vyEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Remedial Action Activities Update Tar Creek Superfund Site, Operable Unit 4 Ottawa County, Oklahoma January 2012 This Fact Sheet Will Tell You About: • Remediation Activities Update • Community Participation • Sampling Efforts • Site Safety • Superfund Job Training Initiative/Local Labor Utili- zation • Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency • Green Remediation • How to Find Out More About the Site Remediation Activities Update The implementation of the remedial action for Operable Unit 4 is ongoing. The removal of mine and mill waste in distal areas, where access has been granted, started in January 2010. To date, more than 1.25 million tons of material impacted by mining and milling has been re- moved and the cleanup on approximately 260 acres has been achieved. Removing and reducing the footprint of this waste is enabling property owners to increase the use of their land. Also, working in the distal areas allows chat sales within the core area to continue and contribute to the reduction of the footprint of chat. Chat in distal areas is being sampled to determine if it is marketable. The sampling results are provided to the chat owners and the information (without names of the chat owners) is posted on a website for prospective buy- ers or processors to determine if they are interested in purchasing the chat. Are you a buyer or processor inter- ested in purchasing this chat? Please visit: http://proiects.ch2m.com/TCOU4chat/ Community Involvement The EPA, in coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Envi- ronmental Quality (ODEQ) and the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, has kept the community, govern- mental entities, citizens" advisory groups and interested parties in- formed about the Superfund response actions. However, EPA desires to improve this effort by gaining feedback and suggestions that can enhance the implementation of the remedial action. We want to hear from you! Informa- tion on how you can get involved is available in the "For More Information" section. Your participation can make a difference. Sampling Efforts For EPA to clean up the source materials, access agree- ments must be secured from the owners of properties that have source materials. There are two types of access agreements for unrestricted property, Consent for Entry and Access to Property and a Settlement Agreement and Release. Additional information about the access agreement process can be found on EPA's webpage at http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/oklahoma/tar creek/i ndex.htm. Site Safety Public safety is an important factor especially during the implementation of the remedial action at the site. This includes construction zones, highways, streets and rural roads. Although safety signs, wildlife crossing signs, and stop signs are posted and visible, we ask that you take additional safety measures when traveling around the Tar Creek Superfund site. While safety improvements have been implemented, please be extra cautious when traveling in the vicinity of work zones and truck routes. During the cleanup of the site, you will see many trucks traveling to and from the site's repository located on E 40 Road. No Trespassing on Buyout Properties! EPA has received reports of people moving onto or, in some cases vandalizing, properties in Cardin, Picher and Hockerville that were acquired in the voluntary buyout by the Lead Impacted Communities Relocation Assistance Trust. These properties are not for residential or public use. Please do not trespass on these properties. l ------- Douthat bridge was replaced, and roadway repairs on portions of East 40 Road were conducted to reduce the haul route distances to the source removal areas for haul trucks returning from the Central Mill Repository. The shorter haul distances improved truck traffic-related pub- lic safety. The revised route associated with the Douthat Bridge replacement also facilitated one-way traffic for the haul tracks return route on East 40 Road instead of two-way traffic (to the Central Mill Repository and re- turn) 011 narrow roads, and thus improved the safety of the truck traffic. In addition, these activities assisted Ot- tawa County in improving public infrastructure invest- ment and retaining local jobs. One of the trucks that can be seen hauling chat on Ottawa County Roads. The Tar Creek Superfund site area is heavily populated with wildlife that may be seen day or night. Be alert for wildlife while you are driving and be safe! Superfund Job Training Initiative/Local Labor Utilization Job creation is another component of this project's im- pact on the local economy. EPA worked with project contractors to plan and implement the Superfund Job Training Initiative (Super JTI) in Northeast Oklahoma. Super JTI provides job-readiness training and employ- ment opportunities for underserved citizens living in communities affected by Superfund sites. The Tar Creek program generated 250 interested candidates of which 26 were selected for training. A number of graduates were hired by project contractors and others are awaiting the award of new contracts with hopes of being hired. EPA is building long-term relationships with a commu- nity partner, the Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency, by raising community awareness of site conditions and cleanup efforts. EPA is working with the organization to make the most of available resources and expertise to help citizens living in communities af- fected by the site to increase their understanding of cleanup efforts in their community. Citizens are being provided with marketable skills, enhancing their em- ployment potential and helping them play an active role in the protection and restoration of their community. The next section of this fact sheet provides additional infor- mation about the LEAD