&ER&
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
For more information
EPA documents regarding the
Lammers Barrel site are available in
the information repository located at
Beavercreek Community Library,
3618 Dayton-Xenia Road.
You can also visit the Web site:
www.epa.gov/region5/sites/lammers
You may also contact:
Ginny Narsete
Community Involvement
Coordinator
EPA Region 5, Superfund Division
77 W. Jackson Blvd (SI-7J)
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
312-886-4359
narsete.virginia@epa.gov
Tim Fischer
Remedial Project Manager
EPA Region 5, Superfund Division
77 W. Jackson Blvd. (SR-6J)
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
312-886-5787
fischer.timothy@epa.gov
Call Region 5 toll-free,
800-621-8431, weekdays, 9:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m.
Scott Glum
Site Coordinator
Ohio EPA, Southwest District
Office
401 E. Fifth St.
Dayton, OH 45402
937-285-6065
scott.glum@epa. state, oh.us
EPA Responds to
Community's Questions
Lammers Barrel Superfund Site
Beavercreek, Ohio
April 2010
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepared this fact sheet in
response to questions raised during community interviews conducted
in October 2009. The interviews were done as part of the Agency's
ongoing efforts to inform and engage local residents throughout the
investigation and cleanup activities for the Lammers Barrel Superfund
site. Questions asked by residents and local officials fall into four
main categories presented below - Site History and Ownership, Extent
of Contamination, Cleanup Activities and Next Steps.
In addition to this fact sheet, EPA is preparing a revised community
involvement plan that will include a summary of concerns raised
during the interviews, as well as EPA's plans for addressing the
concerns and involving residents in key decisions as site activities
progress. The revised CIP will be placed in the information repository
(see box, left).
Site history and ownership
Who owns the Lammers Barrel site?
A: The 2-acre parcel of land is now vacant and was purchased by a
local resident after the fire.
I How much of the contamination at the site was present before the
September 1969 fire? How much resulted from the fire?
A: Any contamination at the site prior to the 1969 fire is unknown
because no previous environmental investigations had been conducted.
When the Lammers Barrel facility burned to the ground in September
1969, chemicals at the site moved into the soil and ground water
(underground supplies of fresh water). Any prior inventories of
chemicals handled at the facility were reportedly destroyed in the fire.
I What happened to the debris and barrels at the site after the 1969
fire?
A: Most of the storage equipment and containers (barrels) were
destroyed during the fire. Debris from the fire was reportedly disposed
of in a private gravel pit about a half mile south of the site.
I The fire happened in 1969. Why has it taken 40 years for EPA to
clean up the site?
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A: The potential effects of chemicals released
from the Lammers Barrel site were not discovered
until October 1985 when residential wells along
East Patterson Road were sampled and reported to
contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These
findings prompted the state of Ohio and EPA to
hook up affected residences to the county water
supply. Additional environmental investigations were
conducted in 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2003 to
determine the extent of VOC contamination near the
site.
I What is the Superfund process?
A: Superfund is the name of the program established
by the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA),
which allows EPA to investigate and clean up
hazardous waste sites using federal dollars. EPA also
has authority to compel responsible parties to perform
cleanups or reimburse the government for cleanups
led by EPA. In 2002, EPA proposed that the Lammers
Barrel site be added to the Superfund's "National
Priorities List," a roster of the nation's most hazardous
waste areas. EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response in Washington, D.C., oversees
the Superfund program.
I Who is involved in investigating and cleaning up
the site?
A: In 2002, EPA began overseeing a long-term
remedial investigation (RI) to determine whether
chemicals at the site pose any risk to people or the
environment. The study represented a joint effort by
41 responsible parties who agreed to conduct and fund
the RI and evaluate site cleanup options.
I Where is testing (or sampling) being done?
A: Under EPA supervision, the RI involved installing
39 ground water monitoring wells, sampling 57
private residential wells and collecting 29 soil
samples. Surface water and sediment (mud) samples
were also collected from five locations along Little
Beaver Creek.
The Superfund Process
Site inspection - involves a preliminary assessment of site conditions
Hazard Ranking Score - determines whether the site qualifies for Superfund list
The Lammers Barrel
Site is at this phase in
the process
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
- characterizes the site, determines the nature and extent
of contamination, and evaluates cleanup options and cost
Proposed Cleanup Plan - explains the cleanup alternatives and solicits public comment
Record of Decision
- documents EPA's final cleanup decision, including a response
to public comments on the proposed plan
Cleanup Design - includes engineering plans and specifications for conducting the cleanup
Cleanup Action - involves conducting the cleanup according to design specifications
Long-Term Monitoring - involves cleanup reviews and monitoring to ensure the cleanup
remains effective; corrective actions are taken as necessary
Delisting - after all response actions are complete and cleanup goals
met, the site is removed from the Superfund list
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The Lammers Barrel site sits on a 2-acre vacant lot in a
predominantly industrial area.
