Urgent Cleanup Starting At Former Metal Casting Facility Waunakee Alloy Site Waunakee, Wisconsin July 2015

v>EPA

(Jnked States
Environmental Protectior
Agency

For more information

For questions, comments or more
information about the cleanup,
contact these EPA team members:

For technical questions:

Andrew Maguire
On-scene Coordinator
Superfund Division
77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604
312-353-8782
maguire .andrew@epa.gov

For general questions:

Teresa Jones
Community Involvement
Coordinator
Superfund Division
77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604
312-886-0725
jones.teresa@epa.gov

You may call EPA toll-free at
800-621-8431, weekdays,
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Website:

http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup
/waunakee-alloy/

Urgent Cleanup Starting At
Former Metal Casting Facility

Waunakee Alloy Site

Waunakee, Wisconsin July 2015

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Investigators found hazardous substances at this abandoned metal castings facility.

Beginning in mid-July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will
begin an urgent cleanup to remove mercury, PCBs and other flammable
and corrosive materials from the abandoned Waunakee Alloy Casting
Corp. at 201 N. Madison St. EPA estimates the cleanup at the former metal
casting plant could cost almost $1 million.

This project is what EPA calls a "time-critical removal action,"' the
technical term for a cleanup of contamination that poses an imminent threat
to the health and safety of nearby residents and the environment. EPA is
conducting the removal under the emergency authority provided in federal
law.1 The cleanup is expected to last up to a month.

What are the threats?

hi 2007, a land developer hired a contractor to take soil samples from the
facility and residential properties. The samples showed PCB concentrations
that exceed EPAs standards.

In 2014, another site inspection conducted for the village of Waunakee
found oil leaking from electrical capacitors containing high concentrations
of PCBs mixed with mercury. The capacitors were placed in steel drums
and visible liquid mercury was placed in plastic drums for containment.

1EPA conducts time-critical cleanups in accordance with Section 104(a) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. §9604(a));
and 40 C.F.R. $300.415 of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency'
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•	There was a threat of fire or explosion.

•	People could come into contact with hazardous
substances by touching or inhaling them, or by
accidentally consuming them.

EPA determined the site poses an immediate hazard
because of the numerous abandoned hazardous
chemicals close to a residential area with easy public
access.

Floor staining in foundry from compressor fluid.

The release areas were covered with plastic sheeting
secured with sandbags. However, the capacitors and
hazardous waste have not been removed from the site
because it is difficult to remove mixed hazardous
waste.

The site was referred to the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources in January. WDNR requested
assistance from the EPA in March.

What is known about the site?

Waunakee Alloy Casting Corp. operated as a metal
casting facility, or foundry, in the village of Waunakee
from 1953 until 2009. The Waunakee Alloy site is a
vacant 4.5-acre lot along North Madison Street just
outside of downtown Waunakee. The lot is bordered to
the north, east and west by residential neighborhoods
and to the south by a children's playground.

EPA site inspection

EPA assessed the site in March and found that:

•	Buildings containing hazardous substances
were in various stages of decay with several
broken windows allowing access to trespassers
and wildlife.

•	Residential properties near the site lacked
security, and some had unsecured hazardous
substances.

•	Deteriorating drums and containers had been
stored near flammable materials and
abandoned for years.

Cleanup plan

Actual cleanup work and investigation will take several
weeks or longer, and will include:

•	Developing and implementing a site health,
safety and security plan for the benefit of
workers and nearby residents.

•	Establishing site security.

•	Determining the nature and extent of
contamination.

•	Developing and implementing a plan to
segregate and remove containers, waste and
contaminated soil.

•	Arranging for off-site disposal of hazardous
substances.

EPA will continue to assess the site and may propose
future cleanups after the latest work is complete.

Products found in one of the buildings at the abandoned
facility.

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