Superfund Redevelopment Program
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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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