By: Duane Craig
It is no doubt a dubious honor to have a Superfund site named after you. This usually happens to corporations, but not so in the case of Dewey Loeffel, who was once associated with the Loeffel Waste Oil Removal and Service Company.
According to a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Record of Decision, the current contamination at the Dewey Loeffel Landfill site is largely the work of General Electric, Bendix Corporation and Schenectady Chemicals (SI Group Inc.). Still, the site bears Dewey’s name.
GE and SI Group recently agreed to collect and properly dispose of contaminated groundwater and liquid leaching from the landfill to try to prevent some nearby drinking water wells from being contaminated with waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls, scrap materials, sludge and solids. This site was added to the Superfund list in May 2011, after numerous state investigations and cleanups, according to a press release from the Environmental Protection Agency. In late 2011, the EPA started operating the groundwater and leachate collection systems the state had installed.
Loeffel Waste Oil Removal and Service Company disposed of waste at the site from 1952 to 1968. The process was pretty simple. The company collected hazardous materials in 55-gallon drums and brought them to the landfill, where they were either dumped into an oil pit or one of two lagoons. One lagoon covered about an acre, and another one covered five acres. Drums that came in full, but couldn’t be reused, were either dropped into the lagoon or buried in the soil. The company separated recyclable oily wastes in the pit and then pumped the non-recyclables into the lagoon. Sometimes, waste materials were simply burned.
Needless to say, this caused quite a mess, according to the EPA’s narrative about the site. PCBs migrated into aquifers and downstream waterways and are now concentrated in groundwater, surface water, sediments and species of fish. Two fisheries had to be closed, and there were documented cases of fish and cattle kills.
The NYSDEC figured there were 37,530 tons of waste brought in from GE. Other sources contributed another 8,790 tons. A judgement against Loeffel Waste Oil Removal and Service Company in 1968 required it to stop operating the way it was and to take some remedial action, which it did. After that, the company operated as a waste transfer operation until 1980. During this time, a number of industrial companies brought their own waste to the site, where it was stored in above-ground storage tanks.
Eventually, GE signed an agreement with New York state, called the Seven Sites Agreement, that included the Dewey Loeffel Landfill site as one where it would investigate and undertake remedial actions. And somewhere along the way, perhaps unknown to Dewey at the time, his name was donated.
Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Pickens County Wants More Than EPA Testing for PCBs
By: Duane Craig
The Pickens County Council in South Carolina is questioning whether the Environmental Protection Agency can effectively manage an old PCB contamination of Twelve Mile Creek, according to a report in IndependentMail.com.
The doubts stem from EPA plans to do some follow-up testing along a couple of miles of the creek. The county, however, hired its own consultant hydrologist, and he says the entire 24 miles needs to be tested. Apparently, landowners want some assurance that the land they own along the creek is not contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB. Without tests showing there is no contamination, they expect their property values will drop.
From 1955 to 1977, a capacitor manufacturer dumped 400,000 pounds of PCB in the area, leading to Superfund designation in 1990. Get the whole story at the link above.
The Pickens County Council in South Carolina is questioning whether the Environmental Protection Agency can effectively manage an old PCB contamination of Twelve Mile Creek, according to a report in IndependentMail.com.
The doubts stem from EPA plans to do some follow-up testing along a couple of miles of the creek. The county, however, hired its own consultant hydrologist, and he says the entire 24 miles needs to be tested. Apparently, landowners want some assurance that the land they own along the creek is not contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCB. Without tests showing there is no contamination, they expect their property values will drop.
From 1955 to 1977, a capacitor manufacturer dumped 400,000 pounds of PCB in the area, leading to Superfund designation in 1990. Get the whole story at the link above.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Jet Fuel and Perchlorate Spoil Groundwater in Two Western Localities
By: Duane Craig
More news about the contamination being left behind by the country’s military-industrial complex comes from two locations: Albuquerque, N.M., and Barstow, Calif., according to reports here and here.
New Mexico’s environmental officials characterized Kirtland AFB’s efforts at determining the extent of groundwater contamination below Albuquerque’s southeast quadrant as inadequate, and the state’s environment department is calling for more monitoring wells to see just how much risk is posed to the city’s drinking water. Underground aircraft fuel lines had leaked for decades when the leaks were discovered in 1999, and an estimated 8 million gallons contributed to a plume of contamination that may now threaten city wells. The Air Force didn’t mention the problem until 2007, according to the report cited above in the Air Force Times.
