Explanation of Significant Differences # S ^ Goldisc Recordings, Inc. Superfund Site Hamlet of Holbrook Town of Islip Suffolk County, New York EPA Region 2 January 2024 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) is to make changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1995 cleanup remedy selected for the Goldisc Recordings, Inc. (Goldisc) Superfund site (Site), located in Holbrook, New York. Under Section 117(c) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 9617(c) (CERCLA or Superfund), and Section 300.435(c)(2)(i) of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan (NCP), EPA is required to issue an ESD when, after issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD),1 a significant, but not fundamental, change is made in either scope, performance, or cost of a selected remedy. This ESD provides both a brief history of the Site, including the 1995 ROD for Operable Unit One (OU1) and the 1998 ROD for Operable Unit Two (OU2) (the RODs), and the selected remedies associated with each ROD. The purpose of this ESD is to document the decision to remove institutional controls (ICs)2 as part of the OU1 remedy for the Site. EPA has determined that ICs, specifically deed restrictions to limit the use of the Site, are not required for the remedy to remain protective. SITE HISTORY, CONTAMINATION PROBLEMS AND SELECTED REMEDY The Site is a 34-acre property with two one-story buildings which occupy approximately six of the acres; these buildings housed the original manufacturing operations. There are roughly three acres of pavement/parking area surrounding the buildings. A separate Fedex Distribution Terminal building with an additional parking area is located on the southeastern portion of the Site property. An Amazon distribution facility, where the main operations 1 A ROD documents EPA's remedial cleanup decision. 2 ICs are non-engineered controls, such as property or groundwater use restrictions placed on real property by recorded instrument or by a governmental body by law or regulatory activity for the purpose of reducing now occupy the eastern of the two Site buildings, also has extensive paved parking areas for employees and visitors and a separate covered paved area for the loading of its distribution vans. The Site is located at the northeast corner of Veterans Memorial Highway and Broadway Avenue in the Hamlet of Holbrook, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York. Zoning for the Site is commercial and industrial. From 1968 to 1990, the original two buildings on the Site were occupied by Goldisc Recordings Inc., which produced phonographic records, the ElectroSound Group Inc. (ElectroSound) (f/k/a Viewlex Audio Visual Company), which manufactured audio visual and optical devices, and Genco Auto Electric, Inc. (Genco), which rebuilt automotive engine parts. These buildings are approximately 1200 feet upgradient of the Church Street Wellfield which is owned and operated by the Suffolk County Water Authority. Wastewater from various production processes, waste oils, metals, solutions containing high concentrations of xylene and trichloroethylene and other degreasing agents were disposed at the Site between 1968 and 1990. These substances were reportedly discharged into the environment through on-Site dry wells, leaching pools, storm drains and leaking containers located in and around the buildings. In the early 1980s, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services collected groundwater samples which revealed elevated levels of solvents and metals, including trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, lead, nickel, chromium and silver. The Site was added to the National Priorities List in June 1986. From 1985 until 1989, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was the lead agency for the investigation of the Site under CERCLA. or eliminating the potential for human exposure to contamination and/or protecting the integrity of a remedy. 704719 ------- 2 During that period, ElectroSound and the First Holbrook Company (First Holbrook), the former Site owner, were identified as potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The PRPs performed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). In July 1991, after EPA assumed the lead for the Site, ElectroSound and First Holbrook entered into an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA to perform additional RI/FS activities (Phase II). Based upon the findings of the RI/FS and the associated risk assessment, EPA issued the two RODs for the Site. The RI/FS identified several areas of environmental concern (AECs) to be remediated. EPA's September 1995 OU1 ROD selected the following remedy components: • Excavation via a vacuum truck and off-Site disposal of approximately 56 cubic yards of sediments and soils from the six dry wells in AEC #2 and drywell DW-2 in AEC #14; • Excavation and off-Site disposal of approximately 215 cubic yards of surface soils within AEC #8; • Abandonment of the on-Site production well, including excavation and off-Site disposal of sediments and soils around and inside the well vault; and • Taking steps to secure the placement of deed restrictions on the property to limit it to a nonresidential use. In September 1996, EPA signed a consent decree (CD) with the following PRPs: ElectroSound, First Holbrook, Genco, Red Ground Company and Red Ground Corporation. The CD required that ElectroSound implement the remedial action selected in the OU1 