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

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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

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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

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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

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