v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Share your opinions
EPA invites your comments on this
proposed cleanup plan for PCB-
contamination coming from Bennett's
Dump. Your input is important. EPA
may modify its recommendations
based on information and comments
from area residents.
Public Comment Period
Feb. 3 - March 4 (midnight
postmark), 2006
You may fill out and return the
enclosed form, or you may mail, fax
or e-mail your comments to:
Thomas Alcamo
EPA Remedial Project Manager
EPA Region 5 (SR-6J)
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
(800) 621-8431 ext. 67278, weekdays
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Fax: (312) 886-4071
E-mail: alcamo.thomas@epa.gov
You may also share your views and
ask questions at a public meeting
scheduled for:
Tuesday, Feb. 14
6 p.m - 9 p.m.
Monroe County Public Library
303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, Ind.
During the meeting, EPA will explain
the proposed cleanup plan. After the
presentation, the public may comment
on the project or ask questions. A
court reporter will record the meeting
and all comments. People can also
submit their written comments at the
meeting. If you have any questions or
need special accommodations for the
meeting contact:
Stuart Hill
EPA Community Involvement
Coordinator
(800) 621-8431 ext. 60689, weekdays
10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
hill. stuart@epa. gov
EPA Proposes Quarry Drain,
Trench for Creek Cleanup
Bennett's Dump Superfund Site
Bloomington, Indiana
February 2006
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to modify the cleanup plan for
the Bennett's Dump Superfund site by drawing down the water level of
nearby quarries and building a trench that will intercept and treat polluted
water before it reaches a local creek. This second phase of the cleanup will
help reduce or stop a hazardous chemical compound called poly chlorinated
biphenyls or PCBs from seeping into the creek. Four small springs on the
site and the underground water that is flowing underneath are picking up
PCBs that come from electrical equipment disposed of atBennett's Dump
40 years ago.
The underground water and springs flow into Stout's Creek where the
PCBs are settling in the mud (sediment) and being swallowed by fish. After
extensive tests, EPA and state partner Indiana Department of Environmental
Management concluded the PCBs pose a health risk to people and animals
that eat fish from Stout's Creek near the Bennett's Dump site. The creek
runs along the western border of Bennett's Dump. EPA and IDEM are
negotiating with legally responsible party CB S Corp. to pay for the cleanup
of Bennett's Dump and several other disposal sites in the area.
EPA came up with five alternatives for reducing PCB contamination from
getting into Stout's Creek. The Agency examined the costs and
effectiveness of each option. The Agency's preferred alternative calls for
lowering the water level in two or three quarries near Bennett's Dump and
evaluating the ground-water levels, then designing and building an
interceptor trench and treatment system for contaminated ground water (see
quarry area map on Page 3). It has been determined that the water-filled
quarries near the site feed the underground water supplies and springs so
lowering the water level in the pits will reduce the flow of polluted water into
Stout's Creek. If the proposed cleanup plan is approved after a public
comment period and public meeting, it will be announced with a newspaper
notice and in an EPA document called record of decision amendment or
ROD amendment.1
These cleanup approaches will be discussed at a public meeting Feb. 14 in
Bloomington, and people will have 30 days (from Feb. 3 until March 4) to
file written comments about the proposed plan (see adjacent box). EPA
could alter the selected remedy further or even choose a new alternative
based on public comments. If the preferred cleanup alternative is approved,
work on the quarry drain system could begin by this fall with final
construction of the interceptor trench coming in 2007.
1 Section 117(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA known as the Superfund law) requires the publication of a notice announcing the
proposed ROD amendment and a brief analysis. It also requires an opportunity for a public
hearing and comment period. This fact sheet summarizes the technical documents and other
information about the ground water and sediment cleanup that are available for viewing at the
official site repository located in the Monroe County Public Library.
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Cleanup options
EPA considered five alternatives for managing and
cleaning up contaminated underground water supplies
and creek water and mud. The Agency evaluated each
option against nine criteria required by law (see box for
an explanation of the criteria on Page 4). The five
alternatives are summarized below, but full details are
available in the technical documents on file in the Monroe
County Public Library.
Alternative 1 - No further action: Nothing would be
done to clean up or monitor the PCB contamination. EPA
always includes a "no action" option for comparison
purposes.