ROD. From April until August 1997, the soil remedy at the Site was performed in accordance with the ROD. In September 1998, EPA issued the OU2 ROD which selected monitored natural attenuation (MNA) which relies on natural physical processes to restore groundwater at the Site. At that time, EPA also reaffirmed the OU1 ROD'S selection of the placement of deed restrictions on the property to limit it to nonresidential use. Since 2007, while no construction activities were required for the OU2 ROD, EPA has regularly sampled the groundwater at the Site. In November 2022, EPA concluded its groundwater monitoring at the Site, as contaminant concentrations, namely nickel, in the groundwater have been consistently below the cleanup goals established in the OU2 ROD. As a result, EPA has concluded that the MNA groundwater remedy has been successful. While various tenants have occupied the Site buildings since 1990, including dry goods merchants and a kitchen and bath design facility, none of these tenants performed any manufacturing on-Site. As discussed above, most recently, a portion of the Site property was leased to the Amazon Corporation (Amazon). Amazon has completely reconfigured the property which now serves as a major distribution center. BASIS FOR THE DOCUMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES The OU1 ROD identified the need for ICs to limit the use of the property to non-residential use as it was anticipated that following the implementation of the OU1 remedy, residual concentrations of contaminants in soil would remain above levels that would allow for residential use. The cleanup goals selected in the OU1 ROD for soils were the commercial/industrial use values for chrysene (56 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg)), benzo(a)anthracene (5.6 mg/kg) and nickel (310 mg/kg). EPA reviewed the post- excavation soil data and concluded that not only were the commercial/industrial cleanup goals met, but also that the post-excavation soil data are below residential cleanup levels. Compound Commercial/ Industrial Cleanup Values (from ROD) (mg/kg) Residential Cleanup Values (NYSDEC SCO) (mg/kg) Concentration Remaining (post excavation samples) (mg/kg) Chrysene 56 1 <0 35 (all non- detect) Benzo(a) anthracene 5 6 1 <0 35 (all non- detect) Nickel 310 140 58 7 (maximum) Since the levels remaining at the Site now allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure to all media, this ESD is needed in order to modify the ROD-selected remedy to remove ICs as part of the remedy for the Site. SUPPORT AGENCY COMMENTS NYSDEC, after careful consideration of the modified remedy, supports this ESD, as the modified remedy significantly changes but does not fundamentally alter the remedies selected in the RODs. FIVE-YEAR REVIEWS It is the policy of EPA to conduct five-year reviews when remedial activities, including monitoring, will continue for more than five years or if hazardous substances are to remain at a site. The last five-year review for Goldisc was completed in May 2023. Because cleanup levels have been attained at the Site that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure, monitoring and five-year reviews are no longer required by the NCP or CERCLA. ------- 3 AFFIRMATION OF STATUTORY DETERMINATIONS EPA is issuing this ESD after consultation with the NYSDEC. NYSDEC concurs with the approach presented in this ESD. When implemented, the remedy, as modified by this ESD, will continue to be protective of human health and the environment and will comply with federal and state requirements that are legally applicable or relevant and appropriate to the remedial action. The modified remedy is technically feasible, cost-effective and satisfies the statutory requirements of CERCLA by providing for a remedial action that has a preference for treatment as a principal element and therefore, permanently and significantly reduces the toxicity, mobility and volume of hazardous substances. With the publication of this ESD, the public participation requirements set out in §300.435(c)(2)© of the NCR have been met. p i Digitally signed by i CXI Pat Evangelista Evange!ista ^g2^02 February 2, 2024 Pat Evangelista, Director Date Superfund and Emergency Management Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES Pursuant to NCR §300.825(a)(2), this ESD will become part of the Administrative Record file for the Site. The Administrative Record file and other relevant reports and documents are available for public review at the EPA Region 2 office at the following location: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 290 Broadway, 18th Floor New York, New York (212) 637-3263 Hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Links to the Administrative Record and other Site-related documents can be found on the EPA Site Profile Page at https://www.epa.aov/superfund/goldisc-recording. EPA is making this ESD available to the public to inform it of the change made to the selected remedy. Should there be any questions regarding this ESD, please contact: Josiah Johnson Remedial Project Manager Eastern New York Remediation Section U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 290 Broadway, 19th Floor New York, New York 10007-1866 Telephone: (212) 637-4278 e-mail: lohnson. iOsiah@^epa .gov Shereen Kandil U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Public Affairs Office 290 Broadway, 26th Floor New York, New York 10007 Telephone: (212) 637-4333 e-mail: kandil.shereen@epa.gov ------- |