United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Emergency and
Remedial Response
EPA/RODR03-90/086
March 1990
&EPA
Superfund
Record of Decision:
Westline, PA
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50272-101
REPORT DOCUMENTATION i. REPORT NO. 2.
PAGE ' EPA/ROD/R03-90/086
4. Titt* *nd Subtitle
SUPERFUND RECORD OF DECISION
West line, PA
First Remedial Action (Amendment)
7. Author(»}
9. Performing Organization Nam* and Addr***
12. Sponsoring Organization N*m* and Addr***
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street; . S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
3. Recipient1 • Acc»**ion No.
5. Report 0*t*
03/30/90
&
8. Performing Organization R*pt No.
10, Pro)»cl/T**k/Work Unit No.
11. Contne1(C) or Grant(G) No.
(C)
(G)
13. Typ* of Report t Period Covered
800/000
14.
15. Supplementary Hot**
16. AbMrict (Limit: 200 word*)
The Westline site is a former chemical plant in the rural community of Westline,
LaFayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. The site is situated along Kinzua
Creek and is completely surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest. From 1901 to
1952, the Day Chemical Company plant was operated to convert lumber to charcoal,
methanol, and acetic acid. The Day Chemical Company deposited tar material contain:
phenolic compounds and PAHs into onsite lagoons and into small canals to allow the
material to migrate downhill towards the banks of Kinzua Creek. In 1983, EPA
conducted an immediate removal action to remove 2,000 tons of tar and contaminated
soil from the largest lagoon of tar deposits. Although a 1986 Record of Decision
(ROD) addressed the remediation of an additional 2,340 tons of tar and soil found in
an onsite tar pit and in some of the interpersed tar deposits along Kinzua Creek,
there was still an estimated 4,000 tons of tar material left at the site in the areas
planned for excavation. Most of the remaining tar, however, is three feet below the
surface and is not a dermal contact threat. Based on an updated risk assessment using
more recent risk criteria for PAHs, EPA has determined that the residual soil and tar
material presents no potential carcinogenic risk greater than the range of acceptable
risks found at other Superfund sites and will thus discontinue excavating soil and tar
(See Attached Sheet)
17. Document An*ly*l* a. Descriptor*
Record of Decision - Westline, PA
First Remedial Action (Amendment)
Contaminated Medium: none
Key Contaminants: none
b. Wentmera/Open-Ended Term*
c. COSATI Reid/Group
18. Availability Statement
(See ANS4-Z39.18)
IB. Security Cl«»* (Thi« Report)
None
20. Security da** (Thl* Pag*)
None
21. No. of Pag**
7
22. Price
See Inimtcaont on Rtwnw OPTOMAl -TORM 272 (4-77)
Depertnent of Commerce
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EPA/ROD/R03-90/086
Westline, PA
First Remedial Action
(Amendment)
,stract (continued)
material. This ROD amends a July 1986 ROD, which called for the excavation and
offsite incineration and disposal of waste tar from an onsite tar pit and the
interspersed tar deposits along Kinzua Creek. There are no longer any primary
contaminants of concern affecting the soil at the site.
The selected remedial action for this ROD amendment is no further action. Because some
tar material will remain onsite, EPA will monitor the site to prevent unacceptable
exposure from the waste tar, and a five-year review will be scheduled. No costs were
specified for this no action remedy.
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Record of Decision Amendment
to the July 3, 1986 Record of Decision
for the Westline Site
SITE NAME AND LOCATION
Westline Site, McKean County, Pennsylvania
STATEMENT OF BASIS AND PURPOSE
This decision document presents a change in the remedial
action selected for the Westline Site, Westline, Pennsylvania,
chosen on July 3, 1986 in accordance with the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980,
as amended (CERCLA), and to the extent practicable, the National
Contingency Plan (NCP). This decision is based on the
Administrative Record for this site.
DESCRIPTION OF THE AMENDED REMEDY
The previous Record of Decision (ROD) signed on July 3, 1986
called for excavation of waste tar from the existing pit behind
the Westline Church and the interspersed tar deposits along
Kinzua Creek. The waste tar was to be incinerated offsite.
During the summer of 1988, EPA began to implement that
remedial action and within the first few weeks of excavation, EPA
determined that the volume of tar was much greater than
originally estimated. In 1986, EPA thought 800 tons of soil/tar
had to be excavated but revised estimates were eight times
greater. During this summer of record heat, EPA found tar in
many places it had not been previously detected. By November
1988, EPA had excavated the tar pit behind the church which
presented the greatest threat of potential dermal exposure and
some of the interspersed tar deposits along Kinzua Creek. These
materials were transported offsite for incineration and disposal.
Operations had to be closed down for the winter season.
By the spring ot 1989, EPA decided to reevaluate the public
health and environmental risks posed by the remaining waste tars
at the site.
