&EPA Announcing Public Comment Period for
Environmental Protection EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up the
Agency
Region 10 Hamilton Road Impacted Area.
Chehalis,Washington October 2012
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites
your comments on its Proposed Plan for cleaning
up the Hamilton Road Impacted Area (HRIA).
This area is part of the Hamilton/Labree Roads
Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site.
The HRIA is also known as Operable Unit 1 (OU
1). You can review the Proposed Plan for the HRIA
at the information repositories listed on Page 7, and
on EPA's web page at
^ http://go.usa.govA7;!4V
Your Comments are Invited by November 9, 2012
EPA will consider all comments received during
the public comment period through November 9,
before choosing an interim cleanup plan, called an
Interim Record of Decision. It is called "interim"
because EPA will propose and select other cleanups
for the site after the HRIA cleanup action starts
and additional site-wide data is collected and
evaluated. Based on the studies done to date, EPA
has determined there is enough reliable information
about contamination at the HRIA to complete the
Proposed Plan for this area at this time.
We encourage you to mail or email your comments,
postmarked no later than November 9,2012, to:
Tamara Langton, Project Manager
U.S. EPA Region 10
1200 Sixth Ave., ECL-113
Seattle, WA 98101
Email comments to langton.tamara@epa.gov
For emailed comments please put
"HRIA Proposed Plan" in the subject line.
Come to the Public Meeting
Your verbal and written comments can help
shape the final cleanup decision and will be
taken at the meeting to be held:
October 23, 2012 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Veterans Memorial Museum
100 SW Veterans Way
Chehalis, WA 98532
(360)740-8875
www.veteransmuseum.org
There will be an Open House before the public
meeting, from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. EPA staff will
be available to answer your questions.
About the Overall Site
The Hamilton/Labree Roads Groundwater
Contamination Superfund Site is located near the
intersection of North Hamilton Road and Labree
Road, west of Interstate 5, about two miles south
of Chehalis, Washington. The site includes several
areas where tetrachloroethene (PCE) and other
chemicals were released onto soil and surface water,
including at the HRIA. PCE is a chemical used for
dry cleaning, metal degreasing and other industrial
processes.
PCE-contaminated groundwater from these areas
flows west and northwest along the Newaukum
River Valley. Many of the homes and businesses
across the site currently use drinking water from
the City of Chehalis public water supply system.
However, if the PCE is not cleaned up and the
contaminated groundwater continues to move down
the valley, residents and workers not on the public
water supply system may be at risk if they drink
PCE-contaminated groundwater.
See Map on Next Page <=i>
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Comments Invited by November 9 on EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up Hamilton Road Impacted Area
What is the Hamilton Road Impacted Area?
The part of the site called the HRIA is a 10-acre area
located along Interstate 5 and North Hamilton Road.
It is the most upgradient part of the site, meaning it
is upstream of the rest of the site. North Hamilton
Road and Berwick Creek cross the HRIA from
northwest to southeast. Berwick Creek flows north.
The source of contamination at the HRIA appears
to be a release of liquid PCE directly into Berwick
Creek by an unknown entity sometime before 1990.
Studies done to date in the HRIA have found that
PCE has contaminated Berwick Creek bed sediment
and bank surface soil, and soil and groundwater
beneath the creek in what is referred to as the shallow
aquifer. This PCE has continued to dissolve over time
in the shallow aquifer and move to other areas of the
site. If not cleaned up, it will continue to contaminate
the groundwater for many decades to come.
This contaminant may pose a risk to people if they
were to drink the groundwater, and if they work at the
HRIA. In addition, the contamination may pose a risk
to fish and animals who visit or live in the sediment
and soil within the HRIA.
About the Proposed Plan and Preferred Cleanup Alternative
The Proposed Plan for cleaning up the Hamilton
Road Impacted Area describes EPA's preferred
cleanup alternative, called Combined Technology
Scenario (CTS) Alternative CTS-2, and compares
it with a number of other possible alternatives,
including taking no action.
EPA evaluated each alternative against seven of the
nine established criteria identified below
(#1 thru #7). Criteria #8 and #9 are not fully
evaluated until after comments on the Proposed Plan
are received.
EPA believes the preferred alternative best meets the
criteria. The other cleanup alternatives we considered
are discussed in detail in the draft HRIA Feasibility
Study report and summarized in the Proposed Plan.
Both of these documents are available at the
information repositories and on the web site listed on
Page 7.
Preferred Alternative
EPA recommends Alternative CTS-2 because it
would best address the known sources of PCE
contamination within the HRIA and the most
immediate risks posed by these sources.
