INDUSTRIAL WASTE SURVEY
ESNOND MACHINE AND TOOL COMPANY
ESMOND, RHODE ISLAND
May 18, 1972
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INDUSTRIAL WASTE SURVEY
ESMOND MACHINE AND TOOL COMPANY
ESMOND, RHODE ISLAND '
May 18, 1972
At the request of the U. S. Attorney for Rhode Island and with the
permission of Mr. Frank D'Angelo, company President, U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region I personnel collected samples of the waste-water
discharge of Esmond Machine and Tool Company to the Woonasquatucket River
and the river itself on May 18, 1972. The objective of the study was to
sample for a possible enforcement action against the company under Section
13 of the River and Harbor Act of 1899 (USC 33 §§407).
Esmond Machine and Tool Company
Mr. Frank D'Angelo, President of Esmond Machine and Tool Company,
was interviewed by EPA Region I personnel on two occasions: May 11, 1972,
during a reconnaissance survey, and May 18, 1972, the date of the sampling
survey. These discussions concerned the nature of the production process
and the constituents of the waste-water discharge to the Woonasquatucket
River.
Esmond Machine and Tool Company produces handbag frames. The plant
operates approximately ten hours per day, five days per week, with about
seventy employees. Steel is used at the rate of from 15,000 to 19,000
pounds per week. The basic plating process consists of copper and nickel
plating followed by a brass flash anodizing with zinc cyanide and copper
cyanide in a water solution. (Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the
plating process operation.) Approximately 100 pounds of copper cyanide
and zinc cyanide powder are used per week. There are ten water rinse baths
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PLATING PROCESSIFLOW CHART
DISCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
D$SCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
DISCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
J—_-—v.DISCHARGE TO FLDOR RACEWAY
COPPER
STRIKE
DISCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
3FDISCHARGE TO. FLOOR RACEWAY
_______________________ I
WATER
RINSE# I
WATER
RINSE#2
DILUTE
ACID
WATER
RINSE I
WATER
R INSE#2
!1
NICKEL
PLATING
WATER
RINSE# I
WATER
RINSE#2
BRASS
FLASH
> DISCHARGE
D ISC HARG E
TO FLOOR RACEWAY
TO. FLOOR RACEWAY
DISCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
DISCHARGE TO FLOOR RACEWAY
>DISCHARGE TO
>DISCHARGE TO
FLOOR RACEWAY
FLOOR RACEWAY
L
WATER
RINSE#I
WATER
R INSE#2
FIN! SHING
OPERATIO [ S
HGUR
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which produce a constant waste-water flow and two acid rinse baths which
are dumped every six months. Also, two alkaline rinse baths are dumped
periodically; one such dump occurred on the morning of May 18, 1972, the
date of the sampling survey.
Dye studies performed on May 11, 1972 revealed that Esmond Machine
and Tool Coii^aliyniiscKarges~i"ts~waste~water through a ditch and concrete
pipe to the Woonasquatucket River.
Waste water from various baths is collected in floor raceways and
transmitted via a cast iron pipe to an earthen ditch approximately 250
feet from the building. The ditch extends for approximately 500 yards, at
which point it empties into a swamp. The swamp is drained by a twenty-
four inch concrete pipe which extends for approximately one mile where
it empties onto the bank of the Woonasquatucket River. Both the ditch
and the concrete pipe are on town-owned land. Neither the town nor Mr.
D'Angelo know of any other tie-ins to this concrete pipe.
Sampling Information
The waste water from the plant was sampled at the discharge from the
cast iron pipe (EMT 1), as the combined waste water and swamp runoff en-
tered the twenty-four inch concrete pipe (EMT 2), and at the discharge of
the twenty-four inch concrete pipe (EMT 3). Samples at these locations
were taken approximately every^fifteen minutes for one and a half hours
and composited proportionate to flow7> Also, grab samples were collected
in the swamp (EMT 4), and in the Woonasquatucket River upstream of the
discharge at Station WOO 1 and downstream of the discharge at Station WOO 2.
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Most samples were collected, preserved, and analyzed according to
EPA Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water where
applicable; the only exception being the preservation technique for those
samples which were analyzed for total phosphorus. No chemical preserva-
tive was introduced to these samples because of the hazardous nature of
the waste water (i.e., high cyanide concentration). The EPA Region I
chain of custody record system was used to safeguard the samples. Analy-
ses were performed at the New England Regional Laboratory in Needham,
Massachusetts.
Figure 2 is a sketch of the general area showing all sampling loca-
tions. Photographs of the area including the dye study are shown in the
Appendix.
Results
*3^^^^™~"^™^^^™
Table 2 summarizes the results of the laboratory analyses. Table 3
shows the loadings in pounds per day of the various constituents at the
locations specified.
