Proposed Plan for Cleanup of the Electro-Voice Superfund Site Buchanan, Michigan June 1999


XV EPA

This Update Will
Tell You About

•	Site background

•	The proposed cleanup plan

•	How you can learn more
about the site

You Are Invited to a
Public Meeting

U.S. EPA will hold a public meet-
ing to explain the proposed
cleanup plan for the Electro-Voice
Superfund Site. Oral and written
comments will be accepted at the
meeting.

Date: July 14,1999

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Buchanan City Hall
302 N. Redbud
Buchanan, MI

Public Comment
Period

U.S. EPA will accept written
comments on the proposed plan
during a 30-day public comment
period from July 9 to August 8,
1999. A pre-addressed comment
form is included in this proposed
plan.

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

Office of Public Affairs
Region 5

77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota,
Ohio, Wisconsin

Proposed Plan for Cleanup of the
Electro-Voice Superfund Site

Buchanan, Michigan

June 1999

Introduction

This proposed plan describes the
alternatives to clean up off-prop-
erty ground-water contamination,
also called the second operable
unit, at the Electro-Voice Superfund
site in Buchanan, Michigan (see
Figure 1). The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is the
lead agency and the Michigan De-
partment of Environmental Qual-
ity (MDEQ) is the support agency

\ st. Joseph

for cleanup activities at this site. This
proposed plan summarizes back-
ground information about the site
and describes the cleanup alterna-
tives that U.S. EPA and MDEQ are
considering for off-property ground
water. This proposed plan:

•	Explains the criteria used to
evaluate the cleanup
alternatives;

•	Presents and evaluates U.S.
EPA's recommended cleanup
alternative, Alternative 2 -
Monitored Natural
Attenuation; and

•	Describes why we are recom-
mending this alternative.

FIGURE 1
Site Map

Electro-Voice Site

-------
The contaminated soils and the more
highly contaminated ground water
beneath the Electro-Voice property
were addressed through cleanup ac-
tions conducted from 1993 to 1997.
This proposed plan addresses the re-
maining ground-water contamina-
tion and is based on:

•	Information collected during a
study called a remedial
investigation and feasibility
study;

•	Quarterly and annual ground-
water monitoring data collected
from 1993 to 1998; and

•	An off-property ground-water
investigation conducted in 1998.

The remedial investigation and fea-
sibility study reports, the technical
memorandum for the evaluation of
off-property ground water and other
documents regarding the site are
available in a file called the "admin-
istrative record" at the Buchanan
Public Library, 117 W. Front Street.
U.S. EPA encourages you to review
the documents in the administrative
record for detailed information about
the site and about the development
and evaluation of the cleanup alter-
natives.

U.S. EPA is issuing this proposed plan
as part of its public participation re-
sponsibilities under Section 117(a) of
the Comprehensive Environmental,
Response, Compensation and Liabil-
ity Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as
amended by the Superfund Amend-
ments and Reauthorization Act of
1986. This proposed plan outlines
the public's role in helping U.S. EPA
and MDEQ make a final decision re-
garding site cleanup. Public input
on the alternatives and the informa-
tion that supports these alternatives
is an important contribution to the
remedy selection process.

U.S. EPA will hold a public meeting
and comment period and will accept
comments from residents, public of-
ficials, agency representatives and
anyone else interested in the site.

Based on new information or public
comment, U.S. EPA may modify the
recommended cleanup alternative or
select another cleanup alternative
presented in this plan or the feasi-
bility study report. We encourage
the public to review and comment
on all the cleanup plans considered
for the off-property ground water.
U.S. EPA will not select a final
cleanup plan for the off-property
ground water until the public com-
ment period has ended and U.S. EPA
and MDEQ have reviewed and con-
sidered all the comments and infor-
mation submitted during the com-
ment period.

Background

Electro-Voice

Electro-Voice (now called EV-Inter-
national Inc.) manufactures sound
equipment and is located at 600 Cecil
Street in Buchanan, Michigan. Ac-
tivities at the plant include die cast-
ing, machining, assembly painting,
electroplating and administration.
Research and development activities
were moved to another location in
1988. The plant includes a building,
two parking lots and an open field.
A residential area, a few commercial
properties and an elementary school
surround the plant. McCoy Creek
is located one-half mile north of
Electro-Voice. One residence is con-
nected to a private well located on
the western edge of Buchanan about
1 mile northwest of Electro-Voice.
All other Buchanan residents are
connected to the city water supply.
The city wells are about three-
fourths of a mile west of Electro-
Voice. The city wells and the private
well are not in danger of becoming
contaminated from the off-property
ground-water contamination.