agency. The OU4 remedial action has provided economic bene- fits to the local community beyond the sales and market- ing of chat. Through November 2011, local staff utilization on the project was over 70% of the construc- tion labor, and over 98% of the construction subcontract awards have been made to small disadvantaged busi- nesses that are local to area. These workers have been helping the local economy by spending funds with local vendors. LEAD Agency The LEAD Agency, a non-profit corporation organized under IRS Sec. 501(c)(3), organized in 1997 with the following goals: • Educate the community on environmental concerns in Northeast Oklahoma • Take action to counter environmental hazards that put Northeast Oklahoma's residents at risk both physically and financially • Conduct environmental workshops and seminars concerning environmental issues in Northeast Okla- homa and other areas • Enhance the Agency's efforts by partnering with other environmental organizations throughout Okla- homa and the nation In addition to being a partner with EPA in the Superfund JTI efforts, the Agency also keeps the community in- formed on local issues involving the environment. To learn more contact: Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency Rebecca Jim 223 A St. SE. Miami, OK 74354 918.542.9399 http://www.leadagencv.org http://www.tarcreek.org ------- Green Remediation EPA's Superfund Green Remediation Strategy is the practice of considering all environmental effects of re- medy implementation and incorporating options to mi- nimize the environmental footprint of cleanup actions. Green remediation is intended to reduce the demand placed on the environment during cleanup actions and to conserve natural resources. EPA defines the following five core elements of green remediation: • Improve energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources • Reduce green house gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions • Water conservation • Minimize site disturbances; protect land resources and the ecosystem • Reduce material consumption and waste generation Green remediation solutions were applied to the remedi- al action (RA) activities performed at the Tar Creek Su- perfund Site, Source Material Operable Unit (OU) 4 (Site). Green remediation was incorporated into remedial design to minimize the impact of the environmental bur- den of the RA to the environment, while maximizing the environmental benefit of cleanup work over the entire life of the project. The green remediation solutions in- cluded the following: • Reduced the volume of material imported to the Site by approximately 22,838 tons of limestone and 17,227 tons of clay soil, resulting in material cost savings. • Minimized the volume of source material disposition at the Central Mill Repository by approximately 246,294 tons resulting in lower material cost savings associated with removal and transport of chat and transition zone (TZ) soil. • Reduced GHG emissions by approximately 446 me- tric tons. • Reduced air pollutant emissions; nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 0.16 metric tons, sulfur oxides (SOx) by 0.007 metric tons, and particulate matter by 0.014 metric tons. • Decreased non-renewable energy use by approx- imately 5,463 million British thermal units (MBTU). • Recycled 317 tons of wood chips and 7,500 cubic yards of downed trees for raw material to be used for Nature's Fuel manufacturing process. A material cost-savings of approximately $415,000 was recognized as a result of not importing the limestone and the clean borrow soil. In addition, future implementation of the green remediation solutions (depth averaging and deep tilling approaches) will save millions of dollars over the life of the Tar Creek OU4 RA work. The green remediation solutions have reduced the RA impact to the environment, while continuing to provide the maximum environmental benefit to the cleanup. We will continue to evaluate and incorporate green remedia- tion solutions throughout the life of the project. For More Information If you would like more information about the Tar Creek Site, contact: Ursula Lennox, Remedial Project Manager OU4 U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.6743 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll-free) lennox.ursula@epa.gov Gary Baumgarten, Remedial Project Manager OU5 U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.6749 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll free) baumgarten.gary@epa.gov Robert Sullivan, Remedial Project Manager OU1 and OU2 U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.2223 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll free) sullivan. robert@epa.gov Janetta Coats, Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.7308 orl.800.533.3508 (toll-free) coats .j anetta@epa.gov Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Dennis Datin, P.E. 405.702.5125 David Cates, P.E. 405.702.5124 Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Tim Kent, Director 918.542.1853 Information Repositories The Administrative Record, including the Record of De- cision, for the Tar Creek Superfund Site is available at the following locations: Miami Public Library 200 North Main St. Miami, OK 74354 918.542.3064 ------- Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality 707 North Robinson Oklahoma, City, OK 73102 405.702.1000 The Record of Decision for the Tar Creek Superfund Site, OU4 is also available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/6sf-decisiondocs.htm All inquiries from the news media should be directed to the Region 6 Press Office at 214.665.2200. Information about the Tar Creek Site also can be found the U.S. EPA Region 6 Superfund website at: http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/oklahoma/tar creek/i ndex.htm vvEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-VO) Dallas, TX 75202 4 ------- |