EPA This fact sheet provides: • A brief history of the site; • A summary of the Site Team Evaluation Prioritization (STEP) Report; • Information on probab le cleanup methods for the site; • A list of contacts and sources for additional information Availability Session Members of the community are invited to meet informally one-on-one with the U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA representatives to discuss activities at the Chemical Recovery Systems, Inc. Superfund site and to express any questions or concerns pertaining to future Superfund activities. Oral and written comments will be accepted at the meeting. Date: November 18, 1999 Time: 3:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. Place: West River Branch Library 1194 West River Road N Elyria, Ohio Introduction The Chemical Recovery Systems (CRS) site is located at 142 Locust Street in Lorain County, Elyria, Ohio (See Figure 1). Zoning is predominately industrial and commercial near the central business district of Elyria. The site occupies 4 acres and is bordered to the west by the East Branch of the Black River. Operating from 1974 until 1981, CRS received used organic solvents from various industries, distilled the solvents on site, and sold the reclaimed solvents back to the industries. Solvents were transported to and from the site in 5 5-gallon drums or by tanker truck. This informational letter summaries find-ings concerning site conditions and perti-nent pollution migration and exposure pathways. Office of Public Affairs .... . ,. United Illinois, Indiana , Region 5 . .. , . StatesEnvironmental „ , Michigan, 77 West Jackson Boulevara ... . _ . Protecton Agency Minnesota Ohio, a ' Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590 Wisconsin CHEMICAL RECOVERY SYSTEMS SUPERFUND SITE Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio November 1999 CRS SITE HISTORY The site is currently leased for storage of scrap aluminum and junked cars. Used solvents were transferred from tanker tracks into aboveground storage tanks (AST). Nine ASTs with a total capacity of 53,500 gallons are known to have been situated on the site (CEHD 1979c). CRS processed approximately 250,000 gallons of used chemicals per month (EPA, undated). The distillation units generated an average of 10,000 gallons of waste sludge per week. The majority of the waste was disposed of off site. (USDC 1980; E&E 1982). Dprwi Dr. />. -x-> ¦: Clcvclanj OHIO : r " = < ::-;x • -;-S' =:¦: y.-y. J ¦: v - ------- CONSENT DECREE U.S. EPA initiated legal action under the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act (RCRA) in October 1980, after on-site inspections revealed that the site posed imminent danger to human health and environment. US District Court, Northern division issued a Consent Decree July 1983, requiring CRS to cease operations and cleanup the site. CRS was ordered to do several remedial actions: • Excavate all visibly contaminated soil identified during a joint visual inspection conducted by representatives of EPA and CRS. • Excavate the perimeter of the Brighten Still building in the northwest corner of the site to a' . depth of 1 foot and a distance of 2 feet beyond the perimeter of the foundation. • Dispose of all removed soil at an EPA- approved, waste disposal site. • Backfill the excavated areas with clean clay containing fill. • Gently grade the site towards the East Branch of the Black River. In November 1983, USEPA after, an on-site inspection concluded that CRS was in compliance with the 1983 Consent Decree. The site was secured with perimeter fencing. SUMMARY Investigations conducted by both U.S. EPA in 1995, and Ohio EPA in 1997 documents, releases of hazardous substances to site soils, ground water, surface water, and sediments at the site. The results from the most recent 1997 Site Team Evaluation Report (STEP) by Ohio EPA for U.S. EPA were consistent with, and in several cases higher than historical results for those environmental media. Current U.S. EPA plans includes the collection and assessment of soil, surface water, sediment, and ground water. Based on the findings of these investigations, the U.S. EPA will evaluate several remedies to remediate the site. The availability sessions will give the community the opportunity to express concerns and interests pertaining to the site. The community is encouraged to comment and make recommendations for future land use for the site. The public is also encouraged to review the potential clean-up options found within the EPA document entitled "Common Cleanup Methods at Superfund Sites," see attachments. The STEP Report and other documents pertaining to Chemical Recovery Systems may be found in the information repository for public review. FUTURE ACTIVITIES Future planned activities at this site includes the following: Completion of potentially responsible party (P.P.) search; Development of Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) report; and site cleanup actions. EPA FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information or to have questions answered availability sessions, please contact: Robert Paulson Community Involvement Coordinator Office of Public Relations (P-19J) U.S. EPA Region 5 77 West Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590 Phone:(312)886-0272 Fax: (312)353-1155 Email: paulsonxobert@epa.gov Gwendolyn Massenburg (SR-6J) Remedial Project Manager U.S. EPA Region 5 77 West Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590 Phone:(312)886-0983 Fax: (312)886-4071 Email: massenburggwendolyn@epa.gov INFORMATION REPOSITORY U.S. EPA has established a file for public review called an information repository. The information repository contains documents related to the CRS site and the Superfund Program. The repository for Chemical Recovery Systems, Inc is located at: Elyria Public Library 320 Washington Avenue Elyria, Ohio 44035 REFERENCES /. CEND. 1979c. Memorandum regarding State Fire Marshal's Oders at the CRS site. 2. U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio (USDC). 1980. Civil Action for United States of America versus CRS. October 7. Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E). 1982. Hydrogeologjcal and Extent of Contamination Study for the CRS site. Study conducted during August and September 1981. April 26. ------- |