Areas of Contamination

The contamination at the site re-
sulted from Electro-Voice's discharge
of electroplating wastes into two
clay-lined lagoons from 1952 to 1962,

and from the disposal of paint wastes
and solvents into a drywell from 1964
to 1973. The waste disposal activi-
ties caused the ground water to be-
come contaminated with chemicals
called volatile organic compounds.
The ground-water contamination ex-
tends about one-half mile north of
Electro-Voice to about the intersec-
tion of Third Street and Red Bud
Trail, about 500 feet north of McCoy
Creek (Figure 2). In 1980, Electro-
Voice excavated the contents of one
of the lagoons and filled both la-
goons with fill material. However,
the soil beneath and around the ex-
cavated lagoon and in the
unexcavated lagoon remained con-
taminated.

Previous Studies
and Cleanup Plans
In 1987 Electro-Voice entered into an
agreement with U.S. EPA to investi-
gate the contamination at the site.
Electro-Voice completed the investi-
gation, called a remedial investiga-
tion, under U.S. EPA and MDEQ
oversight in 1990. In 1991, U.S. EPA
conducted a feasibility study to
evaluate cleanup options for the site.

In 1991, after U.S. EPA completed
the feasibility study U.S. EPA issued
a proposed plan that recommended
cleaning up the contamination by:

•	Constructing a clay cover over
the lagoon area;

•	Installing a treatment system to
clean up the soil in the drywell
area; and

•	Installing a pump-and-treat
system to clean up the
contaminated ground water.

Based on the public comments re-
ceived during the comment period,
U.S. EPA modified the final cleanup
plan. The final cleanup plan called
for cleaning up the lagoons, the
drywell area soils and the more con-
taminated on-property ground wa-
ter first, then selecting a cleanup plan
for off-property ground water.

2

-------
Figure 2

SMITH ST.

SCALE
1" = 500'

FRONT ST.

CHARLES CT.

ROE ST.

ALEXANDER s®

&

CONCENTRATION RANGE
' ¦- ¦ I 55 +

I 45 - 54
I 35-44
25-34
15-24
5-14

MONITORING WELL
NESTED MONITORING WELL
McCOY CREEK STAFF CAGE
GROUNDWATER CONTOUR (1/96)
CONCENTRATION IN ppb
DRINKING WATER STANDARD Is 5 ppb

l/IW-32

NOTE:

MONITORING WELLS MW-1,
MW-4 AND MW-10 WERE
ABANDONED IN JUNE 1996

TRICHLOROETHENE (TCE) CONCENTRATIONS
ABOVE DRINKING WATER STANDARDS

DECEMBER 1998

DEWEY ST.

£
CO

3

-------
U.S. EPA issued its final cleanup plan
for the site in 1992 in a document
called a record of decision. In 1993,
1995 and 1996, U.S. EPA updated the
record of decision in documents
called explanations of significant dif-
ferences. These updates:

•	Revised the list of cleanup
standards for drywell area soils
and on-property ground water;

•	Selected a new cleanup
technology called a "subsurface
volatilization and ventilation
system" for drywell area soils
and on-property ground water;
and

•	Revised the cleanup standards
to incorporate changes in
Michigan Act 451 Part 201.

Lagoon and
Drywell Area Cleanup
In 1993 Electro-Voice entered into a
second agreement with U.S. EPA to
conduct the engineering design for
the cleanup and to clean up the site.
This phase is also being conducted
under U.S. EPA and MDEQ oversight.

Electro-Voice completed the lagoon
cleanup in 1997; this involved con-
structing a large clay cover over the
lagoon area to contain soil contami-
nants, minimize future ground-wa-
ter contamination, and prevent
people from coming into contact with
the contaminated materials in the la-
goons. The parties designed the clay
cover to meet hazardous waste re-
quirements. It consists of three feet

of clay covered by a two foot layer of
sand and four inches of topsoil.

Electro-Voice is cleaning up the con-
taminated soils in the drywell area
and oil-property ground water with
a treatment system called a subsur-
face volatilization and ventilation sys-
tem. This system uses a combination
of air injection, soil vapor extraction
and in-situ biodegradation technolo-
gies. The subsurface volatilization
and ventilation system will operate
until soil and ground-water contami-
nants are reduced to cleanup levels.
Contaminant concentrations in the
oil-property ground water have been
below cleanup levels since 1996. U.S.
EPA is currently evaluating the re-
sults of soil sampling in the drywell
area to determine if the soil cleanup
is complete and if the subsurface
volatilization and ventilation system
can be shut down.