A former pyrotechnic company in Barstow illegally dumped perchlorate that contributed to a 1.25-mile plume of contamination in the area’s groundwater, forcing the closure of one of the local water supplier’s wells. Recent drilling and testing shows perchlorate in concentrations up to 13,000 parts per billion. California says that 6 parts per billion is the maximum amount of the chemical allowed in drinking water. Cleanup activities are expected to begin soon.
More news about the contamination being left behind by the country’s military-industrial complex comes from two locations: Albuquerque, N.M., and Barstow, Calif., according to reports here and here.
New Mexico’s environmental officials characterized Kirtland AFB’s efforts at determining the extent of groundwater contamination below Albuquerque’s southeast quadrant as inadequate, and the state’s environment department is calling for more monitoring wells to see just how much risk is posed to the city’s drinking water. Underground aircraft fuel lines had leaked for decades when the leaks were discovered in 1999, and an estimated 8 million gallons contributed to a plume of contamination that may now threaten city wells. The Air Force didn’t mention the problem until 2007, according to the report cited above in the Air Force Times.
A former pyrotechnic company in Barstow illegally dumped perchlorate that contributed to a 1.25-mile plume of contamination in the area’s groundwater, forcing the closure of one of the local water supplier’s wells. Recent drilling and testing shows perchlorate in concentrations up to 13,000 parts per billion. California says that 6 parts per billion is the maximum amount of the chemical allowed in drinking water. Cleanup activities are expected to begin soon.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Poor Record Keeping and Reporting Costs Company $80k
By: Duane Craig
With the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that Cosmoflex, Inc. in Hannibal, Mo., would pay an $80,000 civil penalty because it violated environmental regulations, comes the reminder that tracking the use of hazardous materials is a challenging task.
According to the EPA, the company was lax in reporting “quantities of toxic chemicals that were manufactured, processed or otherwise used at the facility during 2007, 2008 and 2009.” Some of the specific issues discovered during an inspection included that the company:
Even though many of the violations are about record keeping, the implications can be serious because emergency planners and responders use the information for planning purposes. Residents in the nearby area are also considered to have a right to know what hazardous materials are routinely released or accidentally spilled near them. Of course, sloppy record keeping, or even ignoring reporting requirements, causes some to question just how reliable any of the records might be. A report about the Toxics Release Inventory maintained at the EPA raised questions about the accuracy of the information companies are reporting.
With the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that Cosmoflex, Inc. in Hannibal, Mo., would pay an $80,000 civil penalty because it violated environmental regulations, comes the reminder that tracking the use of hazardous materials is a challenging task.
According to the EPA, the company was lax in reporting “quantities of toxic chemicals that were manufactured, processed or otherwise used at the facility during 2007, 2008 and 2009.” Some of the specific issues discovered during an inspection included that the company:
- Failed to conduct Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting for antimony, barium and zinc compounds for calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
- Was late in filing inventory reports for dioctylphthalate and lead compounds for calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
- Failed to maintain documentation for lead compounds during calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
- Had a data quality error in its reporting of lead compounds for calendar year 2007.
Even though many of the violations are about record keeping, the implications can be serious because emergency planners and responders use the information for planning purposes. Residents in the nearby area are also considered to have a right to know what hazardous materials are routinely released or accidentally spilled near them. Of course, sloppy record keeping, or even ignoring reporting requirements, causes some to question just how reliable any of the records might be. A report about the Toxics Release Inventory maintained at the EPA raised questions about the accuracy of the information companies are reporting.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Contamination Poster Child Heading for Remedial Actions
By: Duane Craig
Remedial actions at the Sonford Products Superfund Site at 3951 Underwood Dr. in Flowood, Miss., are set to begin soon, according to a press release from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The process to make the products was an arduous one in which blocks of PCP would be broken and crushed and then mixed with caustic soda before finally being dried in a gas-fired dryer. During other processes, the PCP blocks were mixed with solvents and hexalene glycol in a blending tank where heat was applied.
