EPA
This fact sheet will tell
you about:
• Possible on-site treatment of
highly contaminated soil and
sediment found in October
2000
• Opportunities for public input
into U.S. EPA's evaluation of
on-site treatment
• Upcoming cleanup activities
• Where you can get more
information
Public Meeting
The U.S. EPA will hold a public meet-
ing to discuss and get feedback on
the issues listed above on Thursday,
May 10, 2001, at 7 p.m. at the
Ashtabula Area Chamber of Com-
merce, Culver Conference Center,
4536 Main Ave., Ashtabula, Ohio.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Public Affairs
Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota,
Ohio, Wisconsin
U.S. EPA Evaluates On-Site Treatment Proposal for
Additional Contamination Found Last Fall
Fields Brook Superfund Site
Ashtabula, Ohio
May 2001
Introduction
This fact sheet provides information about the Fields Brook Superfund
site in Ashtabula, Ohio. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are overseeing the
cleanup, which has resumed this spring and is scheduled to be com-
pleted in 2002. The U.S. EPA has scheduled a public meeting on May
10, 2001, to inform you of the cleanup progress and the latest develop-
ments at the site (see details at left). If you have any questions about
this update or the site in general, please contact the U.S. EPA staff
listed on the back page.
Site History
The U.S. EPA placed the Fields Brook site on the National Priorities
List in 1983. Due to the size of the site, the U.S. EPA divided it into
separate work areas called Operable Units. These work areas include
the cleanup of contaminated sediment in Fields Brook and its tributar-
ies, the cleanup of contaminated soil in floodplain and wetland areas
adjacent to Fields Brook, and the cleanup of the industrial "Source
Control" areas that could recontaminate Fields Brook. (See site map
below for names and locations of these areas.) A Record of Decision
Ashtabula
o 2000
Scale In Feet
"k
Conrail
Cleanup Completed it
Scheduled Completion Summer 2001 +
Site Map
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(ROD), the document outlining the U.S. EPA's
cleanup plan, was signed for the Sediment Oper-
able Unit in 1986 and for the Floodplain/Wetland
Area and the Source Control Operable Units in
1997. In 1997 and 1999, additional documents
that describe changes to the RODs were approved.
Possible On-Site Treatment of
Additional Contamination Found in
Brook and Floodplain
Last year, a landfill was constructed on what was
the RMI Sodium Property on State Road. Ap-
proximately 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated
soil and sediment from the Floodplain and Sedi-
ment Operable Units have already been excavated
and placed in the landfill.
In October 2000, during excavation of deep sedi-
ment in the industrial area near State Road, a previ-
ously unidentified layer of contamination was found
(see map below). (This layer of contamination is
referred to as Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid
or DNAPL.) This layer contains high levels of
chlorinated solvents, such as trichlorethylene,
hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, and tet-
rachloroethylene. These contaminants are heavier
than water and apparently sank down to the bot-
tom of the brook sediment, hit the clay bottom,
and moved laterally out under floodplain soils.
This layer of DNAPL-contaminated soil and sedi-
ment, which sits between 4 and 6 feet below the
ground, must be removed from Fields Brook and
treated. The U.S. EPA estimates that approximately
15,000 cubic yards of this heavily contaminated
soil and sediment is present.
The companies performing the cleanup (respon-
sible companies) have proposed a method of treat-
ment for this layer of contamination known as
Low Temperature Thermal Desorption (LTTD).
The LTTD system would heat the soil and sedi-
ment and drive the organic contaminants into the
air within the treatment unit. The volatilized con-
taminants in the air would then be thermally de-
stroyed in the air pollution control system. Al-
though this system does not burn the soil and
sediment, the contaminants in the air would be
destroyed in a thermal oxidizer, which is also
known as an afterburner. Therefore, the U.S. EPA
has determined that such a system is sufficiently
similar to incineration to require compliance with
federal incineration regulations. The responsible
companies have submitted planning documents that
comply with these requirements.
In addition to chlorinated solvents, Fields Brook
contains other contaminants, including metals, ra-
dionuclides, and polychlorinated biphynels (PCBs).