Off-Property Ground Water

Ground-water Contaminants

The off-property ground water re-
mains contaminated with a chemical
called trichloroethene (TCE) and its
breakdown product, cis-1,2-
dichloroethene (DCE). Another
breakdown product, vinyl chloride,
is in ground-water monitoring well
MW-30 located north of McCoy
Creek.

The ground water near the Electro-
Voice property flows north toward
McCoy Creek. Near McCoy Creek,
some of the ground water flows into

the creek and some of the ground
water continues north and flows
under the creek. North of McCoy
Creek, the ground-water flow turns
slightly east and discharges into
McCoy Creek near Third Street.

The off-property ground-water in-
vestigation in 1998 and off-prop-
erty ground-water monitoring since
1993 show that McCoy Creek is cap-
turing the contaminants in the off-
property ground water and that the
chemical concentrations in the
ground water are decreasing (com-
pare Figures 2 and 3).

In 1993, the concentration of TCE
in the most contaminated off-prop-
erty monitoring wells ranged from
39 to 60 ppb. The state and federal
drinking water standard for TCE is
5 ppb. By 1998 the maximum con-
centration of TCE detected in off-
property ground water was 26 ppb.
Similar reductions were seen for
DCE. The concentration of vinyl
chloride in monitoring well MW-
30 fluctuated between 1 and 9 ppb
from 1993 to 1998. The state and
federal drinking water standard for
vinyl chloride is 2 ppb. Vinyl chlo-
ride has not been detected in any
other ground-water monitoring
wells. Because McCoy Creek is cap-
turing the ground-water contami-
nants, the ground-water contami-
nation is not spreading beyond the
area near the intersection of Third
Street and Red Bud Trail.

Table 1. Off-Property Groundwater Contamina

December 1998

Concentrations
Above Drinking
Water Standard?

Number of

Monitoring Locations
Above Standard
(21 Wells Total)

MDEQ Allowable Level for

the Discharge of
Groundwater into Surface
Water (ppb)

Chemical

Concentrations In

Off-Property
Groundwater (ppb)

Federal and State
Drinking Water
Standard (ppb)

TCE

0.5 - 26

5

YES

8

200

Vinyl Chloride

7

2

YES

1

15

DCE

1-12

70

NO

None

-

4

-------
Metals in the Ground Water

During the off-property ground-wa-
ter investigation, Electro-Voice
sampled all ground-water monitor-
ing wells for metals. Electro-Voice
did this to determine if metals de-
tected in ground-water samples col-
lected near McCoy Creek in 1997
were related to the site. The levels of
metals in the samples were above
MDEQ's allowable levels for the dis-
charge of ground water into surface
water; however, it was uncertain
whether these metals were from the
site.

The results of the sampling show
that chromium, copper and zinc are
present above background levels in
the area of ground-water contami-
nation near the site and may be from
Electro-Voice. Farther from the site,
in the area of ground-water contami-
nation near McCoy Creek, the con-
centrations of these metals are be-
low background. The other metals
detected in the ground water, above
background concentrations, occur
outside or at the edge of the off-prop-
erty ground-water contamination,
and there is no discernable pattern
in the distribution or concentration
of these metals that indicates that
these metals are from the site. The
highest concentrations of metals
were detected in ground-water
monitoring well MW-35, which is lo-
cated in an industrial area north of
McCoy Creek and is outside Electro-
Voice's area of ground-water con-
tamination.

Risk Assessment

No Current Risks

Drinking water: There are no cur-
rent risks to drinking water. One resi-
dence is connected to a private well
located on the western edge of
Buchanan about 1 mile northwest of
Electro-Voice. All other Buchanan
residents are connected to the city
water supply. The city wells are about
three-fourths of a mile west of
Electro-Voice. The city wells and the

private well are not in danger of be-
coming contaminated from the off-
property groundwater contamina-
tion. Buchanan also has a local ordi-
nance that prohibits the installation
of drinking water wells in contami-
nated areas. The majority of the
properties located within the area of
off-property ground-water contami-
nation also have deed restrictions to
prevent the installation of drinking
water wells on the property.