Based on the Updated Risk Assessment employing the newer
risk criteria, the decrease for potential exposure and an
improved model, EPA has determined that no further action is
necessary at this site because the tar material no longer poses
an unreasonable health risk.
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2
DECLARATION STATEMENT
EPA has selected the "No Further Action" alternative for the
remaining tar onsite because the largest lagoons of tar deposits
have been removed and there is adequate protection for human
health and the environment based on the actions taken to date.
It should be noted that a review of the site will be conducted
every five years in accordance with Section 121(c) of CERCLA, 42
U.S.C. Section 9621(c), to prevent unacceptable exposures from
the waste tar materials since some of the tar will remain onsite.
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/I';l'dc<,- j} .-..J:.L( )fYL;
Edwin B. Erickson ,'~
Regional Administrator,
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D.te /
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3
Summary of Amended
Remedial Alternative Selection
Site Location and Descriotio~
The Westline Site is located in the rural community of
Westline, Lafayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. The
town is located in northwest Pennsylvania and is approximately 15
miles south-southwest of Bradford, Pennsylvania and 8 miles
northwest of Kane, Pennsylvania.
The town of Westline is situated along Kinzua Creek and is
completely surrounded by the Allegheny ~ational Forest. Located
in the center of the town is the Westline Inn, which is the
town's major landmark which is within the site boundaries.
The site contamination consists of several areas where tar-
like deposits were placed. The compounds detected in the tar-like
deposits included phenol compounds and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs). The tar deposits were from the operations
of the chemical plant described below. The chemical plant
disposed of the tar materials in lagoons outside of the building.
The company also dug small canals to allow the tar materials to
migrate downhill towards the banks of Kinzua Creek. Another
factor which contributed to the spread of the tar deposits was
the natural flooding events throughout the site area. The two
largest lagoons of tar deposits were removed by EPA as part of
the 1983 removal action and the 1988 remedial action.
Site History
In the late 1890's, Ralph Day and his son Edmund purchased
thousands of acres ot land extending east of Thundershower Run in
McKean County, Pennsylvania to the small town of Guffy. Timber
rights were obtained and a chemical plant was constructed in the
town of Westline. The plant, known as the Day Chemical Company,
began operatinq in 1901. The plant converted lumber into
charcoal, methanol, and acetic acid. The basic process consisted
of heatinq the lumber in the absence of oxyqen, to a very high
temperature, drivinq off the chemicals and turninq the remaining
wood into charcoal. The company changed ownership several times
throuqhout the 1900's and was finally closed in the summer of
1952.
TOday, all that is left of the chemical plant is the
foundation. The plant site, located behind the Westline Inn, is
presently covered with demolition debris and is overgrown. Most
of the thousands of acres bought by Ralph and Edmund Day in the
late 1890's are now part of the Allegheny National Forest.
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4
~istorv of EPA Removal and Remedial Actions
The initial site inspection was conducted in July of 1982.
The site was scored under the Hazard Ranking System worksheets in
September of 1982 and the resulting score was 40.38. The site
was subsequently proposed for the National Priorities List.
In February of 1983 EPA Region III began an Immediate
Removal Action at the site. In April 1983 the largest lagoon of
tar dep~sits which was located in the parking lot of the Westline
Inn, was capped to prevent offsite migration. By August 1983 it
became apparent that the clay cap was inadequate and excavation
and removal of tar materials would be necessary. Variations in
temperature and the water table level caused some of the tar to
break through the capped area. Therefore, excavation began on
August 29, 1983. Two thousand tons of tar and contaminated soil
were removed from the site by CECOS International, Inc. and taken
to CECOS' disposal site in Niagara Falls, New York. The Removal
Action was completed on September 14, 1983. In September 1983,
the Westline Site was placed on the final National Priorities
List.
The Remedial Action began in March of 1983 when a work
assignment was issued to NUS Corporation. NUS prepared a
Remedial Action Master Plan (RAMP) in October 1983. The RAMP
summarized all previous information. By August of 1984 NUS
prepared a work plan for the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study (RI/FS). NUS completed the final RI/FS Reports by July
1986, and a Record of Decision (ROD) to address the waste tar was
signed July 3, 1986. This ROD called for excavation of the waste
tar/soil mixture and offsite incineration. The ROD also required
a ground water verification study for some "non tar-related"
compounds found during the Remedial Investigation. The Ground
water Verification Study and the Remedial Design work for offsite
incineration began in the fall of 1986.. EBASCO/NUS prepared the
work plans and conducted the additional field studies in the
summer of 1987. The Ground water Verification study reports were
issued in December 1987 and a second Record of Decision was
signed on June 29, 1988. The ground water ROD stated that
concentrations of benzene were decreasing with time and that the
aquifer should flush out the contaminants within five to ten
years: therefore, a No Action Alternative with continued
monitoring was selected.
