SEPA Proposed Plan Fact Sheet United States Van Der Horst USA Corporation Superfund Site Agencymental Protectl0n Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas June 2014 This Fact Sheet will tell you about... • Proposed Cleanup Plan • Summary of Preferred Alternatives • List of Proposed Alternatives • How to Participate • Site History • Site Risks • Where to get more information Proposed Cleanup Plan The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6 (EPA) announces the Proposed Plan for the Van Der Horst USA Corporation Superfund Site (Site) located in Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. The Site is lo- cated in a mixed industrial/residential area on the southeast portion of the City of Terrell, in Kaufman County, Texas. Contaminated soil, sediment, and ground water are from unpermitted releases from the former Van Der Horst electroplating facility that was located at 410 and 419 East Grove Street. The EPA Region 6 office is the lead agency for this Site and conducted the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the support agency and provided technical review of the RI/FS through a cooperative agreement with EPA. The Proposed Plan evaluates a number of alternatives and identifies the actions that EPA believes are the best way to protect human health and the environ- ment. The recommendations and alternatives set forth in this Proposed Plan are based on information and documents contained in the Administrative Record file for the Site. EPA will select a final remedy for the Site after the public comment period has ended and the comments have been reviewed and carefully con- sidered. Summary of the Preferred Alternatives It is the EPA's judgment that the Preferred Alterna- tives identified in this Proposed Plan are necessary to protect public health and the environment from re- leases of hazardous substances into the environment. Subsurface Soil Preferred Alternative The Preferred Alternative for subsurface soils is Al- ternative S-2 (Institutional/Engineering Controls). Alternative S-2 would consist of a combination of in- stitutional and engineering controls to prevent access or use of areas that present unacceptable risk to hu- man health (e.g., deed restrictions, signs, and fenc- ing). Deed restrictions would be used to notify landowners of the Site of the presence of the deeper impacted soils and digging restrictions would be uti- lized to minimize exposure to potentially contami- nated subsurface soil. Sediment Preferred Alternative The Preferred Alternative for Kings Creek and Tribu- tary sediments is SD-2 (Limited Action). The Limited Action alternative for sediment consists of periodic sediment sampling of the areas that present an unac- ceptable risk to benthic invertebrates (organisms that live along the bottom, near and within the sediment layers of the creek and tributaries). This alternative includes up to 10 years of performance monitoring to evaluate the attenuation of chromium in sediments. Nacatoch Sand Preferred Alternative The Preferred Alternative for the Nacatoch Sand is Alternative NS-6 (Walls of Injection Wells). This al- ternative would include rows of injection wells that would be placed throughout the Site in the areas of impacted ground water.This alternative includes in- jection of products that will degrade the contaminants in the ground water to safe levels. Monitoring will be used to confirm the effectiveness of the remedy. This alternative includes institutional controls (i.e., deed restrictions) to prevent use of ground water above re- mediation goals and prevent the installation of new water wells. All of the preferred alternatives meet the threshold criteria (i.e., protection of human health and the envi- ronment and compliance with ARARs). They also provide the optimal balance of the balancing and modifying criteria. List of Proposed Alternatives Subsurface Soil Remedial Alternatives Alternative S-l: No Further Action ------- THE PUBLIC MEETING WILL BE HELD: Monday, July 7, 2014 7:00 p.m. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 312 College Mound Rd. Terrell, Texas 75160 (972)563-0431 This meeting is being held in a fully accessible facility. Alternative S-2: Institutional/Engineering Controls Alternative S-3: In Situ Solidification/Stabilization (S/S) Alternative S-4: Excavation and Off-Site Disposal Sediment Remedial Alternatives Alternative SD-1: No Action Alternative SD-2: Limited Action Alternative SD-3: Excavation and Off-Site Disposal Nacatoch Sand Remedial Alternatives Alternative NS-1: No Action Alternative NS-2: Monitored Natural Attenuation Alternative NS-3: Pump and Treat for Containment Alternative NS-4: Pump and Treat Alternative NS-5: Enhanced Attenuation Alternative NS-6: Walls of Injection Wells A complete explanation of the different alternatives can be found in the Administrative Record, listed as the Proposed Plan, at the following Site Repositories: Hulsey Public Library 301 North Rockwall Terrell, Texas 75160 (972) 551-6663 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Building E, Records Management, First Floor 12100 Park 35 Circle Austin, Texas 78753 (512) 239-2920 Monday - Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm How to Participate EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) invite public comment on the plans for cleaning up this Site. We are providing a variety of ways for you to comment on the Proposed Plan, learn more about the project, and get involved. Attend the Public Meeting To help you understand and comment on this Proposed Plan, EPA will host a public meeting. At the meeting, we will discuss the contents of the plan, help you un- derstand the cleanup alternatives, and answer ques- tions. A court reporter will prepare a transcript of the meeting that will be made available to the public. Provide Comments to EPA Your comments will help EPA make final decisions about the cleanup, and they may result in a final cleanup plan that differs from this one. The final cleanup plan (or "selected remedy") will appear in a document called a Record of Decision (ROD), which is expected to be completed in 2014. A 30-day public comment period begins June 26, 2014, and ends July 25, 2014. Written comments on the Proposed Plan or other ma- terial in