McCoy Creek: The contaminants in
the off-property ground water do not
pose a current risk to McCoy Creek.
The levels of TCE, DCE and vinyl
chloride in the ground water are be-
low MDEQ's allowable levels for the
discharge of ground water into sur-
face water (Table 1). Also, in 1991
U.S. EPA collected five water samples
from McCoy Creek. Three of the
samples contained TCE at a concen-
tration of 0.6 ppb. This concentra-
tion is well below the MDEQ hu-
man non-drink value for surface wa-
ter of 44 ppb, and MDEQ's final
chronic surface water quality crite-
ria of 200 ppb. The levels of chro-
mium, copper and zinc detected in
the area of ground-water contami-
nation near McCoy Creek are also
below background levels, and
MDEQ's human non-drink values
for ground water that flows into sur-
face water.

Potential Future Risks

Drinking water: Although the con-
taminated ground water is not cur-
rently used as a drinking water sup-
ply the Buchanan area gets its water
supply from ground water. The 1991
risk assessment evaluated whether
using the ground water at the site
for drinking and showering would
result in any unacceptable risks. The
overall risk from on- and off-prop-
erty ground water was 4 additional
cases of cancer for every 10,000
people who used the ground water
for drinking and showering, and a
potential for other harmful health
effects.

The on-property ground water has
been cleaned up; however, the levels
of TCE and vinyl chloride in off-prop-
erty ground water still exceed fed-
eral and state drinking water stan-
dards. The levels of TCE and vinyl
chloride in off-property ground wa-
ter also exceed the cleanup levels es-
tablished for these chemicals in on-
property ground water in the 1991
record of decision and 1996 explana-
tion of significant differences. Zinc
was detected above the MDEQ resi-
dential drinking water standard in
one monitoring well location (MW-
18D). Chromium, copper and DCE
do not exceed any drinking water
standards.

McCov Creek: Although the contami-
nants in the off-property ground wa-
ter do not pose a current risk to
McCoy Creek, chromium, copper and
zinc were detected above background
levels in the area of ground-water
contamination near the site. These
chemicals could pose a risk to McCoy
Creek if they moved with the ground
water and emptied into McCoy Creek
at levels that would threaten the
creek.

The actual or threatened release of
chemicals in the off-property ground
water, if not addressed by U.S. EPA's
recommended cleanup plan or an-
other active cleanup plan, may pose
a current or potential threat to public
health, welfare, or the environment.

Cleanup Objectives

U.S. EPA's cleanup objectives for off-
property ground water are to:

•	Restore off-property ground
water to drinking water
standards for TCE and vinyl
chloride within a reasonable
time frame;

•	Minimize future migration of
ground-water contamination;

•	Prevent the use of contaminated
ground water as a drinking
water supply until the ground
water is restored; and

5

-------
Figure 3

SCALE
= 500'

~~ 5"14

MONITORING WELL
NESTED MONITORING WELL

MONITORING WELLS MW-1,
MW-4 AND MW-10 WERE
ABANDONED IN JUNE 1996

<0	<0 -A

 g #

® McCOY CREEK STAFF CAGE

	 GROUNDWATER CONTOUR (1/96)

CONCENTRATION IN ppb
DRINKING WATER STANDARD Is 5 ppb

TRICHLOROETHENE (TCE) CONCENTRATIONS
ABOVE DRINKING WATER STANDARDS

JANUARY 1993

6

-------
• Ensure that the levels of
chromium, copper and zinc
that are present in the ground
water, above background
concentrations, will not affect
McCoy Creek as the ground
water flows away from the site
and into the creek.

The federal and state drinking water
standard for TCE is 5 ppb. The fed-
eral and state drinking water stan-
dard for vinyl chloride is 2 ppb.

Cleanup Alternatives

U.S. EPA is considering three cleanup
alternatives, including the no-action
alternative, for off-property ground
water. They are:

1)	No-action;

2)	Monitored natural attenuation;
and

3)	Ground-water pump and treat.

U.S. EPA's recommended cleanup
plan for the off-property ground wa-
ter at the site is Alternative 2 - Moni-
tored Natural Attenuation.