It would also best help prevent the contaminated
groundwater from moving from the HRIA to the rest
of the site. The combination of technologies proposed
for contaminated soil and groundwater would work
together to reduce HRIA contamination as quickly as
possible, and be cost effective. See map on next page
c
"\
Criteria for Evaluating Cleanup Alternatives
1.
Overall protection of human health and the
environment
5. Reduction of mobility, toxicity, and volume of
contaminants through treatment
2.
Compliance with state and federal laws known
as "Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate
Requirements (ARARs)"
6. Implementability, or ability to carry out, the
alternative
7. Cost
3.
Short-term effectiveness
8. State/Tribal acceptance
4.
V
Long-term effectiveness
9. Community acceptance
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Comments Invited by November 9 on EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up Hamilton Road Impacted Area
EPA's Phased Approach for the Site
EPA proposes to address contamination at the overall
Hamilton/Labree site using a phased approach. This
would begin with an interim action at the Hamilton
Road Impacted Area to address PCE-contaminated
creek bed sediment and bank surface soil, soil beneath
the surface, and groundwater. EPA believes this
approach is the most appropriate when there is not
enough information gathered yet to determine how
likely it is to be able to achieve long-term cleanup
goals, like restoring groundwater to safe drinking
water levels, over all or parts of the site. Addressing
contamination in the HRIA is the first part of a
comprehensive and dynamic strategy to manage the
contaminated groundwater for the entire site.
The preferred cleanup alternative, CTS-2
includes the following parts:
Re-route Berwick Creek around
areas of contamination
•S Re-routing about 200 feet of Berwick Creek
around the areas of contamination in the HRIA
would help protect fish and animals that live in
or visit the creek channel from possible negative
impacts caused by cleanup activities. The creek
would be re-routed to a location within the HRIA
where it may remain permanently. The creek
channel (bed and banks) would be designed to
protect fish and animals, especially those living
in the creek bed sediments. This means that PCE
in the creek bed and banks would need to be less
than 0.468 milligrams per kilograms (mg/kg)
of PCE.
Heat sediment and soil with PCE
concentrations greater than 10 mg/kg
•S Increasing the temperature by heating the sedi-
ment and soil would remove contaminant mass
and reduce PCE concentrations to 10 mg/kg.
Excavate and dispose of remaining
sediment and surface soil with PCE
concentrations greater than 10 mg/kg
•S If heating the sediment and surface soil does not
reduce PCE contamination to 10 mg/kg, the
sediment and surface soil would be excavated.
•S The excavated sediment and surface soil would be
consolidated within the HRIA and treated with
a chemical, such as potassium permanganate, if
necessary, to meet disposal requirements. Or, the
sediment and surface soil may be treated at an off-
site, licensed disposal facility.
Add organic materials to groundwater with
PCE concentrations greater than 4,000
micrograms per liter (|jg/L)
•S Injecting organic material such as emulsified
vegetable oil into groundwater with PCE
concentrations greater than 4,000 ng/L would
enhance the biological breakdown of PCE. It
would also reduce by 90% the movement of PCE
from the HRIA to other areas of the site.
Institutional controls
•S Institutional controls or "ICs" would be carried
out during and after the interim cleanup
action. ICs are legal restrictions, covenants or
easements on property, and governmental and/or
administrative controls.
•S ICs would be used to help stop or reduce the
possibility of people being exposed to hazardous
substances, pollutants or contaminants. Objectives
of the ICs include preventing using groundwater
for drinking water and requiring workers to wear
protective gear.
Monitoring
•S Sampling of surface water, sediment, soil,
groundwater, and air would be performed during
and after cleanup in order to ensure people and
the environment are protected, and to determine
the effectiveness of the interim cleanup action.
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Comments Invited by November 9 on EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up Hamilton Road Impacted Area
About Tetrachloroethene (PCE)
Other names for tetrachloroethene (PCE) include
tetrachloroethylene and perchloroethylene. PCE is
a chemical used for metal degreasing, dry cleaning,
and other industrial processes. It can move easily
through air, water, and soils and may harm people.
EPA has determined that PCE is carcinogenic
(causes cancer) in people by all exposure routes
(swallowing, breathing in, and skin contact).
> At high concentrations in air, particularly in
closed, poorly ventilated areas, exposures can
cause dizziness, headache, sleepiness, confusion,
nausea, difficulty in speaking and walking,
unconsciousness, and death.
r At low levels in ambient air or drinking water
(below the drinking water standards) risk of
adverse health effects is minimal.
