^ ^ Chemours (formerly DuPont) 5 yy I Pompton Lakes Works Site \ Cleanup Newsletter PrO^*- June 2021 Page 1 of 4 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are pleased to present their second jointly issued newsletter to update the community on the status of ongoing work at the Chemours (formerly DuPont) Pompton Lakes Works site. The work at the site is being overseen by both EPA and DEP pursuant to the requirements of a permit issued by EPA and an Administrative Consent Order issued by DEP. The first joint EPA/DEP newsletter was issued in April 2019 and provided an overview of the history of the Pompton Lakes Works site since remedial work began in the late 1980s. The April 2019 edition of the newsletter is available on DEP's website at https://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/ community/sites/dupont pompton lakes/ and EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/ni/chemours-pompton- lakes-works-site-additional-documents. We encourage you to refer to it for a brief history of the former DuPont facility and the remediation, as well as site maps, information about vapor intrusion and other important topics. Since the last joint newsletter was issued, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the daily lives of New Jersey's residents. We hope your family has remained healthy throughout the COVID-19 viral outbreak. We are happy to report that work to remediate the site has largely been unaffected by the pandemic. Operation and maintenance of the groundwater extraction and treatment system, which is designed to prevent contaminated groundwater from migrating off the former Pompton Lakes Works facility, has continued unabated. Groundwater monitoring was We Want to Hear from You EPA representatives are available to answer your questions regarding the environmental remediation at the site. Please contact Pat Seppi, EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, at 646-369-0068 / Seppi.Pat@epa.gov Perry Katz, EPA's Project Manager at 212-637-4426/H a-gov performed, and an associated report was submitted and approved. Meanwhile, EPA and DEP case team members are reviewing site documents as they work remotely. EPA and DEP did need to change some site practices to protect public health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, annual inspections of residential vapor mitigation systems were suspended between March and July of 2020, as these inspections require access to homes. Following modified protocols, these inspections have begun again using new protective protocols and we will schedule visits for all homes that are due to be inspected. EPA had suspended its Open Hours, which were held on Thursdays at the Pompton Lakes Municipal Building to allow residents the opportunity to speak directly to EPA and DEP representatives. We are pleased to announce that regular weekly office hours have Additional Resources: EPA Pompton Lakes website: www.epa.gov/nj/chemours-pompton-lakes-works-site-pompton-lakes-nj NJ Department of Environmental Protection: www.nj.gov/dep/srp/community/sites/dupont_pompton_lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 0 290 Broadway 0 New York, NY 10007 0 877-251-4575 0 www.epa.gov/region2 NJ Department of Environmental Protection 0 401 East State Street 0 Trenton, NJ 08625-0609 0 609-292-1250 0 www.nj.gov/dep/srp ------- ^ ^ Chemours (formerly DuPont) 5 yy I Pompton Lakes Works Site \ Cleanup Newsletter PrO^*- June 2021 resumed as of Thursday, June 3. Pompton Lakes residents are always free to contact DEP and EPA representatives by phone or email with their questions and comments. This issue of the newsletter will primarily focus on the major site developments that have occurred since April 2019. Topics include an update on the evaluation of potential corrective measures for the contaminated on-site soil at the former Pompton Lakes Works facility, information about vapor mitigation efforts for certain homes overlying the off-site plume, and updates on the Long-Term Monitoring Plan for the recently dredged Pompton Lake and the posting of fishing advisory signs near the lake. On-site Soil Corrective Measures Study (CMS) Chemours has submitted a draft CMS that evaluates remediation options for on-site soil located at the former Pompton Lakes Works Facility that are impacted with metals such as mercury and lead and a class of organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). EPA and DEP conducted a review of Chemours' draft CMS and required that it be revised to address issues related to the soil remediation standards and contain more detail on the remediation options so that the most appropriate remediation alternative for on-site soil can be determined. Chemours submitted a draft revised CMS that is being reviewed by EPA and DEP. After EPA and DEP complete their evaluation of the CMS, EPA will propose a corrective measure(s) for on- site soil in the form of revisions to the existing Chemours permit. Page 2 of 4 EPA will make information on the permit modification available for review during a public comment period, which will include a formal public hearing. The public will be able to comment either verbally during the public hearing or in writing or both. EPA's and DEP's responses to public comments will be included in a document known as a Responsiveness Summary that will be part of the final permit modification. This information will be posted on EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/ni/chemours-pompton- lakes-works-site-additional-documents. Vapor Mitigation Systems (VMS) Update Approximately 340 vapor mitigation systems (VMS) have been installed in the residential area that EPA and DEP have defined as the "vapor intrusion investigation area" (also known locally as the "off- site plume area"). Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, annual inspections of vapor mitigation systems performed by both Chemours and third-party contractors were suspended due to health and safety concerns for both residents and workers inspecting the systems. However, situations where a vapor mitigation system was not operational or otherwise needed repair were addressed following CDC guidelines for the protection of residents and workers performing the inspection/repairs. It is important to note that property owners in the off-site plume area who formerly used either Leggette, Brashears & Graham, Inc. (LBG) or Clean Vapor Inc. as their VMS maintenance contractor under the Third Party Contractor Program and have yet to select a replacement contractor are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the systems on their own and at their own expense, until they select a new third party contractor. In Additional Resources: EPA Pompton Lakes website: www.epa.gov/nj/chemours-pompton-lakes-works-site-pompton-lakes-nj NJ Department of Environmental Protection: www.nj.gov/dep/srp/community/sites/dupont_pompton_lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 0 290 Broadway 0 New York, NY 10007 0 877-251-4575 0 www.epa.gov/region2 NJ Department of Environmental Protection 0 401 East State Street 0 Trenton, NJ 08625-0609 0 609-292-1250 0 www.nj.gov/dep/srp ------- ^ ^ Chemours (formerly DuPont) | I Pompton Lakes Works Site Cleanup Newsletter PRO*^ June 2021 addition, property owners who have not selected a replacement contractor are ineligible to receive reimbursement for electrical costs to operate their VMS until they have selected a replacement contractor and the system has been inspected. Those who haven't yet selected a new contractor have the following three options: 1) Sign up with either Viridian or Advanced GeoServices, two third party VMS contractors that have been approved by EPA; or 2) Sign up with HDR (Chemours' environmental contractor); or 3) Select another certified contractor that is capable of monitoring and maintaining radon- type mitigation systems, subject to EPA approval. An additional firm, OBAR Systems, is also available to design/install new systems as well as maintain/repair existing systems but is not available to perform the annual inspection/ reporting required by EPA and DEP for existing systems. For more information, please refer to the letters previously sent to you from EPA, or contact Perry Katz, EPA's Project Manager at 212-637-4426 or via email at katz. ira-perry(5)epa .gov. Under DuPont's Vapor Intrusion Work Plan, property owners within the off-site plume area are eligible to receive a VMS regardless of whether sampling has indicated a system is needed. Residences located within the green lines of the Vapor Intrusion map on DEP's website at https://www.ni.gov/dep/srp/community/sites/dup ont pompton lakes/documents maps.htm Page 3 of 4 are eligible to receive a VMS free of charge. If you own a property within the off-site plume area and you are interested in having a system installed, or you would like to explore having your existing system decommissioned, please contact either Pat Seppi of EPA or Heather Swartz of DEP. Long-Term Monitoring Plan for Pompton Lake EPA's permit with Chemours for the site includes a requirement that Chemours develop a Long-Term Monitoring Plan (LTMP) for the portion of Pompton Lake that was dredged between 2016 and 2018 to \/OP Pnnt->minntnH f^rnnnH \AHtnr A vapor mitigation system (VMS) consists of piping installed through the slab floor and a fan connected to the piping. When the system is on, the fan applies a vacuum beneath the slab and the vapors in the soil beneath the building are directed outside. The above figure shows a VMS installed at a typical residence with a full basement arid is not necessarily representative of the system at your property. Additional Resources: EPA Pompton Lakes website: www.epa.gov/nj/chemours-pompton-lakes-works-site-pompton-lakes-nj NJ Department of Environmental Protection: www.nj.gov/dep/srp/community/sites/dupont_pompton_lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 0 290 Broadway 0 New York, NY 10007 0 877-251-4575 0 www.epa.gov/region2 NJ Department of Environmental Protection 0 401 East State Street 0 Trenton, NJ 08625-0609 0 609-292-1250 0 www.nj.gov/dep/srp ------- ^ ^ Chemours (formerly DuPont) > I Pompton Lakes Works Site \ Cleanup Newsletter C>$S^' PRO"^ June 2021 remove mercury-contaminated sediments. When finalized, the LTMP will establish clear criteria for the sampling of surface water, sediment, sediment pore water, fish, and insect tissue to assess the levels of mercury in these sampling media over an initial five-year period. The information gathered will be compared to previously collected data from Pompton Lake to assess the overall condition of the Pompton Lake ecosystem as a result of the dredging. In addition, the findings of the initial five-year sampling and monitoring period will be used to determine the scope of any further remedial action (if required) and/or any changes to the monitoring. EPA and DEP have reviewed Chemours' draft LTMP and are having dialogue about technical comments that must be addressed. After it is approved, Chemours will be responsible for implementing the LTMP. There are reporting requirements in the LTMP that will allow EPA and DEP to track Chemours' progress. The draft LTMP and EPA's and DEP's comments are posted on EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/ni/chemours-pompton- lakes-works-site-additional-documents. Fish Advisory Sign Update In response to requests from Pompton Lakes residents, EPA and DEP have worked with local officials to install additional fish advisory signs, in both English and Spanish, at various locations at the lakefront along Lakeside Avenue, including at Lakeside Park and the boat launch. Signs were also installed in October 2019 in the newly restored Rotary Park by the Pompton Lakes Board of Education, which owns the park, and near Acid Brook. In addition, EPA worked with the Passaic County Engineer's Office to have fish advisory signs Page 4 of 4 installed on the Lakeside Avenue bridge. The Engineer's Office, which manages and maintains the bridge, selected the four locations where the signs were installed in September 2020. ¦ WaRTJING! HIGH-RISK- INmwm Nothing in this correspondence affects Chemours Company FC, LLC's potential liability and obligations to the New Jersey State Trustee, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection or its Commissioner regarding natural resource injuries, restoration, or damages. Fish advisory signs in English and Spanish were recently installed at several locations near Pompton Lake and Acid Brook, as well as on the Lakeside Avenue Bridge. Additional Resources: EPA Pompton Lakes website: www.epa.gov/nj/chemours-pompton-lakes-works-site-pompton-lakes-nj NJ Department of Environmental Protection: www.nj.gov/dep/srp/communi ty/sites/dupont_pompton_lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 0 290 Broadway 0 New York, NY 10007 0 877-251-4575 0 www.epa.gov/region2 NJ Department of Environmental Protection 0 401 East State Street 0 Trenton, NJ 08625-0609 0 609-292-1250 0 www.nj.gov/dep/srp ------- |