Cost - $0
Alternative 2 - Long-term ground-water monitoring:
No additional cleanup measures would be taken, but the
underground water supplies would be tested every three
months around the on-site springs and Stout's Creek.
Deed restrictions would prevent residential development,
digging in the former quarry pits and placement of water
wells on-site.
Cost - $73,322
Alternative 3 - Passive quarry drain system: Tests
revealed the water level in the Wedge, Wedge South and
Icebox quarries southeast and east of Bennett's Dump
affects the water flow of the on-site springs. By building
a passive drainage system from the quarries into Stout's
Creek, the water levels in the quarries can be maintained
at a lower level. This will result in lowering the
groundwater level at the site which should dry up or
reduce the PCB-polluted water getting into Stout's
Creek. Building a drain for Icebox Quarry east of
Bennett's Dump will be further evaluated in this
alternative because the costs may outweigh the benefits.
Tests have already found the Wedge and Wedge South
quarries have the biggest effect on reducing groundwater
levels at the site. Alternative 3 also includes the deed
restrictions of Alternative 2.
Cost - $417,000
Alternative 4 - Excavation of buried quarry pits and
passive quarry drain: This option combines the passive
drain system of Alternative 3 with digging up the residual
deep pockets of PCB-contaminated rubble and material
that have filled the pits on the dump site. Contaminated
material would be disposed of off-site at an EPA-
approved landfill. The deed restrictions would also be
put in place.
Cost - $1,338,960
Alternative 5 - Passive quarry drains with
interceptor trench and carbon treatment (this is
EPA's preferred cleanup option): Under this
alternative, in addition to lowering the quarry water levels,
a trench would be built along the east side of the dump
site. The trench would collect underground water flow
before it reaches Stout's Creek and send it through a
carbon treatment system before discharging the clean
water into Stout's Creek. More investigation would be
needed to find out exactly how draining the water-filled
quarries will affect the underground water flows. Deed
restrictions would also be placed on the area. If this
option is approved, the quarry drains could be
constructed this fall. Tests on the water flow would be
conducted over the winter before the interceptor trench
could be designed and built next year. The treatment
system would require a long-term maintenance plan.
Cost-$1,189,972
Evaluation of alternatives
EPA evaluated each cleanup alternative against the nine
criteria required by the Superfund law (see the
comparison char ton Page 4) and selected Alternative
5. Alternative 5 is a cost-effective way to reduce the
PCB-contamination in Stout's Creek to a safe level and
thereby lower or eliminate health risks for people and
animals.
The difficulty of excavating the buried rubble in Bennett's
Dump discouraged the selection of Alternative 4, and the
passive quarry drains alone in Alternative 3 may not stop
enough PCB pollution from reaching the creek.
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Map of Quarry Area
3.x1 sec Detail 2
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Explanation of evaluation criteria
1. Overall protection of human health and the
environment addresses how well an option protects
people and the environment. This standard can be met
by reducing or removing pollution or by reducing
exposure to it.
2. Compliance with applicable or relevant and
appropriate requirements (ARARs) ensures that
options comply with federal, state and local laws.
3. Long-term effectiveness and permanence
evaluates how well an option will work over the long-
term, including how safely remaining contamination
can be managed.
4. Reduction of toxicity, mobility or volume through
treatment addresses how well the option reduces the
danger, movement and amount of pollution.
5. Short-term effectiveness compares how quickly
an option can help the situation and how much risk
there will be while the option is under construction.
6. Implementability evaluates how feasible the option
is and whether materials and services are available
in the area.
7. Cost includes not only buildings, equipment,
materials and labor but also the cost of maintaining
the option for the life of the cleanup.
8. State acceptance considers whether the state
agrees with the selected option. EPA evaluates this
criterion after receiving public comments.
9. Community acceptance considers whether the
local community agrees with the selected option.
EPA checks this standard after a public meeting and
comment period.
Evaluating cleanup choices against the nine evaluation criteria
EPA evaluated the cleanup choices against seven of the nine evaluation criteria. (See "Explanation of evaluation criteria" above.)
The state and community acceptance criteria will be evaluated after public comments are received by EPA. The degree to
which the cleanup choices meet the evaluation criteria, as determined by EPA, is shown in the table below.