> The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for
PCE has been set at 5 parts per billion. EPA
believes, given present technology and resources,
this is the lowest level to which water systems
can reasonably be required to remove this
contaminant should it occur in drinking water.
> These drinking water standards, and the
regulations for ensuring these standards are
met, are called National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations. All public water supplies
must abide by these regulations.
MCL = Maximum Contaminant Level is the
legal threshold limit on the amount of a substance
that is allowed in public water systems under the
Safe Drinking Water Act. The limit is usually
expressed as a concentration in milligrams per liter
(parts per million), or micrograms per liter (parts
per billion) of water. For more information about
possible health effects from PCE, see the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry web
page at
http://l.usa.gov/PCE fact
Search under "T" for tetrachloroethylene or go to
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ az/t.html
Site Studies and Past Cleanups
The Breen property covers about 11 acres and is
bounded by Interstate 5 to the east, North Hamilton
Road to the south, and Labree Road to the west.
Contamination was first identified at the site in
1993-94, when the Washington State Department of
Health found six private water-supply wells contami-
nated with PCE. The Washington State Department
of Ecology started providing bottled water to affected
well owners, and began investigations to determine
the source of this contamination.
In 1998, two areas of contamination were discovered
at the site: the HRIA and an area northwest of
the HRIA on property owned by the S.C. Breen
Construction Company.
In 1999, about 70 drums, pails and cans, and 600
tons of PCE and petroleum-contaminated soil were
removed from under a building on the Breen property.
In 2000, EPA added the site to its Superfund
National Priorities List (NPL) of contaminated sites
selected for further investigation and cleanup.
Actions related to cleanup at the site take place
under the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also
known as Superfund.
From 2000-2002, EPA installed a new public water
supply line to homes and businesses whose private
wells were or could be contaminated with PCE. Since
then, investigations suggest there are other sources of
contamination at the site.
However, more site-wide data is needed to develop
other cleanup action(s) for the site that will achieve
long-term protection of human health and the
environment.
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Comments Invited by November 9 on EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up Hamilton Road Impacted Area
Draft Site-Wide Cleanup Studies Available
In late 2011, EPA completed two draft reports on
the entire Hamilton/Labree Roads Groundwater
Contamination Superfund Site:
• the Remedial Investigation Report,
which describes the nature and extent of
contamination across the entire site
• the Baseline Risk Assessment Report, which
evaluates current and potential future risks
to people's health and the environment from
contamination across the site
These draft documents are available at the
information repositories and web site listed on this
page. Additional studies are required to finalize these
site-wide documents and prepare cleanup options for
other areas of the site outside of the Hamilton Road
Impacted Area.
However, there is enough valuable information in
these draft reports to proceed with cleanup options
for the HRIA.
What Are the Next Steps?
EPA will consider all comments received during the
public comment period before choosing a cleanup
action for the Hamilton Road Impacted Area.
The interim Record of Decision, which will include
responses to comments, will be available for review in
early 2013.
Find the Propo
You can review the Proposed Plan and the
Administrative Record (documents that support the
cleanup decision) at:
Vernetta Smith Chehalis Timberland Library
400 N. Market Blvd.
Chehalis, WA 98532
8 (360) 748-3301. Call for hours
1 Online
Find site documents, including the Proposed Plan, Draft HRIA Feasibility Study Report, and more on EPA's
Hamilton/Labree web site: http://go.usa.gov/Ya4V or http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/cleanup.nsf/sites/HLabree
EPA Region 10
Superfund Records Center
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
8 Toll free: 800-424-4372 ext. 4494 or
206-553-4494. Callfor an appointment
For More Information
General Information
Debra Sherbina
Community Involvement Coordinator
8 Toll free: 800-424-4372 ext. 0247
or 206-553-0247
^ sherbina. debra@epa. gov
Technical Information
Tamara Langton
Project Manager
8 Toll free: 800-424-4372 ext. 2709
or 206-553-2709
^ langton.tamara@epa.gov
If you need materials in an alternative format, please contact Debra Sherbina at
1-800-424-4372 ext. 0247
Si TDD users please call the Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339
and give the operator Debra Sherbina's phone number.
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vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 10
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-081
Seattle, Washington 98101-3140
October 2012
Pre-Sorted Standard
Postage and Fees Paid
U.S. EPA
Permit No.G-35
Seattle,WA
Announcing Public Comment Period
for EPA's Proposed Plan to Clean Up the
Hamilton Road Impacted Area.
Your Comments, are Invited
by November 9,2012
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