Alternative 1 - No-Action
Estimated Capital Cost: $0
Estimated Annual Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) Costs: $0
Estimated Present Worth: $0
Estimated Time to Construct: 0
Estimated Cleanup Time: 32 - 65
years

The no-action alternative does not
involve any cleanup action or
cleanup requirements for off-prop-
erty ground water. The chemical
concentrations in the off-property
ground water would be expected to
naturally decrease, or attenuate, im-
proving ground-water quality over
time. The no-action alternative does
not include institutional controls,
ground-water monitoring or contin-
gency planning. Existing institu-
tional controls may be effective in
preventing or minimizing potential
future exposure to contaminated
ground water; however, nobody
would require or monitor these con-

trols. Existing controls at the site
include:

•	The availability of the city
water supply;

•	Deed restrictions; and

•	The local ordinance.

U.S. EPA is required by law to
evaluate a no-action alternative as
a basis for comparison.

Alternative 2 - Monitored
Natural Attenuation
Estimated Capital Cost: $3,000
Estimated Annual Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) Costs:

$15,100

Estimated Present Worth:

$145,000

Estimated Time to Construct: 1 - 2
weeks

Estimated Cleanup Time: 32 - 65
years

The monitored natural attenuation
alternative relies on natural pro-
cesses such as recharge, dilution,
dispersion and degradation to re-
duce chemical concentrations in the
ground water to drinking water
levels. Because McCoy Creek cap-
tures the off-property ground-wa-
ter contaminants, the off-property
ground-water contamination is not
expected to spread further north
of the intersection of Third Street
and Red Bud Trail. Ground-water
data collected since 1989 also show
that the area of ground-water con-
tamination is not getting signifi-
cantly wider. Also, vinyl chloride,
an expected degradation product
of TCE with greater toxicity con-
tinues to be isolated to MW-30.

Once the chemicals in the off-prop-
erty ground water enter McCoy
Creek, they mix with the creek wa-
ter and either volatilize or become
so diluted that they are harmless.
Computer modeling of site condi-
tions indicates that it will take ap-
proximately 32 to 65 years for the
off-property ground water to natu-
rally attenuate to drinking water

levels. The monitored natural attenu-
ation alternative includes:

•	Institutional controls to prevent
people from using the off-
property ground water until the
cleanup levels are achieved;

•	A monitoring program to track
and evaluate the effectiveness of
natural attenuation over time and
to make sure that the metals
present in the off-property
ground-water contamination,
above background levels, will not
affect McCoy Creek; and

•	Contingency plans, to be
implemented if the monitoring
program identifies the need for
modifications or changes in the
cleanup plan. Possible
contingency actions might
include confirmation sampling,
collecting ground-water samples
more frequently, collecting
samples from McCoy Creek,
installing new monitoring wells,
pursuing additional deed
restrictions, notifying the City of
Buchanan that the restricted area
in the local ordinance needs to be
updated, evaluating whether any
drinking water supplies are
threatened, and whether
additional cleanup actions, such
as the construction of a ground-
water containment system are
necessary.

The capital costs for the monitored
natural attenuation alternative are for
the installation of two to four addi-
tional ground-water monitoring wells
to supplement the existing monitor-
ing well network, if necessary.

Alternative 3 - Ground-water
Pump and Treat
Estimated Capital Cost: $400,000
Estimated Annual Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) Costs: $90,000
Estimated Present Worth: $1.3
million

Estimated Time to Construct: 4
months

Estimated Cleanup Time: 15-30 years

7

-------
The ground-water pump and treat
alternative involves installing five
collection wells, just south of McCoy
Creek, to capture off-property
ground water and to prevent it from
migrating into the creek. Electro-
Voice would treat the off-property
ground water using activated carbon,
air stripping, chemical oxidation and
reduction or photolysis and oxida-
tion. Electro-Voice would then dis-
charge the treated water to either a
publicly owned treatment works or
directly to McCoy Creek. Any dis-
charge to McCoy Creek would have
to meet the substantive requirements
of a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permit issued
under the Clean Water Act.

Estimates indicate that it would take
approximately 15 to 30 years for the
pump-and-treat system to clean up
off-property ground water to drink-
ing water standards. This alterna-
tive also includes institutional con-
trols, a monitoring program and con-
tingency planning.

Evaluation of
Cleanup Alternatives

U.S. EPA uses nine criteria to evalu-
ate potential cleanup plans to deter-
mine which plan provides the "best
balance" of trade-offs with respect
to each other and the criteria. The
first two criteria, overall protection
of human health and the environ-
ment and compliance with ARARs,
must be met for an alternative to be
selected.

1 - Overall Protection of Human
Health and the Environment evalu-
ates whether a cleanup plan provides ad-
equate protection and describes how risks
are eliminated, reduced, or controlled
through treatment, engineering controls
or institutional controls.