Extent of contamination
I How bad and how large is the contaminated
ground water plume? In what direction and how fast
is it moving? What is the impact of the plume on
Beaver Creek?
A: A plume is a mass of contaminated underground
water. Site-related chemicals found in the ground
water plume associated with the site include the man-
made VOCs trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride
(VC), and 1,2 dichloroethene (DCE). The highest
levels of TCE and 1,2-DCE occur nearest the site
and along the north side of East Patterson Road; and
low levels of TCE occur farther to the south and east
in the Woodhaven subdivision (Rosendale, Kenora
Circle, Stanwick, and Tralee Trail). In addition, VC
was found in monitoring wells on the north side of
East Patterson Road about a half-mile east of the site.
Based on the investigations to date, the ground water
plume is moving due east from the site at a rate of
about 300 feet per year, and Beaver Creek has been
unaffected by site contaminants.
I Why were some residents connected to the
county public water supply while others were not?
A: Monitoring since 1992 has confirmed the presence
of VOCs in ground water along East Patterson Road
and under portions of the Woodhaven Subdivision.
To date, VOC contamination at levels above those
considered to be safe for public drinking water
systems has been found in 19 residential wells. All of
these homes have been connected to the county public
water supply. Many residential wells in subdivisions
southeast of the site have been unaffected by site
contaminants. These residents were not hooked up to
public drinking water systems.
I Do VOCs travel in ground water or evaporate
into the air?
A: VOCs are emitted as gases from certain solids or
liquids. They can move in soil, ground water and air.
They can also vaporize into the air "pockets" within
the soil and potentially travel upward as soil gas
into residential basements. Once in the basements,
contaminants may be distributed throughout the home
and into the air breathed by residents. This process is
called vapor intrusion. Based on the site investigation
results to date, vapor intrusion is not considered
to be a pathway of concern for off-site residences.
EPA may, however, require on-site vapor barrier
construction restrictions as part of the cleanup plan.
I Have ground water samples collected at the site
been tested for the VOC 1,4-dioxane?
A: No. EPA considers 1,4-dioxane an "emerging
contaminant" and will evaluate the need for sampling
this substance moving forward.
I Does the site pose any risks to animals and
wildlife in the area?
A: There is no indication that site contaminants pose
any risk to area wildlife.
Cleanup activities
I What's being done to clean up the site and stop
the contamination from seeping into the ground water?
A: A feasibility study (FS) is under way to identify
and evaluate cleanup options under various future land
use scenarios (for example, how effective would a
particular cleanup option be if the property were used
commercially versus recreationally in the future?).
After the FS is complete, EPA will propose a cleanup
plan, ask for public input and select a final cleanup plan.
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4>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 5
Superfund Division (SI-7J)
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
LAMMERS BARREL SITE:
EPA Responds to Community's Questions
Reproduced on Recycled Paper
» Who will pay for the cleanup? Will taxpayer
money be used?
A: A group of 41 parties have agreed to fund the site
investigation and feasibility study. Once a cleanup
plan is selected, EPA will undertake negotiations to
determine how the cleanup will be funded.
Next steps
I What were the results of the "natural attenuation
evaluation" report conducted by the potentially
responsible parties?
A: Natural attenuation is the scientific term for
letting natural processes such as dilution, decay and
evaporation lower pollutant concentrations. The
Natural Attenuation Evaluation report drafted by
the PRP group concluded that Monitored Natural
Attenuation is a potentially viable remedy for off-site
ground water in the future. EPA has determined,
however, that additional information is required before
MNA can be selected as a remedy for the Lammers
Barrel site. For this reason, an on-site remedy for the
Lammers Barrel site may proceed before a remedy is
selected for off-site ground water.
I How will the property be used after the cleanup?
A: Future use has not yet been determined. After the
cleanup, there will likely be restrictions regarding how
the property can be used (for example, the site may
be restricted to industrial/commercial or recreational
uses). Whoever owns the property at that point would
decide how they want to use it, within the established
legal limitations.
I Are there any other sites close to the Lammers
Barrel site that may continue to pose a contamination
problem after the site is cleaned up?
A: Historical sampling data from residential wells in
the area suggest that two ground water plumes may be
impacting local wells (one from the Lammers Barrel
site, extending eastward along East Patterson Road,
and another, from an unknown source, extending
southwest to northeast across the northwest corner of
the Woodhaven subdivision). Further investigation
will be conducted to determine the extent of both
plumes and ensure that residential wells are protected.
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