There were allegations in early 1980 that an employee at the facility had died from exposure to high levels of PCP. Then, in 1983, one of the reactors holding glycol ether, sodium hydroxide, and tetrachlorophenol caught on fire and sent a vapor cloud over a nearby residential area. On three occasions, from 1983 through 1985, the Mississippi Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Pollution Control, told Sonford to clean up air and wastewater violations. Finally, there was a spill of 2,000 gallons of PCP in 1985 that ended up requiring the removal of 2,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil, disposal of 10,000 gallons of oil and treating solution, and treatment and disposal of wastewater.
The new remedial actions will tackle more soil cleanup to mitigate inorganic, volatile organic and extractable organic, pesticide, dioxin, and dibenzofuran compounds. It will also address cleanup of wetlands near the property, where there are elevated levels of lindane, lead, arsenic, PCP, toxaphene, dioxin and dibenzofurans.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wichita TCE and PCE Contamination Set for Cleanup
By: Duane Craig
Twenty-four years after being discovered, contamination in Wichita, Kan., is nearing a cleanup stage, according to an article in The Wichita Eagle. The property is at 250 N. St. Francis where there used to be a Coleman manufacturing plant.
The contaminants include tetrachloroethene, or PCE, and trichloroethene, or TCE, both well known names in the annals of environmental contamination. The groundwater and soil are both contaminated with the substances. Whoever does the cleanup will remove groundwater and use an air stripping process to deal with the TCE and PCE. Some areas will be capped to prevent water from moving through contaminated soils. Over the long term, there will be groundwater monitoring through monitoring wells while the land will be zoned to minimize human activities that would lead to unacceptable exposure.
The contaminants include tetrachloroethene, or PCE, and trichloroethene, or TCE, both well known names in the annals of environmental contamination. The groundwater and soil are both contaminated with the substances. Whoever does the cleanup will remove groundwater and use an air stripping process to deal with the TCE and PCE. Some areas will be capped to prevent water from moving through contaminated soils. Over the long term, there will be groundwater monitoring through monitoring wells while the land will be zoned to minimize human activities that would lead to unacceptable exposure.
Friday, April 13, 2012
By: Duane Criag
The recent announcement that the Revere Smelting and Refining Corp. cleanup in Middletown, N.Y., was estimated to cost almost $19 million and require removing up to 24 feet of contaminated soil in some places illustrates the severity of handling contamination from the past.
But what’s interesting about this site is that it is permitted to handle and dispose of hazardous wastes. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, “fill material containing lead slag, battery parts and other waste was buried at this site,” according to the RCRA Corrective Action report on file at the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation.
Originally, there were an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil to deal with. The company took care of about 30,000 cubic yards of that contamination but then stopped in 1999 when additional cleanup areas were discovered. Now, with a new plan sanctioned by the state, the company will perform the additional work under the state’s oversight. Contaminants include lead (up to 200,000 parts per million) and trace elements of cadmium, antimony, and arsenic. Of course, the groundwater has been contaminated, as well. Once the cleanup is complete, various parcels of the land will be restricted to industrial or commercial use, depending on their locations.
As of 2008, New York State had about 170 places licensed to treat waste generated on site and handle waste brought in from other places, according to the appendices to the New York State Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Plan. Not surprisingly, the list includes well-known corporations and universities, and it shows them well-distributed across the state’s landscape. Revere is still in operation and, under its commercial facility permit in 2008, handled a little more than 100,000 tons of hazardous waste. It also performed on-site treatment of nearly 113,000 tons of these materials. But it is not the largest handler. For example, CWM Chemicals in Model City handled about 200,300 tons in 2008, LBG Engineering in Sag Harbor handled more than 600,000 tons and IBM in Hopewell Junction handled almost 900,000 tons.
Others with high tonnage include Occidental Chemical in Niagara Falls, with almost 785,000 tons, and FMC Corp in Middleport, with about 125,000 tons. Rochester’s Eastman Kodak, however, led the pack in 2008 with 26,968,221 tons.
The recent announcement that the Revere Smelting and Refining Corp. cleanup in Middletown, N.Y., was estimated to cost almost $19 million and require removing up to 24 feet of contaminated soil in some places illustrates the severity of handling contamination from the past.
But what’s interesting about this site is that it is permitted to handle and dispose of hazardous wastes. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, “fill material containing lead slag, battery parts and other waste was buried at this site,” according to the RCRA Corrective Action report on file at the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation.
