x>EPA United States Environmental Proection Agency For more information For general information: Dave Novak Community Involvement Coordinator 312-886-7478 novak.dave@epa.gov For technical information: Thomas Alcamo EPA Project Manager 312-886-7278 alcamo.thomas@epa.gov EPA Region 5 address: 77 W.Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 Region 5 toll-free: 800-621-8431, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., weekdays Website: www copa.org Documents: Official documents about the PCB sites can be reviewed at: Monroe County Public Library Indiana Room 303 E. Kirkwood Bloomington Cleanup Activities Begin At PCB Sites CBS Corp. /Westinghouse Electric PCB Dumps/ ABB Plant Site Bloomington, Indiana July 2010 Winston-Thomas ISF Figure 1. Overview of the Bloomington PCB Sites Cleanup activities for a number of PCB-contaminated sites in the Bloomington area are beginning this summer. One year ago a federal court in Indianapolis approved a final agreement between responsible party CBS Corp. and UiS. Environmental Protection Agency and state and local partners Indiana Department of Environmental Management, city of Bloomington and Monroe County. The agreement called for CBS to pay for the cleanup of contaminated ground water (underground water), soil and sediment (mud) at three PCB-contaminated sites. The PCBs originated from waste electrical capacitors manufactured in the area and disposed of at the various sites. See the box on page 4 for an explanation.of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their effect on human health and the environment. A majority of the work will happen at Bennett's Dump, Neal's Landfill and Lemon Lane Landfill. The building called the Interim Storage Facility near Bloomington's Winston Thomas Wastewater Treatment Plant will also be demolished and recycled. Cleanup activities at the ABB Plant site (formerly Westinghouse Electric) at 300 N. Curry Pike in Bloomington are almost completed as the majority of work was finished this January. The following text contains a rundown of cleanup work at the various sites. ------- Passive Quarry Drain Line Wedge Quarry • • Mound Passive Drain Line uv Pit "A" Figure 2. Bennett's Dump site features and depiction of the passive quarry drain. Bennett's Dump Construction has started on the installation of a passive quarry drain at Bennett's Dump. CBS has hired the firm Focus Environmental to install the drain. Focus was also the cleanup contractor for the ABB work. The passive quarry drain will help reduce the flow of PCB-contaminated ground water from springs on the Bennett's Dump site into Stout's Creek. An area near Bennett's Dump called the Wedge Quarry complex contains two quarries filled with water. The water in these quarries is not contaminated. However, results from the site investigation showed that when the water in the quarries is drained to a specific depth, it helps to reduce the flow of water from the PCB-contaminated springs on the site. For the passive quarry drain, a trench will be cut into the rock in order to drain water from a wet area called Pit A into Wedge Quarry. Another trench will be cut into rock that will drain Wedge Quarry into Wedge Quarry South. Finally, a trench from Wedge South to Stout's Creek will help to maintain the water in the two quarries at a level that will aid in reducing ground water flow from the springs on the Bennett's Dump site. Ground water is an environmental term for a supply of underground fresh water. Once the passive quarry drain is installed, a study will begin to determine if PCBs continue to be released from the on-site springs. If PCBs continue to seep into Stout's Creek, a collection trench will be installed and the contaminated spring water will be gathered and treated in a newly constructed on-site water treatment plant. ABB Plant As mentioned above most of the cleanup at the ABB Plant site is done. Soil at a few spots must be compacted since winter weather prevented the completion of site restoration activities along with water drainage improvements on the property. All contaminated soil has been excavated and disposed of in off-site landfills approved to accept PCB waste. More than 40,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil was removed. Also, about 4,000 tons of PCB- contaminated concrete was taken from the site. ------- Figure 3. Former ABB Plant in the early 1990'sand current conditions during site restoration activities. 3 ------- What about PCBs? Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs are a group of man-made chemical compounds that last a long time in the environment and potentially cause cancer and other health problems. PCBs were widely used as industrial coolants and lubricants, but manufacture of the compound was banned in 1977. PCB mixtures still remain in old electrical equipment and other items. There is also substantial PCB contamination of landfills and rivers in this country. PCBs can accumulate in the tissue of living organisms such as fish and birds and then travel up the food chain to humans. People can also be directly exposed to PCBs through swallowing, breathing or drinking tainted soil, dust particles or water. The location may be redeveloped for commercial or industrial use. Restoration activities will include grading the site and planting grass seed. A ground water and sediment (mud) investigation is also under way by CBS at the ABB site. The ground water investigation shows a small waterway named Detmer Spring is directly connected to the ABB property. Sampling data at Detmer Spring show volatile organic compounds at low levels and very low concentrations of PCBs. Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are a family of chemicals that can dissolve in underground water supplies and give off harmful vapors. Concentrations of PCBs and VOCs are not at strengths that require treatment. Detmer Spring will continue to be monitored so regulators will know if pollutant levels become hazardous. In April 2009 CBS completed sediment sampling in the West Branch of Stout's Creek, and those results show no cleanup will be needed. Once the site work is completed, the location can be redeveloped for commercial or industrial activities. Lemon Lane Landfill Construction activities have begun to expand the Illinois Central Spring (ICS) water treatment plant and remove PCB-contaminated soil and sediment near the treatment facility. EPA built the water treatment plant that became operational in the spring of 2000 to treat PCB-contaminated water from ICS. The plant can treat 1,000 gallons per minute of contaminated spring water and includes 1.2 million gallons of stormwater storage. The plant is going to be expanded to treat an additional 5,000 gallons per minute of PCB-contaminated water during storm events. On average three times a year storms produce flows from ICS that cannot be handled by the 1,000-gallon- per-minute capacity treatment plant. The expansion should stop the overflow of PCB-contaminated water into Clear Creek during heavy rains. Eight containers, each holding 20,000 pounds of activated carbon, will be used to remove PCBs and other volatile contaminants from the stormwater. In addition to expanding the water treatment plant, a new line to carry treated water will be installed. Soil and sediment near the water treatment plant contaminated with PCBs will also be removed. Construction of the new water line has begun, and the soil and sediment cleanup will begin once that work is completed. Three areas - the mouth of ICS and spots called the swallowhole and quarry springs - near the water treatment plant are scheduled to undergo soil and sediment cleanup after the installation of the new effluent line later this summer. It is estimated that about 1,200 cubic yards of PCB contaminated soils/ sediment will be excavated and disposed of off-site. About 50 truck loads will be required to transport the PCB contaminated material to a landfill that can accept PCB waste material. The PCB contamination in the soil and sediment are at much lower concentrations compared to previous cleanups completed in the Bloomington area. But Figure 4. ICS Water Treatment Plant ------- CONTAMINATED SIORACE TANK WATER FOR TREATMENT VSPRING RECEIVING SUMP BUILDING Figure 5. Location of the new water line that will carry treated water to Clear Creek and the location of new piping from the stormwater storage tanks into the building to be processed by the new treatment system. ILLINOIS CENTRAL SPRING (ICS) FORMER CREEK CHANNEL GENERAL FOCUS AREAS Figure 6. Locations that are scheduled for cleanup around Illinois Central Spring. It is expected that about 2,000 tons (80 truckloads) of PCB-contaminated soil and sediment -will be excavated and removed off-site. ------- Figure 7. New effluent line construction. similar precautions used previously such as dust control and air monitoring will be implemented during the latest excavation activities so people will be safe. The contaminated soil will be disposed of off- site in an approved landfill that can accept PCBs. The installation of the new effluent line will be completed by mid-August, while cleanup of the ICS emergence and swallowhole and quarry springs areas are expected to be done by mid-September. The ICS water treatment plant expansion will begin after the cleanup of those three areas and should be completed in January 2011. Interim Storage Facility A building called the Interim Storage Facility that was used to store PCBs from the Bloomington area prior to 1998 will be demolished this summer. The PCBs stored in the building were removed in 1998 and the structure was cleaned. Prior to demolition, the building will again be cleaned and sampled to ensure all the PCBs have been removed. The building material will be recycled, including concrete. The demolition should be completed by this September. Next steps EPA will provide another update later this summer as construction activities move forward. ------- §••^^^^•^••1 Figure 8. The swallawhole area scheduled for cleanup with trees and vegetation removed. Figure 9. An example of two carbon vessels similar to the ones that are going to be installed at the ICS-water treatment plant. 7 ------- Figure 10. Interim Storage Facility building. c/EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Superfund Division (SI-7J) 77 W.Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590 RETURN ADDRESS REQUESTED PCB Bloomington Sites: Cleanup Activities Beginning ------- |