EPA Proposes No Further Action Cleanup Plan Barrels, Inc. Site Lansing, Michigan July 2020 Share your opinion U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing no further EPA invites your comments on the action at the Barrels, Inc. Superfund site. Previous cleanup actions have proposed cleanup plan for the Barrels, eliminated the need for further cleanup. Contaminated soil was excavated, Inc. site located at 1404 N. Larch St., removed, and disposed of off-site. Residual groundwater contamination in Lansing. Your input is important beneath the site is attributed to an upgradient source and is being addressed because EPA may modify or select under a separate response action. Land-use restrictions have been put in another cleanup option based on place to prevent potential exposures to contamination and help maintain public comments. There are several protectiveness. ways your voice can be heard during the public comment period that runs EPA will not select a final cleanup plan until after it reviews comments from July 31 to Aug. 30, 2020. received from the public. EPA is issuing the proposed cleanup plan as part of its public participation responsibilities under the federal Superfund law.1 • Fill out and mail the enclosed EPA, in consultation with the state of Michigan, may modify the proposed comment form by the cleanup plan or select another option based on new information or public deadline. comments, so your opinion is important. • Email comments to EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Diane Russell at [email protected].

To request a public meeting, contact

Diane Russell by Aug. 7, 2020.

For more information If you have questions about the Barrels, Inc. site, contact these EPA team members:

Lauren Bumba Remedial Project Manager

312-886-4844 or 800-621-8431, Ext. 64844 [email protected]

Diane Russell Community Involvement Coordinator 989-395-3493 Figure 1: Barrels, Inc. site, Lansing, Mich. [email protected]

Or visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/barrels

1Section 117(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, known as the Superfund law) requires publication of a notice and a proposed plan for the site remediation. The proposed plan must also be made available to the public for comment. This fact sheet summarizes information contained in the remedial investigation and other documents in the administrative record for the Barrels, Inc. site. They are available for review at www.epa.gov/superfund/barrels. 1 Site background The site was cleaned up according to a state law referred to as the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, The Barrels, Inc. site, a 2.3-acre former drum reclamation or NREPA. Two areas along a nearby active railroad right- facility located at 1404 North Larch St., is in an industrial of-way could not be cleaned up because that may area in the northern section of Lansing, Mich. (Figure 1, compromise the structural integrity of the tracks. To ensure Page 1). future protectiveness, the owners of these parcels were able

to limit their use. The parcels are restricted to non-residential The facility operated from 1961 until approximately 1980, land usage, groundwater use is prohibited, and areas of when Barrels, Inc. ceased operations and abandoned the residual contamination are identified. property. The drum reclamation process consisted of cleaning drums in a caustic solution, followed by rinsing, Summary of site risks repairing, and repainting the drums for reuse. Surface soil The Barrels, Inc. site is located in a mixed industrial and was contaminated by spills and/or leakage that occurred at commercial area. All adjacent property land uses are the loading dock and drum storage areas and from a storage tank that contained the caustic cleaning solution. industrial or commercial and are expected to remain that way. The cleanup done under the IRA allows for limited

non-residential use because of the contamination remaining Past cleanup actions on the railroad right-of-way. Restrictions are in place to In 1986, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources ensure that any future use is consistent with the cleanup. Any (MDNR) removed about 1,000 drums, 1,000 cubic yards of redevelopment will be subject to the city of Lansing’s contaminated soil, and nine underground storage tanks. groundwater-use ordinance. MDNR also conducted shallow soil sampling in 1987 and confirmed that soil was impacted by metals, volatile Community participation organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, EPA and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and cyanide. The site Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) provided information to the was put on EPA’s Superfund list in 1989. public regarding the cleanup of the Barrels, Inc. site through

the administrative record files, the site information From 1993 to 2006, 15 companies determined to be repository maintained at the Capital Area District Libraries - responsible for the contamination conducted various Downtown Lansing Branch, and announcements published studies. Under state supervision, they began an interim in the Lansing State Journal. The administrative record file response action, or IRA, in 2011. It included additional and other relevant reports and documents are also available sampling and removing 13,000 tons of contaminated soil, for review online at: www.epa.gov/superfund/barrels. decontaminating and demolishing tanks, sumps, and unused structures, and disposing of debris. Work was Next steps completed in 2012. EPA encourages you to review and comment on the no

further action proposed plan. Before making a final decision, EPA will review comments received during the public comment period. EPA may modify the proposed plan or select another option based on new information.

EPA will respond in writing to relevant comments in a responsiveness summary, which will be attached to the document detailing the final cleanup plan, called the record of decision. EPA will also announce its final plan in the Lansing State Journal, place a copy of the record of decision in the information repository, and post it on the web.

Figure 2: Site along North Larch Street, looking southeast.

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EPA Proposes No Further Cleanup Action

Seeks Public Comments

Public comment period: July 31 to Aug. 30, 2020

Full details are on file at:

Lansing Public Library 401 S. Capitol Ave. Lansing, Mich. and at: www.epa.gov/superfund/barrels.

N O I T C A R E H T R U F O N S E S O P O R P A P E

: E T I S D N U F R E P U S . C N I , S L E R R A B

Use This Space to Write Your Comments EPA is interested in your comments on the proposed cleanup plan for the Barrels, Inc. site. You may use the space below to write your comments, then detach this page, fold, stamp and mail. Comments must be postmarked by Aug. 30, 2020. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Russell directly at 989-395-3493, weekdays 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Comments may also be emailed to Diane Russell as [email protected].

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Barrels, Inc. Site Public Comment Sheet

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Diane Russell EPA Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 5 Community Information Office 1300 Bluff St., Suite 140 Flint, MI 48504