Based on the calculated discharge rate at Station EMT 1 of 125,000
gallons per ten-hour day and the measured effluent concentrations at the
,time of sampling, Esmond Machine and Tool Company discharged to the earthen
ditch 6 pounds of cyanide, 86 pounds of nickel, 13 pounds of copper, 2.3
pounds of zinc, 0.3 pounds of phosphorus measured as total phosphorus, and
15.8 pounds of suspended solids measured as total nonfilterable residue.
This effluent, which has a highly variable constituency, is mixed with
swamp drainage at the entrance to the twenty-four inch concrete pipe
(Station EMT 2). The flow rate at this location wa,s 276,000 gallons per
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ten-hour day. Therefore, during the working day, swamp drainage contri-
butes over one-half the volume to the flow in the concrete pipe.
Analyses of samples collected in the swamp itself (Station EMT 4)
indicated that mixing with the effluent waste water occurs in this area.
•
Concentrations of 1.0 milligrams per liter (mg/1) cyanide, 200 micrograms
per liter (ug/1) nickel, 55 ug/1 copper, and 48 ug/1 zinc found in the
swamp are above those which could be considered normal background levels.
This admixture, along with,a highly variable waste water constituency pro-
duced by the dumping of various process baths, created the following
loadings at the entrance to the concrete pipe (EMT 2): 14.4 pounds of
cyanide, 35.3 pounds of nickel, 6.4 pounds of copper, 1.5 pounds of zinc,
0.5 pounds of phosphorus measured as total phosphorus, and 240 pounds of
suspended solids measured as total nonfilterable residue.
The combined waste water and swamp drainage flows in the concrete pipe
for approximately one mile where it is discharged onto the bank of the
Woonasquatucket River. This discharge created the following pollutional
loadings on the river: 13.3 pounds of cyanide, 78 pounds of nickel, 14.7
pounds of copper, 0.5 pounds of zinc, 11.7 pounds of suspended solids
measured as total nonfilterable residue, and 0.86 pounds of phosphorus
measured as total phosphorus.
Mr. D'Angelo told a member of the sampling crew that two alkaline
baths were dumped around 0900 hours. Between 0915 hours to 1100 hours,
the pH of the plant effluent (Station EMT 1) varied from 11.5 to 6.0 S.U.
'Also, during the same interval, the color of the effluent changed from
dark brown to almost clear (see photographs 17 - 20 of Appendix). This
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5
dump is indicative of the variable constituency of the effluent. Such a
change in pH can effect the solubility pf the contaminants, thus their
concentration in the waste. Due to thig variability of the waste, the
discharge loading rate at the outlet of the twenty-four inch concrete pipe
differed from the influent to the pipe a.nd the effluent from the plant.
Impact on Receiving Water
Between the Fariium Pike bridge and the old wooden dam, the Woonas-
quatucket River showed a marked increase in copper, zinc, nickel, and
total phosphorus concentrations. This is the reach into which Esmond
Machine and Tool Company discharges its wastewater.
Based upon analyses of samples collected at Station EMT 1, Esmond
-Machine' and~Tool~Company~d±scharged—approximately 6 pounds per day of
copper in the Woonasquatucket River increasing the concentration of copper
in the river from 20 micrograms per liter (ug/1) upstream at sampling
Station WOO 1 to 6800 ug/1 downstream at sampling Station WOO 2. Concen-
trations as low as 20 ug/1 adversely affect fish and other aquatic life.
The toxicity of copper is increased markedly because of the synergistic
effect produced by the presence of zinc.
Concentrations of zinc as low as 100 ug/1 have been reported lethal
to fish and other aquatic life. The concentration in the Woonasquatucket
River downstream of Esmond Machine and Tool Company's discharge was 274
ug/1. Zinc exerts its toxic action by forming insoluble compounds with
the mucous that covers the gills, by damage to the gill epithelium, or as
an internal poison.
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6
Nickel, which is also present in the Esmond Machine and Tool Company
discharge, increased the concentration in the Uoonasquatucket River from
12 ug/1 above the discharge to 39,750 ug/1 below the discharge. This con-
centration is over forty-five times the threshold concentration of 800 ug/1
which is the lethal limit for some species of fish.
Esmond's waste water contained 0.27 milligrams per liter (mg/1) of
phosphorus increasing the phosphorus concentration in the Woonasquatucket
River from 0.04 mg/1 upstream of the discharge to 0.30 mg/1 downstream of
the discharge. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for the growth of
aquatic organisms including algae. An overabundance or imbalance of this
nutrient can lead to eutrophication of rivers and lakes.
Esmond Machine and Tool Company also discharged excessive amounts of
cyanide to the Woonasquatucket River. Cyanide is highly toxic to both
aquatic and human life.
