Eastern Diversified Metals Superfiind Site Hometown, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania - Cleanup Construction Completed - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 Community Update October 27, 2008 Operable Unit 4 Construction Completed The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is overseeing ongoing cleanup activities at the Eastern Diversified Metals (EDM) Superfund Site, located near Rush Township, PA. The Site is categorized into four parts, called Operable Units (OUs). • OU-1: Contamination "Hot Spots," (patches of areas of a site found to contain a certain contaminant at levels that are not prevalent throughout the rest of the site) • OU-2: Groundwater Contamination • OU-3: Main Fluff Pile (recycling project that was rejected), and then, • OU-4: Main Fluff pile (impermeable cap). In September 2008, construction activities for OU-4 were completed. Work Done to Date The Potential Responsible Party (PRP), with EPA's oversight, completed construction work of the fluff pile cap. Work included: 0 Consolidating about 20,000 cubic yards of impacted perimeter soils into the fluff pile for containment, 0 Excavating and Restoration of about 625 linear feet of the unnamed tributary that flows into the Schuylkill River, 0 Re-shaping, re-grading the pile, 0 Installing a multi-layered impermeable cap, that i solates and contains the fluff pile onsite, (equivalent to approximately 12.4 acres in size), 0 Installing surface water and storm water controls to divert water runoff into designated drainage ditches, 0 Adding about two feet of clean soil over the capped area 0 Importing about 75,000 cubic yards of clean soil for construction purposes, 0 Seeding the capped area with native vegetation, and, 0 Installing about 4,500 feet of fencing around the Site's perimeter, to secure the Site and help eliminate potential trespassing. EPA is also overseeing the PRP's ongoing cleanup activities of collecting and treating both shallow groundwater and leachate from underneath the fluff pile. The amount of leachate will decrease with time, now that the cap is completed and the opportunity for water to trickle through the fluff pile is eliminated. A total of approximately 21 acres have been restored onsite, including about one acre of floodplain. (See photos on page 2) Photo to the right: Pre-construction aerial photo of Site. BERNARD GORDON FLUFF PILE ------- Photo 1: Installing storm water controls December 2006 v„ = Photo 2: Same view as #1, after cap construction completed September 2008 ------- Next Steps Background Now that the construction of the cap is finished, cleanup activities will include: ~ Continued semi-annual groundwater sampling, to monitor levels of Site-related contaminants, ~ Continued treatment of collected leachate and shallow groundwater, ~ Continued routine operations and maintenance (O&M) of wastewater treatment facility by PRP per- sonnel, ~ Continued monitoring of treated discharge into the Little Schuylkill River, and ~ Routine cap inspection and maintenance to moni- tor for settlement, vegetation progress and erosion controls, ~ EPA will also continue to conduct Five-Year Re- views at the Site; an inspection to help ensure that the remedy in place remains protective of human health and the environment, ~ Institutional Controls will be necessary, mean- ing any re-use of the land will be limited in the sense that it must not interfere with the cap's integ- rity and wastewater treatment system. • The Eastern Diversified Metals (EDM) Superfund Site is a former wire recycling facility. From 1966 until 1977, the now-bankrupt EDM Corpo- ration reclaimed copper and aluminum from wire and cable. • During operations, the company disposed of ap- proximately 350 million pounds of insulation ma- terial (plastic stripping) commonly called "fluff in an open pile. • The fluff contained elevated levels of lead, bis (2- ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and polychlori- nated biphenyls (PCBs). The fluff may also con- tain dioxins as a result of past on-site fires. These contaminants are considered to pose potential health hazards. • The Site was added to the EPA National Priorities List (NPL), designating it as a Superfund Site, making it eligible for federal cleanup funding. • EPA has entered into a Consent Decree with the Potential Responsible Parties (PRPs), requiring the PRPs to conduct the cleanup with EPA over- sight. • EPA has, and will continue to work with Pennsyl- vania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the oversight of Site activities. ------- For More Information Please visit the EPA webpage for the Eastern Diversified Metals (EDM) Superfund Site at: www.epa.iiov/reii3hwmd/super/sites/PAD980830533/index.htm. If you have questions about the EDM Site, please contact: Frank Klanchar Trish Taylor Remedial Project Manager -or- Community Involvement Coordinator (215) 814-3218 (215) 814-5539 klanchar. frank@epa. gov taylor. tri sh@epa. gov EPA Update for the Eastern Diversified Metals Superfund Site U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 (§ A 1650 Arch Street (3HS52) Philadelphia, PA 19103 Attention: Trish Taylor ------- |