The Remedial Design bid specifications for the excavation
and offsite incineratton of the waste tar/soil mixture were
completed in June of 1987 and the Agency selected EBASCO/NUS tor
the Remedial Action activities. Actual field work began at the.
Westline site in May of 1988 and continued through the summer and
fall until the end of November 1988. A total of 2,340 tons ot
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tar and soil were excavated and the area was backfilled with
clean soil, but there was still a significant amount of the tar
left in other areas. By January 1989, EPA received estimates
that at least 4,000 tons of material were left at the site in the
areas planed for excavation. At the same time the Agency
recognized that recent research into the risks associated with
the PAHs should be used to refine the original risk assessment
conducted in 1986. In August 1989 a document titled "Final Risk
Assessment Update" was issued. This document is the basis for
the change in remedial actions described in this amendment to the
1986 ROD.
Summary of Site Risks
The Updated Risk Assessment was developed to determine
whether the intermittent tar deposits and tar-contaminated soils
remaining at the Westline Site present unacceptable public health
risks. The Risk Assessment originally prepared during the
Remedial Investigation of April 1986 is outdated by current
(1989) risk assessment standards. The Remedial Action
(excavation) conducted at the site in 1988 removed the largest
open area of tar in the lagoon behind the Westline Church and
also provided additional information about the depth and quantity
of the tar materials beneath the ground surface. Most of the tar
is actually three feet below the surface and will not be a dermal
contact threat.
The updated assessment incorporates two major technical
revisions that present the most up-to-date guidance available on
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. The
first change is a revised method of assessing risks related to
PAHs, which are the major site contaminants. In the past, EPA
used a one-to-one equivalency approach that treated all PAHs as
though they were benzo(a)pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene has been widely
studied and is a probable human carcinogen. This approach
greatly overestimates the risks associated with PAHs that do not
exhibit the high carcinogenic potency of benzo(a)pyrene.
Therefore, researchers have developed "relative potency
estimates" based on benzo(a)pyrene, which treat each potentially
carcinogenic PAH individually.
Th* second change is the revision of common exposure
assumptions. Exposure assumptions are predictions of how a
person could consume, inhale, or com* into physical contact with
contaminated soil or wastes. EPA recently published The Risk
Assessment Guidance for Superfund (December 1989) which is based
on large amounts of data that describe the frequency of certain
activities, average body weights, average breathing rates, etc.
These assumptions are more realistic estimates of potential types
and durations of exposures than those used previously. The
largest lagoon in the Westline Inn's parking lot was removed in
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6
{
,
1983 and the other open lagoon was remov$d in 1988. This changed
the likelihood of dermal exposure for the residents of West line.
Most of the remaining tar is below the surface in areas that are
overgrown with trees and ferns. The possibility of direct
contact with the tar is limited to one square foot puddles and
the dermal exposures are limited to the hands, arms, neck and
face rather than the entire body.
Using these revisions, a number of potential exposure
scenarios were examined and the potential risks were compared to
the risks presented in the RI Report in April 1986. The results,
as presented in The Risk Assessment Update (August 1989), show
that the residual soils and tar material present no potential
carcinogenic risks greater than the range of acceptable risks
commonly applied by EPA for Superfund sites.
A comparison of the risks calculated in the 1986 and the
risks calculated in 1989 are shown in The Risk Assessment Update
(August 1989) which is part of the Administrative Record.
DescriDtion of the Amended Remedy
The previous remedy for excavation and offsite incineration
of the tar/soil mixture at the Westline site will not be
continued. EPA has decided on "No Furth.r Action" which means
the tar material presently at the site will remain in place. The
site will be monitored and a review of the site will be conducted
every five years as required by section 121(c) of CERCLA, 42
u.s.c. Section 9621(c).
ResDonsiveness Summarv
Public participation activities performed to meet the
requirements of section 113 and 117 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. Section
9613 and section 9617 and to support this amendment to the ROD
included:
1.
Preparation of the Administrative Record and placing
additional documentation in the local repositories.
A pres. and public availability session was held on
August 22, 1989 at the site. The proposed Plan was
distributed at that time.
2.
3.
The advertise.ent of the "No Further Action" proposal
appeared in three local papers on August 23, 1989 and
public comment. were requested during the 30 day
comment period following the notice. The newspapers
also printed articles on the site interview conducted
the day before.
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4. No written comments were received in response to the
public notice and no requests for the formal public
meeting were made.
5. Based on conversations with several members of the
community, the local residents seemed to agree with the
change in the remedy, since the two major pits had been
remediated. In fact some residents were happy that EPA
finally decided to stop excavating. These residents
had not agreed with the assesment of potential risks
back in 1983-1986 and were pleased that their original
position on No Action at the site had been decided by
EPA was appropriate for the Westline site.
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