the Administrative Record file must be post- marked by July 25, 2014. A summary of the comments received, along with how those comments changed the decision that was reached, will be docu- mented in the ROD. All written comments should be addressed to: Philip Allen, P.E. EPA Remedial Project Manager EPA Region 6 (6SF-RA) 1445 Ross Avenue; Suite 1200 Dallas, Texas 75202-2733 (214) 665-8516 or (800) 533-3508 (toll free) Email: Allen.Philip@epa.gov Site History The Van Der Horst Facility began operations as a chrome and iron plating facility in the 1950s and ceased operations in December 2006. The Van Der Horst Facility had violations and environmental con- cerns dating back to the 1950s. In 2006, TCEQ received a complaint that the former Van Der Horst Facility had been abandoned and con- tractors were removing equipment. The TCEQ con- ducted an inspection and referred the facility to the TCEQ's enforcement division. The facility ceased op- erations on December 26, 2006, when the owner filed ------- for bankruptcy. The buildings were abandoned in April 2007. On May 28, 2008, a small fire occurred in the main building at the Van Der Horst Facility. The fire was started by someone using a torch to cut scrap mate- rial. The fire was extinguished by the Terrell Fire De- partment. On May 30, 2008, the TCEQ performed an investigation and requested EPA's assistance. EPA conducted several removal actions at the Site. EPA removed: (1) 140,000 gallons of chromium rinse water from a building sump, (2) 27 vats with approxi- mately 43,000 gallons of plating waste and sludge, and (3) approximately 450 fifty-five gallon drums containing acids, bases, flammables, oxidizers, cya- nides, chromium-contaminated solids/liquids. In addi- tion, the main building and approximately two feet of contaminated surface soil beneath the building were removed. Finally, the two lagoons to the east of the wastewater treatment facility were excavated to ap- proximately 2 feet below ground surface. Site Investigation Following the Site removal actions, EPA conducted investigations at the Site to understand the full extent of the environmental problems and to develop reme- dial alternatives to address the human health and eco- logical risks remaining at the Site. The investigation included installation and sampling of groundwater wells, sampling of deeper soils, and sediment and sur- face water sampling in nearby creeks. This data was used in an assessment of risk to human health and ecological receptors such as plants, mammals, and birds. The risk assessments considered current and expected future land uses Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) An HHRA estimates the current and possible future risks if no action is taken to clean up a site. Based on the current and expected future property use, four potential populations were evaluated for po- tential exposure to contaminants in soil, sediment, surface water, ground water, and indoor air. The four populations assessed were adult and child residents, recreational/trespassers, commercial/industrial work- ers, and construction workers. These populations were evaluated for exposure to chemicals through in- gestion, inhalation, and dermal (skin) exposure routes. Ground water exposure was estimated based on do- mestic use of private water supply wells. The HHRA for the Van Der Horst Site determined that hexavalent chromium in site soil could pose a po- tential risk to commercial and industrial workers. Subsurface soil contaminants also have a potential to leach and infiltrate to underlying ground water units. The HHRA also found that many organics (for exam- ple, TCE) in ground water pose an unacceptable risk to people who might drink or use the ground water. Ground water from the Nacatoch Sand is a potable (drinking) water resource, however, it is not currently used for drinking water in the area surrounding the Site. Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) An ERA is a process that evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects are occurring or may occur to ecological receptors as a result of exposure to Site contaminants. The ERA for the Van Der Horst Site focused on the Kings Creek and Tributaries area, which has well es- tablished land and surface water habitats. Because the current and expected future use of the soil expo- sure areas is commercial/industrial (and less likely to have ecological receptors), the ERA focused on or- ganisms that live in the creek environment, including those organisms that live along the bottom near and within the sediment layers (benthic organisms). These organisms were evaluated for exposure to sediment and surface water. The primary concern identified through the ERA was a risk to benthic organisms posed by chromium found in sediment. Addressing Site Risks The preferred remedy presented in the Proposed Plan for the Van Der Horst remedial action would address the human health and ecological risks identified for the site. Where to get more information If you have questions or need additional information, contact: Philip Allen, P.E. EPA Remedial Project Manager EPA Region 6 (6SF-RA) (214) 665-8516 or (800) 533-3508 (toll free) Email: Allen.Philip@epa.gov ------- Dee McCalley TCEQ Project Manager Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Remediation Division (MC-136) (512) 239-2443 Email: Dee.McCalley@tceq.texas.gov Bill Little EPA Community Involvement Coordinator/SEE EPA Region 6 (6SF-VO) (214) 665-8131 or (800) 533-3508 (toll free). Email: Little.bill@epa.gov For press inquiries, please call the EPA Region 6 Press Office, at 214.665.2200. You can find more information about the Region 6 Superfund program and the Van Der Horst Ground Water Plume Superfund Site on EPA's Region 6 web- site: http://www.epa.g0v/region6//6sf/6sf.htm or http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/pdffiles/van-der- horst-tx.pdf To receive a Spanish translation of this fact sheet call U.S. EPA at 1(800) 533-3508 (toll-free). Para recibir una traduccion en espanol de esta hoja de datos, comunicarse con la Agencia de Pro- teccion del Medio Ambiente de los EEUU (la EPA) al numero de telefono 1.800.533.3508 (llamada gratis). xvEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-VO) Dallas, TX 75202 ------- |