U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, REGION 3 DELAWARE, MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SHARON STEEL/FAIRMONT COKE WORKS SUPERFUND SITE Sharon Steel/Fairmont Coke Works Superfund Site, Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia k \ PRO*tt0 July 2016 Proposed Remedial Action Plan Released The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its Proposed Remedial Action Plan (Proposed Plan) presenting EPA's Preferred Alternative for addressing contaminated groundwater, and sediment within wetlands, at the Sharon Steel/Fairmont Coke Works Superfund Site (FCW Site or Site). The site is located in Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia (see Site map, Page 3). This former coke production facility has been the subject of extensive past clean-up activities. Therefore, the Proposed Plan focuses on final response actions necessary to address any residual contamination. The Proposed Remedy The Preferred Alternative proposed for the Site is identified in the Proposed Plan as Alternative 5 - Limestone Trench/Permeable Reactive Barrier (LT/PRB), Wetland Remediation, and Institutional Controls (ICs). It includes the following components: Constructing a LT/PRB beneath the ground surface to neutralize acidic conditions and reduce elevated aluminum, iron, manganese and benzene concentrations in groundwater prior to discharging to the Unnamed Tributary; Applying organic material to two wetlands areas to reduce bioavailability of inorganic contaminants; Long-term groundwater monitoring; Implementing Institutional Controls to prevent any interference with the groundwater treatment system and related equipment; require that habitable buildings constructed within a Vapor Intrusion Protection Area will include vapor control measures. Continued on next page Public Meeting EPA will hold a public meeting to discuss the proposed remedy outlined in the Proposed Plan Thursday, July 14 2016 Armed Forces Reserve Center 201st Artillery Drive, Fairmont, WV 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Submit Your Comments! Community involvement is critical to EPA's decision- making process. To ensure the community has a chance to comment on the alternatives being considered for use in addressing the contamination at this Site, EPA will hold a Public Comment Period from July 9, 2016 to August 8, 2016. To review the Proposed Plan online, please visit: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/ collection/03/AR64316 The last page of this fact sheet has information on how to submit comments. ------- The Proposed Remedy cont'd . ICs may include, but are not limited to, restrictive covenants, deed notices, and/ or local ordinances. No institutional controls would be required for off-Site properties. . Adopting existing Institutional Controls to prohibit residential land use and the extraction of groundwater from the aquifer beneath the Site for use as a potable water source. This Fact Sheet provides a brief summary of the Proposed Plan. To see the full description of these remedial actions, as well as the other alternatives evaluated by EPA, go to: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/ collection/03/AR64316 Past Cleanup Actions Previous removal actions were implemented across the Site to eliminate waste materials and contaminated soils that presented a threat to human health and the environment. The removal action also excavated waste materials and contaminated soils that presented a continuing source of contamination migrating to the underlying groundwater. Between 2003 and 2012, approximately 700,000 tons of wastes and contaminated soil were excavated from source areas and transported off-Site. That is the equivalent of approximately 45,000 truckloads. The role of this final response action is to address any residual contamination remaining in underlying groundwater and sediment that presents an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) In June 2016, a Remedial Investigation (Rl) was completed to define the nature and extent of any remaining contamination at the Site. Human health and ecological risk assessments were completed assuming that the property will be redeveloped for commercial, industrial or recreational land use. The risk assessments determined that previous removal actions have mostly made the property safe for redevelopment. However, new buildings constructed in the area with subsurface volatile contamination, referred to as the Vapor Intrusion Protection Area, will require a vapor barrier, and action is required to prevent contaminated groundwater from discharging to the Unnamed Tributary. Key Findings Groundwater beneath the western portion of the Site remains contaminated with the volatile chemical, benzene. The contamination does not extend beyond the Site boundary. Groundwater in the far western portion of the Site is very acidic and has high concentrations of dissolved metals including aluminum, iron and manganese. This groundwater is discharging to the Unnamed Tributary at potentially unsafe concentrations. Two wetland areas have concentrations of metals that may present unsafe conditions to plants and animals. ------- Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) continued The Preferred Alternative was developed following a detailed investigation and evaluation of alternatives to address the unacceptable risks presented by the conditions described above. Other alternatives presented in the Feasibility Study include no action and various options for preventing contaminated groundwater from discharging to the Unnamed Tributary. EPA's Nine Criteria Analysis Before EPA can select a cleanup remedy, each potential cleanup Alternative is evaluated using the following nine crite- ria: 1. Overall Protectiveness of Human Health and the Environment 2. Compliance with Applicable or Rele- vant and Appropriate Requirements 3. Long-term Effectiveness 4. Reduction of Toxicity, Mobility, or Vol- ume through Treatment 5. Short-Term Effectiveness 6. Implementgbility 7. Cost 8. State Acceptance 9. Community Acceptance At this point, EPA has fully evaluated the first seven of the nine criteria. Only after considering input from state officials and the community regarding the Preferred Alternative, will EPA make a final decision. Please submit your comments about EPA's Proposed Plan by August 8, 2016. Site Background The Fairmont Coke Works facility was built in 1918 by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (the corporate predecessor to ExxonMobil) for the production of coke, fuel derived from coal, and for the refinement of its associated by-products. In 1948, Sharon Steel Corporation purchased the property and continued coke production operations until closing the facility in May 1979. Wastes generated during the production process were disposed of at various locations on the Site property, and process water was discharged to a tributary that flowed into the Monongahela River. In 1996 the Site was placed on the Superfund list, making it eligible for federal cleanup. In accordance with legal agreements, ExxonMobil has completed significant cleanup actions with the coordinated oversight of EPA and WVDEP. Figure 1Site Location ------- Your Role In The Process The public is encouraged to review the Proposed Plan and submit com- ments or concerns to the EPA. To review the Proposed Plan online, please visit: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/collection/03/AR64316 Comments on the EPA's Proposed Plan for the site may be submitted by postal mail, e-mail, or in person at the upcoming public meeting. (See meeting details on page 1) Mail comments postmarked no later than August 8, 2016, to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 Office 1650 Arch Street (Mailcode 3HS23) Philadelphia, PA 19103 Attn: Eric Newman, RPM Or, send comments by e-mail to: newman.eric@epa.aov or deitzel.carrie@epa.aov Resources For more information about the Sharon Steel/Fairmont Coke Works Superfund Site, please visit: https://cumuIis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302883 For more information about EPA's Superfund Program: http://www.epa.gov/superfund This Is Superfund: A Community Guide to EPA's Superfund Program http://semspub.epa.goV/work/11/175197.pdf 0J0H |9qB~| ssajppv S0U6U Vd 'B!Md|0pe|!Md (ZSSHe apoo|!B|/\|) jeejjs MOJV 099U |0zi|0a 0UJBQ :uhv e uojBey 'AoueBv uojjoejojd |bju0luuoj!au3 g n Contact Us Carrie Deitzel Community Involvement Coordinator EPA Region 3 215-814-5525 deitzel.carrie@epa.gov Eric Newman Remedial Project Manager EPA Region 3 215-814-3237 newman.eric@epa.gov 910Z Ainr 3)epdn Ajmnuiuioo ejis punjjsdns s>|jom 31103 |uoumej/|ss|s uojbiis ------- |