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             Reuse  Region 3 Sites in Reuse   Chisman Creek Case Study
Chisman  Creek Case Study
Office of Emergency
and Remedial Response
(5201G)
    EPA 540/F-98/009
    OSWER9378.0-16FS
    PB98-963211
March 1999
Chisman Creek,
York County, Virginia
BEFORE
Soil, groundwater, and
surface water
contaminated by disposal
of fly ash

AFTER
Chisman Creek and Wolf
Trap Parks, Softball and
soccer fields, and a
memorial tree grove

IMPACT
Improved landscape,
recreational activities,
protection of the
ecosystem, increased
income and residential
property value
The York County Softball league supports 42 teams during spring and summer.
The field lights illuminate the evening. The bases are loaded. Fans cheer the batter. Sitting in the
bleachers, you would never know that the field was once part of the Chisman Creek Superfund
site. Today, the "keep out" signs are gone and the former fly ash disposal area supports two
recreational parks with softball and soccer fields. Now, the familiar shouts and cheers of the
games sound sweeter than usual because of the cleanup and redevelopment of the site. What
follows is the story of how the partnerships formed by EPA made the site's transformation
possible, and the  economic impacts and environmental and social benefits that resulted.

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                                  Site Snapshot
           Virginia
                    Candy*
                Chl*man  i e.
                 Creek  -*"
                Superfund ™
                 ss
Between 1957 and 1974, a local contractor deposited more than
500,000 tons of fly ash from Virginia Power's Yorktown Power Station
in abandoned sand and gravel pits on the Chisman Creek property. Fly
ash is a soot-like by-product that results from burning fossil fuels, such
as coal and petroleum coke. In 1980, complaints from local citizens
about discolored well water prompted state agencies to investigate the
area. Results of the sampling showed heavy metal contamination in
Chisman Creek, in the groundwater under the disposal areas, and in
various on-site ponds. The metals included nickel, vanadium, arsenic,
beryllium, chromium, copper, molybdenum, and selenium.

The Chisman Creek site is 15 miles north of Norfolk, Virginia, and
consists of three parcels of land covering 27 acres. Over 1,200
households are within two miles of the site. Chisman  Creek, a tributary
of the Chesapeake  Bay, is a 4,200-acre coastal watershed that starts
as a small stream and ends as a broad  tidal estuary. The estuary,
on-site ponds, and  land were used by local residents for recreational
purposes.
          PROBLEM
          •   Contamination of
             soil, ground- and
             surface water from
             the disposal of over
             500,000 tons of fly
             ash in  abandoned
             sand and gravel  pits
          SOLUTION
             Constructed a clay
          •   cap over
             contamination
          u   Collected and treated
             groundwater
          m   Provided alternate
             water
          PARTNERS
                                  Before
                                              BeTofe cleanup. "Keep Out ' signs were posted
                                              to warn oi site's potennal hazards.
From Fly Ash...

In 1983, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing
cleanup. Working with the local community, state agencies, and
Virginia Power, EPA developed a two-part cleanup strategy. In 1986,
Virginia Power began the first part of the cleanup which targeted the
fly ash pits and contaminated groundwater. It extended public water
lines to 55 homes with contaminated well water; covered the fly ash
pits with clay, clean soil, and vegetation; and installed a groundwater
treatment system at the oldest and deepest pit to collect and treat
water trickling through the cap. To prevent use of the groundwater,
Virginia Power filed deed  restrictions with the county.

The second part of the cleanup plan targeted the three on-site ponds,
a freshwater tributary stream, and the Chisman Creek estuary.
Virginia Power relocated a 600-foot portion of the tributary to lessen
the possibility of contact with the fly ash  disposal areas and protect the
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             U.S. EPA             aquatic ecosystem. Finally, it established a program to monitor
             Commonwealth of    ground- and surface water quality for the ponds, the tributary, and the
             Virginia              estuary.
             York County
             Local community
          To Fly Balls...

          In 1986, a 12-member Stewardship Committee comprising local residents and business
          representatives, a geology professor from the nearby College of William and Mary, a NASA
          scientist, and environmental professionals was formed to oversee cleanup and redevelopment of
          the site. Local residents were eager for the cleanup, but wanted to continue to use the area for
          recreation. A sports park was the perfect solution. As part of the cleanup, Virginia Power built a
          site cap that would also serve as the foundation for playing fields, and leveled and graded the
          site, so York County could build park structures and sod the fields. York County also purchased a
          lighting system that was installed by Virginia Power during the final stages of the cleanup.

          The Chisman Creek sports park opened on May 4, 1991, with about 300 local residents, media,
          Virginia Power officials, and EPA, state, and county personnel on hand to enjoy the festivities. The
          13-acre park has two lighted Softball fields, restrooms, and a parking lot. The second park-the
          28-acre Wolf Trap Park-features four soccer fields, restrooms, a parking lot, two ponds, and the
          County's Memorial Tree Grove.
                                  After
                                            During aoccef season, V/olt Trap Park's soccer 1 lelds
                                            are used by about 800 people a wee*.
          POSITIVE ECONOMIC
          IMPACTS
          Short-term
            90 jobs per year
            supported during four
            years of cleanup and
         •  redevelopment with an
            estimated total annual
            income of $2 million
            Property Value
            Roughly $560,000
            potential increase in
         •  residential property
            values within two
            miles of the site
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          ENVIRONMENTAL
          BENEFITS
            Elimination of health
                                 Keys tO SUCCGSS
            and groundwater
            Protection of the      A spirit of cooperation and several partnerships were the key to the
         •  Chisman Creek        cleanup and redevelopment of the Chisman Creek site. EPA
            ecosystem            coordinated with state and federal agencies to complete sampling, and
          SOCIAL BENEFITS      health and ecological assessments at the site. The Stewardship
            Addition of two parks  Committee created a powerful forum for interested people and
         •  to the York County     organizations to provide input on cleanup and  redevelopment decisions
            recreational system    and hear about progress. EPA, York County, and Virginia Power
            Support of a  42-team  together coordinated the cleanup and redevelopment. This
         •  Softball league and     partnership's efforts earned an Environmental Achievement Award
            county soccer program frQm thg Nationa|  Environmental Awards Council. The Consulting
            M^oha^Tree8 Grove  En9'neers Council  of Pennsylvania also recognized the engineering
         •  to commemorate      firm tnat designed the drainage system, clay cap, and recreational
            deceased York County  facilities with the council's "Grand Conceptor" award.
            residents
          Want to Know More?

         The Chisman Creek Technical Appendix provides detailed information on the economic impacts
         associated with this site, including the specific calculations used, sources of information, and
         possible limitations of the calculations. To obtain copies of the Technical Appendix for this fact
         sheet, or to learn more about the economic analyses performed for this site or other Superfund
         sites, please write to reuse.info@epa.QOv or contact:

         Melissa Friedland
         Office of Superfund Remediation Technology Innovation
         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
         (703)603-8864

         For more information about the cleanup and redevelopment of the Chisman Creek site, contact:

         Andrew C. Palestini, Remedial Project Manager
         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (3HS43)
         1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
         (215) 814-3233
         Dalestini.andrew@epa.QOv
         To learn more about the redevelopment or reuse of Superfund sites, write to reuse.info@epa.gov,
         or call the Superfund Hotline at (800) 424-9346 or (703) 412-9810 (Washington, DC area).
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