The no-action alternative would not
provide adequate protection to hu-
man health and the environment.
Chemical concentrations in the
ground water are expected to natu-
rally decrease over time; however,
the no-action alternative does not in-
clude institutional controls, monitor-
ing programs or contingency plan-

ning. Because the no-action alterna-
tive does not protect human health
and the environment, it has been
eliminated from further consider-
ation.

The monitored natural attenuation
alternative protects human health
and the environment by using natu-
ral processes such as recharge, dilu-
tion, dispersion and degradation to
reduce chemical concentrations in the
ground water to drinking water lev-
els. Ground-water contaminants will
be captured by McCoy Creek where
they will become harmless and will
not spread into other areas. The
monitored natural attenuation alter-
native also includes institutional con-
trols to prevent people from using
the off-property ground water until
the cleanup levels are achieved; a
monitoring program to track and
evaluate the effectiveness of natural
attenuation over time and to make
sure that the metals present in the
off-property ground-water contami-
nation, above background levels, will
not affect McCoy Creek; and contin-
gency plans.

Evaluation Table

Evaluation Criteria

Cleanup Option

1 - No Action

2 - Monitored Natural Attenuation

3 - Groundwater Pump and Treat

Overall protection of human health and the
environment

'MM

Compliance with Applicable or Relevant and
Appropriate Requirements (ARARs)

I I

Long-term Effectiveness and Permanence

Reduction of Contaminant Toxicity, Mobility,
or Volume through Treatment

mm.

Short-term Effectiveness

i i

Implementability

Cost

$145,000

$1.3 million

State Acceptance

State acceptance will be evaluated after the public comment period.

Community Acceptance

Community acceptance of the recommended cleanup plan will be evaluated after the public comment period. In
1991 the community expressed strong opposition to U.S. EPA to pump-and-treat the off-property groundwater
and urged U.S. EPA to monitor the off-property groundwater instead.

= Fully Meets Criteria

= Partially Meets Criteria

= Cannot Be Determined

-------
The ground-water pump and treat al-
ternative provides protection to hu-
man health and the environment by
containing ground-water contami-
nants and preventing them from flow-
ing into McCoy Creek, and by restor-
ing off-property ground water to
drinking water levels through an ac-
tive pump and treat system.

2	- Compliance with ARARs evaluates
whether a cleanup plan will meet all other
federal and state laws and/or provide
grounds for invoking a waiver.

The cleanup plans for monitored natu-
ral attenuation and ground-water
pump and treat are both expected to
comply with ARARs. Key ARARs for
off-property ground water include the
federal Safe Drinking Water Act and
Michigan Act 451, Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection Act
(Part 31 and Part 201).

3	- Long Term Effectiveness and Per-
manence refers to the amount of risk re-
maining at a Superfund site and the abil-
ity of a cleanup plan to maintain reliable
protection of human health and the envi-
ronment once cleanup goals are met.

The cleanup plans for monitored natu-
ral attenuation and ground-water
pump and treat provide long-term ef-
fectiveness and permanence by using
natural or engineered processes to per-
manently remove ground-water con-
taminants from the ground water or
permanently disperse or transform
ground-water contaminants into non-
toxic chemicals. Both of these alterna-
tives restore off-property ground wa-
ter for use as a drinking water supply

4	- Reduction of Toxicity, Mobility or
Volume Through Treatment evaluates
an alternative's use of treatment to reduce
the harmful effects of principal contami-
nants, their ability to move in the envi-
ronment and the amount of contamina-
tion present.

The monitored natural attenuation al-
ternative provides for some reduction
of toxicity, mobility or volume through
natural treatment processes. The pres-
ence of DCE and vinyl chloride indi-

cate that some of the off-property
ground-water contaminants are de-
grading. Also, ground-water con-
taminants that are not fully de-
graded are captured by McCoy
Creek, which reduces the volume
of contaminated ground water.
The ground-water pump and treat
option provides a higher level of a
reduction in toxicity, mobility or
volume through treatment by col-
lecting and actively treating all con-
taminated ground water.

5	- Short-Term Effectiveness con-
siders the time to reach cleanup objec-
tives and the risks a cleanup plan may
pose to site workers, the community
and the environment until cleanup
goals are achieved.