Evaluation
Criteria
Overall
Protection of
Human Health
and the
Environment
Compliance with
ARARs
Long-Term
Effectiveness and
Permanence
Reduction of
Toxicity,
Mobility, or
Volume through
Treatment
Short-Term
Effectiveness
Implementability
Cost
State Acceptance
Community
Acceptance
Alternative 1
D
n
°
$0
Alternative 2
D
a
°
$73,322
Alternative 3
*
*
"
$417,000
Alternative 4
*
$1,338,960
Alternative 5
$1,189,972
Will be evaluated after the comment period.
Will be evaluated after the comment period.
= Meets Criteria
= Does Not Meet Criteria
*** = Partially Meets Criteria
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Use This Space to Write Your Comments
Your input on the recommended modification to the cleanup plan for Bennett's Dump Superfund site is important to
EPA. Comments provided by the public are valuable in helping EPA select the final cleanup plan for the site.
You may use the space below to write your comments. You may hand this in at the Feb. 14 public meeting, or detach,
fold and mail to Stuart Hill. (See back page for Stuart's address.) Comments must be postmarked no later than March
4. If you have any questions, please contact Stuart at (312) 886-0689, or toll free at (800) 621-8431, weekdays 10
a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Comments may also be faxed to Stuart at (312) 353-1155 or sent via e-mail to: hill.stuart@epa.gov
Name
Affiliation
Address
City State_
Zip
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Bennett's Dump Superfund Site Comment Sheet
Detach, fold, stamp, and mail
Name
Address
City State
Zip Here
Stuart Hill
Community Involvement Coordinator
Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
EPARegion 5
77 W.Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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Health risks to people and the environment
People and animals that eat fish from Stout's Creek could
face health risks from PCBs in the mud, water and fish.
PCBs can cause liver cancer in humans, and scientists
who studied the situation concluded a person who
regularly ate fish from Stout's Creek over a lifetime could
face a slightly elevated risk of developing cancer. PCBs
can also cause non-cancer health effects. With enough
exposure to PCBs, they can cause problems in the
immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems of
humans. Children are especially susceptible to the ill
effects of PCBs, which can cause learning disorders and
lower IQs.
Local wildlife that eat fish from Stout's Creek include
kingfisher birds and mink, and the PCBs could cause
reproductive problems in those species.
About Bennett's Dump
A former Westinghouse Corp. capacitor plant in
Bloomington used Bennett's Quarry during the 1960s to
dump parts containing PCBs. The dump site is separated
into two adjacent segments and covers about 4 acres,
2 V2 miles northwest of Bloomington. Monroe County
asked EPA to investigate the site in 1983, and the Agency
took some immediate cleanup measures such as erecting a
fence, removing more than 200 visible capacitors lying on
the ground and capping the area with clay and topsoil.
The dump site was placed on the National Priorities List
in 1984. The sites on this list are among the nation's most
hazardous waste areas and are eligible for cleanup under
the EPA Superfund program. Bennett's Dump was among
several sites in the area used for disposing of PCB and
other hazardous waste. The others have been and
continue to be addressed in separate cleanup plans. An
initial cleanup plan for Bennett's Dump called for an on-
site incinerator to burn PCB-contaminated waste, but
public opposition caused the responsible party and EPA
to change that plan. In 1999, PCB-contaminated soil and
creek mud were dug up and disposed of in an off-site
landfill. After the cleanup was completed, springs on-site
continued to flow into Stout's Creek and the water
contained low levels of PCBs. This proposed cleanup
plan is meant to tackle this problem.
The next step
EPA, in consultation with Indiana Department of
Environmental Management, will evaluate public
comments received during the public comment period
before deciding whether to amend the cleanup plan for
the site. Based on new information or public comments,
EPA may modify its proposed option or select another
cleanup option presented in this plan. EPA encourages
you to review and comment on the cleanup options. EPA
will respond to the comments in a document called a
responsiveness summary. The responsiveness summary
will be a part of the final decision document called the
record of decision that describes the final cleanup plan
selected for the site. EPA will announce the final cleanup
plan in the local newspaper and will send a copy of the
record of decision to the information repository for the
site where it will be available for public review. (See the
back page of this fact sheet for the location of the
information repository.) After a final plan is chosen, it will
be designed and implemented.
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Information repository
Official documents about the site can be
viewed at:
Monroe County Public Library
303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, Ind.
Bennett's Dump Web site
http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/
csitinfo.cfm?id=0501343
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