Originally, there were an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil to deal with. The company took care of about 30,000 cubic yards of that contamination but then stopped in 1999 when additional cleanup areas were discovered. Now, with a new plan sanctioned by the state, the company will perform the additional work under the state’s oversight. Contaminants include lead (up to 200,000 parts per million) and trace elements of cadmium, antimony, and arsenic. Of course, the groundwater has been contaminated, as well. Once the cleanup is complete, various parcels of the land will be restricted to industrial or commercial use, depending on their locations.
As of 2008, New York State had about 170 places licensed to treat waste generated on site and handle waste brought in from other places, according to the appendices to the New York State Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Plan. Not surprisingly, the list includes well-known corporations and universities, and it shows them well-distributed across the state’s landscape. Revere is still in operation and, under its commercial facility permit in 2008, handled a little more than 100,000 tons of hazardous waste. It also performed on-site treatment of nearly 113,000 tons of these materials. But it is not the largest handler. For example, CWM Chemicals in Model City handled about 200,300 tons in 2008, LBG Engineering in Sag Harbor handled more than 600,000 tons and IBM in Hopewell Junction handled almost 900,000 tons.
Others with high tonnage include Occidental Chemical in Niagara Falls, with almost 785,000 tons, and FMC Corp in Middleport, with about 125,000 tons. Rochester’s Eastman Kodak, however, led the pack in 2008 with 26,968,221 tons.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
If It’s Contaminated, We Don’t Want It
By: Duane Craig
From Wilton, Maine, comes a complicated story of politics, money, asbestos contamination, lawsuits, fines and more as the town tries to avoid foreclosing on a contaminated property.
The problem with the vacant property is that it is contaminated with asbestos, and the contractor who was cleaning up the mess has quit while owing about $150,000 in workplace safety fines to a federal agency. The property’s owner has stopped making payments on the back taxes, which will lead to an automatic foreclosure by the town if something isn’t done, and soon. The state of Maine has also entered the fray and is planning on suing the building owners because the contractor handling the cleanup broke laws when removing the asbestos. The voters will have to decide in a special meeting called by the Selectmen whether or not to foreclose.
There is much more to this story right here, along with an interesting range of examples in which municipalities are facing difficulties in similar situations.
The problem with the vacant property is that it is contaminated with asbestos, and the contractor who was cleaning up the mess has quit while owing about $150,000 in workplace safety fines to a federal agency. The property’s owner has stopped making payments on the back taxes, which will lead to an automatic foreclosure by the town if something isn’t done, and soon. The state of Maine has also entered the fray and is planning on suing the building owners because the contractor handling the cleanup broke laws when removing the asbestos. The voters will have to decide in a special meeting called by the Selectmen whether or not to foreclose.
There is much more to this story right here, along with an interesting range of examples in which municipalities are facing difficulties in similar situations.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Cemeteries In The News as Potential Water Contaminators
By: Duane Craig
Something we don’t hear of much, but may begin to, is contamination from cemeteries. At least that is what's being floated as a cause for groundwater contamination by some residents of Stoughton, Mass., according to an article in Enterprisenews.com.
Bishop’s Landing residents have discovered bacterial contamination in their wells, and when they look out their windows, they see tombstones. Some people live within 50 feet of a cemetery and are now wondering if there’s a connection to their tainted water.
According to the World Health Organization, which actually funded a study on this topic, human corpses, as we might expect, contribute contaminants to percolating water. These include bacteria, viruses, and organic and inorganic chemical decomposition products. When the cemetery is situated on soil that percolates well, such as sand or gravel, the contaminants make their way into the groundwater, sometimes even into aquifers.
Cemeteries, also called “special kinds of landfills” in the report, increase concentrations of naturally-occurring organic and inorganic substances that can make groundwater non-potable. The report also pointed out that risks would be greater to those who get their water from wells.
Bishop’s Landing residents have discovered bacterial contamination in their wells, and when they look out their windows, they see tombstones. Some people live within 50 feet of a cemetery and are now wondering if there’s a connection to their tainted water.
According to the World Health Organization, which actually funded a study on this topic, human corpses, as we might expect, contribute contaminants to percolating water. These include bacteria, viruses, and organic and inorganic chemical decomposition products. When the cemetery is situated on soil that percolates well, such as sand or gravel, the contaminants make their way into the groundwater, sometimes even into aquifers.
Cemeteries, also called “special kinds of landfills” in the report, increase concentrations of naturally-occurring organic and inorganic substances that can make groundwater non-potable. The report also pointed out that risks would be greater to those who get their water from wells.
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