The ground-water pump and treat
alternative is more effective than
the natural attenuation alternative
in the short-term since it would
cleanup the contaminated ground-
water in about half as much time
as the natural attenuation alterna-
tive - 15 to 30 years for ground-
water pump and treat acompared
to 32 to 65 years for natural attenu-
ation. However, the short-term
risks to the community common
to both alternatives would be mini-
mized by institutional controls to
prevent people from using the
ground water until cleanup levels
are achieved; monitoring to track
and evaluate the performance of
the cleanup plan; and contingency
planning. Both alternatives also
pose some short-term risks to
workers during the cleanup, but
these risks are manageable through
proper health and safety practices.

6	- Implementability is the techni-
cal and administrative feasibility of
implementing the cleanup plan such
as relative availability of goods and
services.

The cleanup plan for monitored
natural attenuation is readily
implementable. There is already
an existing network of monitoring

wells in the area of off-property con-
tamination and any new monitoring
wells should not be difficult to in-
stall. Also, institutional controls in-
cluding the availability of the city
water supply a local ordinance pro-
hibiting contaminated ground wa-
ter from being used as a drinking
water supply, and deed restrictions
on many properties are already in
place.

The equipment for the ground-wa-
ter pump and treat system is com-
monly used and readily available.
However, this alternative is slightly
more difficult to implement than
monitored natural attenuation. The
pump and treat alternative would
require access or easements for the
five wells south of McCoy Creek,
the treatment unit and the pipes. The
pump and treat system would also
have to comply with the substantive
permit requirements for installing
the system, treating the ground wa-
ter and discharging it to McCoy
Creek or to the publicly owned treat-
ment works.

7	- Cost includes estimated capital and
operation and maintenance costs as well
as present worth costs. Present worth
cost is the total cost of an alternative
over time in terms of today's dollar value.
Cost estimates are expected to be accu-
rate within a rage of+50 to -30percent.

The present worth cost of the cleanup
plan for monitored natural attenua-
tion ($145,000) is significantly less
than the present worth cost for the
ground-water pump and treat alter-
native ($1.3 million).

8	- State Acceptance considers whether
the State (in this case MDEQ) agrees
with U.S. EPA's analysis and recom-
mendations in the proposed plan.

State acceptance of the proposed plan
for off-property ground water will
be evaluated after the public com-
ment period.

9	- Community Acceptance consid-
ers whether the local community agrees
with U.S. EPA's analyses and recom-

9

-------
mended alternative. Comments received
on the proposed plan are an important
indicator of community acceptance.

Community acceptance of the rec-
ommended alternative will be
evaluated after the public comment
period ends and will be described
in the Responsiveness Summary sec-
tion of the ROD. Previous commu-
nity involvement following U.S.
EPA's 1991 proposed plan indicated
a strong opposition to a pump and
treat alternative for off-property
ground water and a preference for
ground-water monitoring.

U.S. EPA's Recommended
Cleanup Plan

U.S. EPA's recommended cleanup
plan for off-property ground water
at the Electro-Voice site is Alterna-

tive 2 - Monitored Natural Attenua-
tion. U.S. EPA is proposing moni-
tored natural attenuation because this
cleanup alternative meets all the
evaluation criteria and is the best op-
tion to restore the contaminated off-
property ground water to its poten-
tial future use as a drinking water
supply.

Although the ground-water cleanup
will take longer with monitored natu-
ral attenuation, the ground water
does not pose any current risks to
human health or the enviroment and
a time frame of 32 to 65 years for
natural attenuation. One residence is
connected to a private well located
on the western edge of Buchanan
about 1 mile northwest of Electro-
Voice. All other Buchanan residents
are connected to the city water sup-

ply and the city wells are not in dan-
ger of being contaminated by the
off-property ground water. A
Buchanan local ordinance aso pro-
hibits the installation of drinking wa-
ter wells in areas of ground-water
contamination. The levels of TCE
and vinyl chloride in the ground
water are below MDEQ's allowable
levels for the discharge of ground
water into surface water, and the
levels of chromium, copper and zinc
detected in the area of ground-wa-
ter contamination near McCoy
Creek are also below background
levels, and MDEQ's human non-
drink values for ground water that
flows into surface water.

The contaminants in the off-prop-
erty ground water are degrading and
are captured by McCoy Creek, which

Glossary

Institutional Controls - Any variety of local ordi-
nances, property deed restrictions, or other legal
prohibitions that restrict activities on hazardous
waste sites or properties near those sites.

National Prioities List (NPL) - A federal roster of
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that actually or
potentially threaten human health or the environ-
ment and are eligible for investigation and
remediation under the federal Superfund program.

