Superfund Program U.S. Environmental Protection Community Update Agency, Region 2 / A \ Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Site ^ PRO^° EPA CONSTRUCTION PLAN The purpose of this document is to provide the community with information regarding the upcoming construction activities at the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics (CDE) Superfund site located in South Plainfield, New Jersey. In addition, EPA will hold a public information meeting to explain the information detailed below and respond to questions. Pursuant to EPA's 2004 Record of Decision (ROD), EPA will begin construction activities in the winter of 2007 to address the contaminated buildings at the former CDE facility, also known as the Hamilton Industrial Park. The ROD calls for the demolition, transportation and off-site disposal of the 18 contaminated buildings at the industrial park. The buildings are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals, such as arsenic, chromium, mercury, and lead. The purpose of the building demolition is two-fold: 1] eliminate exposure to contaminated building material; and 2] create access to contaminated soil that needs to be excavated as part of the upcoming soil remedial action. EPA is using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as its construction manager for this work. EPA and the Corps have contracted with Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc. of Niagara Falls, New York, to perform the work. SITE HISTORY The former CDE facility, located at 333 Hamilton Blvd., South Plainfield, New Jersey, consists of approximately 26 acres and contains 18 buildings. CDE operated at the facility from 1936 to 1962, manufacturing electronic components including, in particular, capacitors. PCBs and chlorinated solvents were used in the manufacturing process, and the company apparently disposed of PCB-contaminated materials and other hazardous substances directly on the facility soils. CDE's activities evidently led to widespread chemical contamination at the facility, as well as migration of contaminants to areas nearby the facility. PCBs have been MARK YOUR CALENDARS Public Information Session: Thursday, January 18, 2007, at 7:00 PM U.S. EPA will hold an information meeting to explain the upcoming CDE building remedial action. EPA representatives will be available at Borough Hall, 2480 Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield, New Jersey between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. For more information, see the Administrative Record at the following locations: U.S. EPA Records Center, Region II 290 Broadway, 18th Floor. New York, New York 10007-1866 (212)-637-3261 Hours: Monday-Friday - 9 am to 5 pm South Plainfield Library 2484 Plainfield Avenue South Plainfield, New Jersey 07080 (908) 754-7885 Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday -10 am to 9 pm Tuesday and Friday -10 am to 6 pm Saturday - 9 am to 5 pm Sunday -1:30 pm to 5 pm detected in the groundwater, soils and in building interiors at the industrial park, at adjacent residential, commercial, and municipal properties, and in surface water and sediments of the Bound Brook. Since CDE's departure from the facility in 1962, it has been operated as a rental property, with numerous commercial and industrial companies operating at the facility as tenants. EPA has completed the remedial design for the demolition of the buildings at the industrial park. The remedial design provides specifications that must be sustained throughout the construction. The remedial design for the soil remedial action at the industrial park is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2007. The investigations of the contaminated groundwater and the sediments of the Bound Brook are ongoing. EPA has already begun the cleanup of residential, commercial, and municipal ------- properties adjacent to the facility. For more detailed information about the site, on-going investigations and the cleanup, EPA maintains information repositories at the locations listed in the box on the previous page. CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES EPA mobilized to the former CDE facility in early December 2006 and will begin the demolition of the first structure in January 2007. Construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2008. The following is a brief description of what will occur during our construction. Site Security: Throughout the construction process site security is maintained to keep unauthorized people out of areas where work is ongoing. In addition to the existing fencing, a guard booth has been installed and security guards will be at the site overnight. Health and Safety: EPA has developed a comprehensive Health and Safety (H&S) program specifically for the demolition of the buildings at the former CDE facility. The H&S program is developed for the protection of the community as well as the on-site workers. The complete H&S document can be viewed at the information repositories. As part of EPA's H&S program, EPA establishes action levels, health-based concentrations or levels designated for specific site contaminants. They are concentrations that are set prior to the demolition of any buildings and are not to be exceeded at any time during construction. In the case of the building demolition at the former CDE facility, the action levels pertain to the emissions of dust or air concentrations of site specific contaminants. The construction practices to be employed at the industrial park will minimize the potential for dust generation, and a comprehensive air monitoring program will provide necessary safeguards to assure that contaminants do not leave the site. EPA will establish lines of communication to local officials to keep them up-to-date with EPA's air monitoring program, as well as other health and safety measures. The objectives of air monitoring are to assure that the dust suppression operations function as designed, action levels are not exceeded, and the public and workers are protected