Although PCBs do not appear to be contaminants
of concern in this layer of contamination, the ther-
mal treatment unit would volatilize and destroy
any PCBs present. Metals and radionuclides also
do not appear to be a concern in the soil and
f
Approximate Extent of
Subsurface DNAPL
Contamination
Detrex Property
°y- Former Detrex
~ Outfa"
Middle Road
Figure 1
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sediment. However, as a precaution, the air being
emitted from the stack would be sampled and
analyzed for volatile and semi-volatile organic com-
pounds, PCBs, metals, dioxins and furans before a
final approval of the system would be given. In
addition, all soil entering the treatment unit would
be scanned to make sure that radionuclide levels
are not elevated above naturally occurring back-
ground levels.
If the U.S. EPA allows the implementation of on-
site treatment, the system would not be fully op-
erational immediately. The system would be tested
on some of the most highly contaminated material
so that the U.S. EPA could evaluate its perfor-
mance. As part of this process, the U.S. EPA will
establish operational parameters for the system
(i.e., acceptable temperature ranges in the chamber
that heats the soil and sediment, appropriate tem-
perature for the thermal oxidizer, how long the
soil/sediment need to be heated). Once the sys-
tem is fully operational, it would operate within the
established parameters to ensure that it is suffi-
ciently treating the soil and sediment and meeting
air regulations. In addition, continuous samples
will be taken from the stack and analyzed for car-
bon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and total hydro-
carbons.
The responsible companies are proposing on-site
treatment as an effective and cost-efficient way to
address this additional layer of contamination. On-
site treatment for 15,000 cubic yards would cost
less than $1.5 million. Based on new estimates, the
cost for off-site incineration is approximately $3.6
million.
Although the treatment system being proposed is
not a typical incinerator, it acts like one because the
contaminants are thermally treated. The U.S. EPA
has stringent standards on how such systems must
operate. The U.S. EPA believes that this treatment
system would be effective and would monitor it to
verify its safety. However, if the U.S. EPA decides
to allow the on-site treatment to be tested and it
fails to meet the U.S. EPA's requirements, the tech-
nology will not be used. Instead, the layer of
heavily contaminated soil and sediment may be
sent off-site for treatment. (The on-site treatment
system being considered is not meant to address
liquid waste. Any liquid waste collected from the
soil will automatically be sent to an off-site loca-
tion for incineration.)
Despite the delay due to the discovery of the addi-
tional layer of contamination, the U.S. EPA still
expects a significant amount of Fields Brook to be
cleaned up this year. The entire brook cleanup is
expected to be completed in 2002.
Industrial Cleanups to be Completed
this Summer
Cleanups at the remaining two Source Control
Operable Units will be finished this summer. Clean-
ups are already done at the other four Source
Control Operable Units - - Acme Scrap, Millen-
nium TiCl plant, the North Sewers, and Conrail.
Detrex Corporation
This summer, extraction wells will be installed to
pump out the highly contaminated ground water
from below the site. In March 2001, a slurry wall
and system of interceptor trenches was completed
to prevent highly contaminated ground water from
leaving the site.
RMI Metals
The excavation of PCB-contaminated soil will be-
gin this month. The material will be placed in the
on-site landfill.
Community Involvement
The U.S. EPA wants to hear from you about whether
to allow this additional layer of contamination to
be treated on-site. You are encouraged to attend a
public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 10,
2001, at the Ashtabula Area Chamber of Com-
merce, 4536 Main Avenue, in Ashtabula. U.S. EPA
representatives will discuss the on-site treatment
proposal in detail and will address all of your
questions and concerns. For more information,
please call, write, or e-mail the contacts listed on
the back page.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Anyone interested in learning more about the Fields Brook site cleanup, or the Superfund process in
general, is encouraged to review documents in the information repositories located at:
Ashtabula County District Library Kent State Campus Library
335 West 44* Street 3325 West 13th Street
Ashtabula, Ohio Ashtabula, Ohio
For additional information about the Fields Brook site, please contact:
U.S. EPA Contacts
Denise Battaglia (P-19J)
Community Involvement
Coordinator
(312) 886-9859
battaglia.denise@epa.gov
Terese Van Donsel (SR-6J)
Remedial Project Manager
(312) 353-6564
vandonsel.terese@epa.gov
U.S. EPA Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Toll Free: (800) 621-8431
http://www.epa.gov/region5
State of Ohio Contact
Sig Williams,
Project Manager
Ohio EPA,
Northeast District Office
2110 East Aurora Avenue
Twinsburg, Ohio 44087
(330) 963-1210
regan.williams@epa.state.oh.us
EPA
Official Business, Penalty for
Private Use $300
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5
Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604
FIRST CLASS
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Fields Brook Superfund Site Update
This fact sheet is printed on paper made of recycled fibers.
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