Natural Attenuation - The process by which a com-
pound is reduced in concentraton overtime,
through absorption, degradation, dilution, and/or
transformation.

Proposed Plan - A public participation requirement
in which U.S. EPA summarizes for the public the
preferred cleanup strategy and the rationale for the
preference, reviews the alternatives presented in
detailed analysis of the remedial investigation/fea-
sibility study, and presents any waivers of cleanup
standards which may be proposed.

Record of Decision (ROD) - A legal document
signed by U.S. EPA that describes the final cleanup
remedy for a Superfund site, why the remedial
action was chosen, how much it will cost, and pub-
lic comments and U.S. EPA's response.

Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study - A
two-part study that is completed before any reme-
dial cleanup can begin. The first part is the reme-
dial investigation, which studies the nature and
extent of the problem. The second part is the feasi-
bility study, which evaluates different methods of
dealing with the problem and selects a method
that will effectively protect public health and the
environment.

Responsiveness Summary - A summary of oral
and/or written public comments received by U.S.
EPA during a comment period on key documents,
and U.S. EPA's response to those comments.

Risk Assessment - The part of the remedial inves-
tigation report that discusses the potential for hu-
man and ecological exposure to site contaminants.

Surace Water - All water naturally open to the
atmosphere (rivers, lakes, reserviors, ponds,
streams, etc.)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) - Com-
pounds of primarily carbon, oxygen, and hydro-
gen, characterized by their tendency to evaporate
easily and quickly. VOCs are found in lighter fluid,
paint thinners, and components of gasoline.

10

-------
prevents the further spread of con-
tamination. The ground water will
also be monitored to ensure that
the metals present in the off-prop-
erty ground-water contamination,
above background levels, will not
affect McCoy Creek as the ground
water flows away from the site and
into the creek.

Based on current conditions and
reasonably anticipated future
ground-water use, the monitored
natural attenuation alternative is
expected to be fully protective of
human health and the environment

and to comply with all ARARs.
Monitored natural attenuation will
achieve long-term effectiveness and
permanence, with treatment pro-
vided through degradation and cap-
ture by McCoy Creek. Short-term
effectiveness would be achieved
through monitoring and institu-
tional controls. The cleanup plan is
implementable and cost-effective.

Next Steps

U.S. EPA will consider public com-
ments received during the public

comment period (July 9 to August 8)
before selecting a final cleanup plan
for the off-property ground water.
The cleanup plan will be described
in a final decision document called
the record of decision (ROD). U.S.
EPA will make the ROD available
for public review in the information
repository at the Buchanan Public
Library and at U.S. EPA's Region 5
office. U.S. EPA will answer public
comments in a document called a
responsiveness summary which is
part of the ROD.

For Additional Information

Anyone interested in learning more about the proposed plan for the Electro-Voice Superfund site is

encouraged to review the information repositories for the site located at the Buchanan Public Library,

117 W. Front Street. An Administrative Record, which contains detailed information upon which the

selection of the recommended alternative will be based, is also located at the Buchanan Public Library

and at the U.S. EPA Region 5 office in Chicago. For further information about this proposed plan, the

Electro-Voice site, please contact:

U.S. EPA Contacts

State of Michiaan

Jennifer Ostenneier Karen Cibulskis

Robin Campbell

Community Involvement Remedial Project Manager

Project Manager

Coordinator (312) 886-1843

Environmental Response Division

(312) 353-0618 cibulskis.karen@epa.gov

Superfund Section

ostermeier.jennifer@epa.gov

MDEQ

301 S. Capital

Lansing, MI 48933

U.S. EPA Region 5

(517) 335-4104

77 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60604

Toll Free: 1-800-621-8431

littp: www. epa. gov

-------
r

1

Mailing List Additions

If you did not receive this fact sheet in the mail, you are not on the mailing list for the Electro-Voice Superfund
Site. To add your name, or to make a correction, please fill out this form and mail it to:

Jennifer Ostermeier

U.S. EPA Region 5

Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)

77 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Name	

Address 	

Affiliation 	

Once you are on the mailing list,you will automatically receive information from U.S. EPA regarding the Electro-Voice Supefund Site

oEPA

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5

Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Official Business, Penalty for

Private Use $300	FIRST CLASS

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Proposed Plan for E I e c t r o - V o i c e Superfund Site

This fact sheet is printed on paper made of recycled fibers.

-------