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TABLE 1
SAMPLE STATION IDENTIFICATION
Station Latitude - Longitude DescripUon
- -- - - ‘ “--- — L
EMT 1 141 52 31 71 30 25 discharge from cast Iron pipe to ditch
EMT 2 141 52 35 71 30 27 entrance to 21i” concrete pipe
EMT 3 141 52 1414 71 30 Li discharge from 214” concrete pipe to
Woonasquatucke t River
EL4T 14 141 52 36 71 30 30 upstream in swamp
WOO 1 141 52 149 71 30 10 Woonasquatucket River upstream at
Farnumn Pike Bridge
WOO 2 141 52 142 71 30 09 Woonasquatucket River downstream It
old wooden dam
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ESMOND MACHINE & TOOL COMPANY
ESMOND, RHODE ISLAND
MACHINE &
CONCRETE
PIPE
HGU 2
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SAMPLE ANALYSES
Abbreviations and Units of Measure
Analysis ReDorted Description Measured In
Temp temperature degrees centigrade (°C)
pH hydrogen ion concentration standard units (s.u.)
Probe D.O. dissolved oxygen milligrams per liter (mg/i)
Total NF l ?. total suspended solids (mg/i)
Turbidity Jackson Turbidity Units (J.T.U.)
Total P total phosphorus mg/i as phosphorus
Cyanide mg/i as cyanide
Nickel micrograms per liter (ug/i)
as nickel
Zinc ugh as zinc
Copper ug/l as copper
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TABLE
ESMOND MACHINE & TOOL COMPANY
May 18, 1972
Laboratory Analyses
Lab Probe Tbta]. T3t.al
Station Time Code Depth Temp. D.0. pH INFR Thrbidi.ty
(ft.) (°c) (ing/1) (s.iJ.) ( ng/i) (J.T.U.) ( /i)
EMT 1 Composite (0915—1100) 29790 1.0 15.0 10.0 115.5 9.0 0.27
EMT 2 Composite (09145 —1130) 29791 1.0 17.0 11.0 t05.5 50 0.214
EMT3 Composite (1015—1115) 29792 1.0 15.0 10.5 — 5.1 2.5 0.38
EMT 14 1030 29793 1.0 18.o 9.1 5.0 11.6 1.5 0.02
River Stations
WOO 1 0925 297914 1.0 16.5 — 9.8 6.1 14.14 o.o14
WOO 2 10140 29795 1.0 16.5 9.9 — 1 .8 3.2 0.30
Station Time Lab Cyanide Nickel Copper Zinc
Code (mgi].) (ug h) (ug h) (ugh].)
EMT 1 Composite 29790 5.8 82,500 12,500 2,250
EMT 2 Composite 29791 6.2 15,1400 2,785 650
T 3 Composite 29792 5.8 314,000 61 1 bo 230
EMT 14 1030 29793 1.0 200 55.0 148
River Stations
WOO 1 0925 297914 2.3 12 20.0 100
WOO 2 10140 29795 2.3 39,750 6,800 2714
* pH ranged between 11. and ô.O
** pH ranged between 11.0 and 9.2
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TABLE 3
ESMOND MACHINE AND TOOL COMPANY
•Nay 18, i972
LOADING RATES
Suspended Total Flow
Cyanide Nickel Copper Zinc Solids Phosphorus Rate
Sampling Station ( ppd) ( ppd) ( ppd) ( ppd) ( ppd) ( ppd) ( MCD )
EMT 1 5.95 86 13 2.34 15.8 0.27 0.125
Discharge from plant
EMT 2
Combined Discharge and 14.4 35.3 6.4 1.49 242 0.55 0.276
runoff going into 24”
pipe
EMT 3 13.3 78 14.7 0,52 11.7 0,86 0,276
Discharge from 24”
pipe to Woonasquatucket
River
EMT 4 1.25 0.25 0.06 0.06 14.5 0.025 0.15i*
Swamp runoff mixed with
waste water discharge
Basis: Ten—hour day
ppd denotes pounds per day
*Calculated as the difference between
flows measured at EMT 2 and EMT 1.
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A P P END IX
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PHOIOGRAPRS
May 11, 1972
1) discharge from cast iron pipe to ditch - sampling Station EMT 1
2) looking from Station EMT 1 at ditch downstream
3) confluence of ditch with swamp run-off
14) looking upstream at swamp run-off from Station EMT 2
5) confluence of ditch with swamp run-off - Station EMT Li. in lower right
6) Station EMT 2 - entrance to 214 inch concrete pipe
7) Station EMT 14 - note milky white color
8 )dye study - dye entering swamp from ditch
9) dye mixed with swamp run-off showing backwashing phenomenon
10) dye entering concrete pipe
‘1) Station EMT 3 — dye flowing out of 214 inch concrete pipe
12) was tewater flowing down bank of Woonasquatucket River from 214 inch concrete
pipe
13) looking upstream at Woonasquatucket River
114) Woonasquatucket River downstream at Station WOO 2 - showing dye dispersed
in river
15) further downstream in Woonasquatucket River showing dye
16) Woonasquatucket River at old.wooden dam - sampling Station WOO 2
May 18, 1972
Sampling Station ENT 1
17) 0915 - note dark brown color produced by alkaline dump
18) 09145 - sequence of sampling indicating a highly variable constituency
1 9) 1 01 5 — H II II H H
20) 1 0145 — It I !
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