "Recycling"
some reusable metals from spent
batteries and waste sludge, and
turning those salvaged materials into
new products, seemed to make good
economic sense.
But when Pesses S'West
opened in 1978, the company did
not obtain required state air permits
for the metals reclamation facility. A
year later, nearby residents com-
plained about dust and poor air
quality, prompting city and state air
pollution control officers to investi-
gate the plant. Excessive cadmium
emissions forced the facility to
cease operations for part of 1979.
The company made some attempts
to bring plant emissions under
control and then applied for the
state permits.
Three Years Was Long Enough
When operations resumed, the
facility soon began exceeding
emission ceilings again. In Febru-
ary 1980, the Texas Air Control
Board sampled pollutants at 29
times the safety standard. When
faced with emissions citations,
operators abandoned approximately
1,500 drums that were leaking
chemicals. In three short years, the
company managed to spread heavy
metal contaminants to the air and
soil.
The closure came on the heels
of new legislation enacted by
Congress to address uncontrolled
or abandoned hazardous waste
sites. The Comprehensive Envi-
ronmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act of 1980 empow-
ered EPA to clean up the myriad
problems associated with improper
handling and disposal of chemical
and manufacturing wastes. Dubbed
the "Superfund," a new taxing
authority on chemical feedstocks
and crude oil would pay for cleanup
when responsible parties could not
be found. In this case, the owners
sought protection from the courts
when the parent company, Metcoa,
filed for bankruptcy in 1983.
Fire Signals Emergency
Situation
In 1983, a Fort Worth
firefighter was overcome by
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1881 :
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Superfund At Work • Pesses Company S'West Site, Fort Worth, TX • Summer 1995
Cadmium and nickel contaminated the building, rusting equipment, and debris.
cadmium fumes while fighting
a grass fire at the Pesses site.
City officials notified EPA's
Dallas office and a Superfund
team decided to take a closer
look.
EPA immediately ordered
the company to remove ex-
posed and deteriorating drums.
After agreeing to do so, the
company failed to perform and
abandoned the job completely.
They left behind corroded and
leaking barrels, spent batteries
in makeshift piles, pools of
green sludge, and areas of soil
saturated with heavy metal
residue.
Heavy metals do not biode-
grade and therefore are highly
persistent in the environment.
Even small concentrations
disturb soil microbial activity
and may adversely affect plant
and animal metabolism. Worker
exposure was especially dan-
gerous because cadmium and
nickel are carcinogenic when
inhaled and exposure to lead
has been linked to neurological
disorders. Some workers may
have experienced skin irrita-
tions and impaired breathing,
but their complaints were not
reported to local health officials.
A firefighter was overcome
by cadmium fumes
EPA's emergency response
team quickly removed 3,400
cubic yards of topsoil, drums,
and debris from the site. To
prevent the potential for migra-
tion of contaminants off site,
EPA covered the southern part
of the site with a clay and soil
cap and seeded for grass at a
cost of about $350,000.
Site Added to the NPL
While EPA's emergency
removal addressed immediate
threats, further action at the site
was needed to ensure long-term
abatement of environmental
hazards. In June 1986, EPA
placed Pesses S'West on the
National Priorities List (NPL), a
roster of sites requiring compre-
hensive cleanup.
Bankruptcy Court Allows
Temporary Lease
Having taken possession of
company assets, the court
continued on page 5
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Superfund At Work • Pesses Company S'West Site, Fort Worth, TX • Summer 1995
continued from page 4
Trustee attempted to raise
funds for a long list of creditors
by leasing two sections of the
property. One tenant caused
damage to the protective cover
after allowing heavy machinery
to drive over the newly in-
stalled clay cap. The cap was
repaired and an 8-foot-high
fence installed around the
perimeter to prevent unre-
stricted access to the site.
State Educates and Informs
Residents
The following spring,
TNRCC officials called a public
meeting to explain the
Superfund process to area
citizens. Two years of field
studies were needed to investi-
gate the nature and extent of
contamination at the site. Com-
munity involvement coordina-
tors distributed fact sheets
explaining the findings. In
December 1987, another public
meeting discussed proposed
ways to clean up the site. Pub-
lic comments enhanced
the decision EPA made in
November, 1988 on the selected
remedy.
Soil Stabilized, Capped,
and Sealed
Following 18 months of
design engineering, the Arens
Corporation, a local Hispanic-
owned and operated firm,
began work decontaminating a
metal warehouse and equip-
ment by means of high-pressure
washing. Crews decontami-
nated the remaining drums and
debris and excavated more than
12,000 cubic yards of contami-
nated soil for treatment in the
southern portion of the site.
A stabilizing, cement kiln
dust was added to that soil and
the solidified mixture was
covered with a high-density,
polyethylene liner and a steel-
reinforced, concrete cap.
TNRCC will now perform 30
years of monitoring and mainte-
nance. The state will inspect the
concrete cap and fence, make
repairs as needed, and deter-
mine whether other actions are
required.
continued on page 6
The high-density, polyethylene liner was covered with a steel-reinforced, concrete cap.
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Superfund At Work • Pesses Company S'West Site, Fort Worth, TX • Summer 1995
continued from page 5
EPA Expects to Recover Costs
In 1984, EPA filed a claim in
bankruptcy court against the
Pesses Company and the parent
company, Metcoa, of Solon,
Ohio. An award of $139,000
covered some past costs at this
site and the Pesses reclamation
plant in Pennsylvania. Cur-
rently, EPA and the state have
obtained an agreement in prin-
ciple with alleged waste con-
tributors to recover virtually all
of the costs associated with the
cleanup totalling $2.6 million,
including future operation and
maintenance costs.
7 Recycled/Recyclable
' , Printed with Soy/Canola Ink on paper that
contains at least 50% recycled fiber
Success at
Pesses S'West
Assisted by the work of a
local, minority contractor, the
Pesses S'West site was cleaned
up quickly and efficiently.
Portions of the site have re-
development potential and
Fort Worth officials are ad-
dressing how to allow limited
commercial ventures at the
same location, hoping to
enhance community priorities.
On April 17,1995 EPA
published a "Notice of Intent
to Delete" the site from the
National Priorities List. A 30-
day public comment period
has ended. Delisting signifies
a major accomplishment for
both state and federal
officials.
Thirty years of monitoring
under the careful eye of
TNRCC will ensure that the
protective cap remains intact
under all weather and expo-
sure conditions.
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