at all times. Air monitoring is accomplished via on-site analytical air sampling devices. Air monitoring will measure for dust concentrations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. EPA will establish air monitoring stations at the locations immediately surrounding the buildings being demolished and around the perimeter of the site. Should dust action levels be exceeded during construction, EPA will immediately detect such an exceedance and take corrective action. Hence, there will be several layers of air monitoring equipment protecting the community. Demolition: Based on the interconnection of structures and supporting infrastructure, the demolition of the 18 buildings at the industrial park will be performed in discrete groups or clusters. Prior to the commencement of any demolition activities, site control measures will be implemented to establish the work zones. Security fencing will be installed around the cluster that will be demolished. Storm sewers and catch basins located in the vicinity of demolition work will be covered with a geotextile membrane and surrounded by hay bales to protect against migrating sediment. Where applicable, silt fence will be installed surrounding the demolition area to prevent the movement of soils during demolition and removal efforts. As part of the pre-demolition evaluation, asbestos, materials containing PCBs, fluorescent light tubes, thermostats/switches that may contain mercury, air conditioning equipment will be removed manually from the structure and disposed of. Each structure will be demolished from the roof down using a backhoe with a grapple attachment, leaving the contaminated walls undisturbed so that they do not get co- mingled with non-hazardous debris. Areas containing PCB materials will be delineated by use of paint flagging and materials containing PCBs will be the initial materials demolished. Care will be utilized while segregating and stockpiling hazardous and non-hazardous materials. The stockpiles will be tarped and dust suppression techniques will be employed. A backhoe will be used to load the segregated material for transportation and disposal to the appropriate off-site disposal facilities. Dust Suppression: Dust suppression is a crucial operation within EPA's construction operation. Dust suppression methods prevent dust particles or soil from spreading off-site, via the air and wind, to prevent exceedances of EPA's established action levels. Dust suppression is ------- accomplished through a number of techniques, such as: ¦ providing for a misting spray during demolition activities; ¦ applying water on and sweeping haul roads; ¦ wetting and misting equipment and structures; ¦ spraying mist on buckets during material handling and dumping; ¦ placing polyethylene on the ground surface where trucks are loaded, and material loaded into trucks should not be dropped from heights above the truck body; ¦ hauling materials in properly tarped containers; ¦ covering stockpiled materials; ¦ reducing the active work area surface and limiting the number of concurrent operations; and ¦ regular washing of construction equipment. Water usage will be monitored to prevent ponding and runoff. Water used to decontaminate equipment will be collected in a tank, sampled to determine hazardous characteristics, and disposed of accordingly. Transportation: The building debris will be transported off-site to approved landfills via truck. All trucks leaving the industrial park will be properly covered. Trucks will also be used to transport backfill into the industrial park. Trucks will enter and exit the site via Hamilton Boulevard. EPA anticipates up to 40 trucks per day during peak times. As part of the soil remedial action, EPA is currently is in the process of designing a rail spur that will be constructed at the industrial park. The construction of a rail spur will allow for the transportation of contaminated soils off-site by train. The remedial design for the soil remedial action is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2007. Off-Site Disposal: The building debris will be shipped off site for disposal in an approved hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste landfill, depending upon the contaminant levels in each load. Building debris categorized as a hazardous waste will go to a "RCRA Subtitle C landfill, which is a landfill specifically designed for disposal of hazardous waste, with liners and other mechanisms to prevent the migration of waste from them. The State of New Jersey does not maintain any commercial Subtitle C landfills, so all hazardous building debris will be transported out of state. Building debris containing PCBs at concentrations greater than 50 ppm will go to a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) landfill, which is a landfill specifically designed and permitted to store PCB contaminated material. Building debris categorized as non-hazardous waste will go to a RCRA Subtitle D landfill, which is a landfill designed for disposal of non-hazardous waste. Steel material will be checked for the presence of contamination, decontaminated utilizing pressure washing techniques, and sent off-site for recycling. Restoration: After each building is demolished and the debris has been removed, the area will be graded with dense aggregate material followed by the placement of bituminous pavement. This asphalt is being installed as a temporary measure until EPA implements the soil remedy pursuant to the 2004 Record of Decision. COMMUNITY CONTACT WITH EPA EPA's Remedial Project Manager will be on-site frequently, and the members of the community should feel free to contact him to ask questions or discuss any issues. EPA will also issue periodic updates to the community informing them of the progress at the CDE site. For further information on the CDE site, please contact: Peter Mannino Pat Seppi Remedial Project Community Involvement Manager Coordinator (212) 637-4395 (212) 637-3679 U.S. EPA 290 Broadway 19th Floor. New York, New York 10007-1866 ------- |