SEFA April 3, 1998 Superfund Fact Sheet Standard Steel and Metals Salvage Yard Anchorage, Alaska Cleanup of contaminated soil at the Standard Steel and Metals Salvage Yard Superfund site is scheduled to begin in mid April. When the cleanup is complete, the Ship Creek channel will be reestablished, contaminated soil will be treated and contained, and future development by the property owners will be possible. Alaska Region 10 Idaho 1200 Sixth Avenue Oregon Seattle WA 98101 Washington The New Erosion Control Wall The existing erosion control wall, adjacent to Ship Creek, will be removed and replaced with a much stronger wall. The new erosion wall will not be along the bank of Ship Creek, but recessed and mostly buried from view. This design will allow Ship Creek to reestablish it's preferred channel adjacent to the site and allow for a more natural stream corridor. The flood plain will be revegetated with native plants. Containment of Contaminated Soil Soil contaminated primarily with lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) will be excavated. Higher-level contaminated soil, above 50 parts per million (ppm) of PCBs and 1000 ppm of lead, will be mixed with a solidifying agent like cement and placed in the on-site containment cell. Soil with PCB concentrations between 1 and 50 ppm will also be placed in the containment cell, but without solidification. The entire containment cell will be capped with a liner, which prevents water from entering the containment cell, and three feet of clean soil. Would You Like a Meeting EPA will have a meeting to discuss the design for the cleanup and to answer questions about what will be taking place during cleanup activities at the site if there is enough interest. If you would like EPA to schedule a meeting about the cleanup, please call Chris Cora or Jean Baker at the numbers listed below before April 15, 1998. For More Information Copies of the RI/FS, ROD, Consent Decrees, and other documents pertaining to the Standard Steel and Metals Salvage Yard site are available for your review at the following locations: Alaska Resources Library U.S. Bureau of Land Management 222 W. 7th #36 Anchorage, AK 99513 EPA Regional Headquarters 1200 Sixth Avenue Seventh Floor Records Center Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 553-4494 If you have questions please contact: Following the cleanup, surface soil on the site will likely have no PCB contamination greater than 1 ppm. This will allow for unrestricted access to the property. There will be monitoring of the containment cell for as long as it remains on the site and groundwater for a minimum of five years. Chris Cora, Project Manager (206) 553-1148 Jean Baker Community Relations Coordinator (206) 553-2587 or call toll free at 1-800-424-4372. ------- People with impaired hearing or speech may contact EPA's telecommunications device for the hearing impaired (TDD) at (206) 553-1698. To ensure effective communication with everyone, additional services can be made available to persons with disabilities by contacting one of the numbers listed above. Background The site, used as a scrap metal yard since the 1950s, is located at 2400 Railroad Avenue just north of downtown Anchorage. Past activities at the site included salvaging copper wire from electrical transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and processing and stockpiling lead-acid batteries, drums of liquid, and various types of equipment. In 1986, EPA removed all PCB contaminated liquids, 82 barrels of hazardous waste, 780,000 pounds of batteries, and 185 electrical transformers. Contaminated soils were stockpiled, a security fence and erosion-control wall were built, and an incinerator used for salvage operations was dismantled and stored. In August 1990, EPA placed the site on its National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites requiring cleanup. In September 1992, Chugach Electric Association, Inc., agreed to conduct the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS), two related studies that determine the type and extent of contamination and identify cleanup alternatives. In March 1996, various cleanup options were made available for public comment and the selected cleanup plan was announced in the Record of Decision (ROD) in July 1996. During the summer and fall of 1996, the erosion control wall along ship creek was repaired; old drums and other containers which might leak were removed; the fence was repaired; and studies were undertaken to select the appropriate solidification material. A plastic cover was placed over areas with high PCB concentrations to prevent erosion by the wind and to prevent seepage into the soil due to rain and melting snow. Under the terms of a Partial Consent Decree approved in December 1996, EPA recovered past cleanup costs; the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) agreed to share cost of the RI/FS; and the federal PRPs and the Alaska Railroad Corporation agreed to pay 64% of all future cleanup costs at the site. A Consent Decree, approved in January 1998, includes an agreement with the PRPs to perform the cleanup of more than six acres of contaminated soil, and the owner of the property, Alaska Railroad Corporation, agreed to implement the specific institutional controls contained in the Record of Decision. ------- |