FINAL

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN LITTLE SCIOTO RIVER SITE MARION COUNTY,

Prepared for

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 Community Involvement Section, Superfund Division 77 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, Illinois 60604

Work Assignment No. : 004-CRCR-05ZZ Date Prepared : November 2009 Contract No. : EP-S5-06-02 Prepared by : SulTRAC Project Manager : Cheryl Vaccarello Telephone No. : 312-201-7791 EPA Community Involvement Coordinator : Susan Pastor Telephone No. : 312-353-1325

Community Involvement Plan for Little Scioto River Site

CONTENTS

Section Page

1.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 1

2.0 SITE BACKGROUND...... 2

3.0 COMMUNITY BACKGROUND ...... 5

3.1 COMMUNITY PROFILE...... 5 3.2 HISTORY OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT...... 6 3.3 COMMUNITY CONCERNS...... 6

4.0 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM OBJECTIVES...... 7

5.0 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES ...... 8

Appendix

A TIMEFRAME FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES

B U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CONTACTS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND MEDIA CONTACTS

C INFORMATION RESOURCES

Figure

SITE LOCATION MAP...... 3

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

This community involvement plan was prepared as required under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also referred to as Superfund. The Superfund program provides funding and technical assistance to investigate and clean up hazardous waste sites that pose a risk to public health or the environment. The Superfund program encourages active dialogue between communities affected by the release of hazardous substances and the agencies responsible for carrying out or overseeing remedial actions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers community involvement to be an important part of the Superfund program. EPA conducts community involvement activities to:  Encourage open lines of communication between residents and EPA as well as with local and state government officials;  Inform communities about the Superfund program, site-specific studies, and the progress of site activities; and  Involve the public in decision-making processes.

As part of its community involvement efforts, EPA conducts community assessments for each Superfund site to determine the specific issues and concerns of interest to local residents. Issues and concerns are usually identified through interviews conducted with local residents, community and environmental groups, local officials, and businesses near a particular site. After conducting a community assessment, EPA prepares a CIP that contains:  Site background information,  Names and addresses of key community contacts,  Site-related concerns and issues of importance to the local community, and  Community involvement objectives and activities to address concerns and to keep residents and elected officials informed throughout the cleanup process.

1 Community Involvement Plan for Little Scioto River Site

This CIP is based primarily on interviews conducted in July 2009 with local residents, local officials, business owners and other parties interested in activities at the Little Scioto River site in Marion County, Ohio. In addition to this introduction, the CIP contains the following sections:

 Section 2.0, Site Background – This section provides an overview of the site’s history and operations, as well as site investigations and cleanup work.

 Section 3.0, Community Background – This section provides a profile of the population of Marion County, Ohio; describes the history of community involvement in the site cleanup; and summarizes community concerns about the site.

 Section 4.0, Community Involvement Program Objectives – This section describes site-specific objectives developed in response to identified community concerns.

 Section 5.0, Community Involvement Activities – This section discusses specific activities to be conducted to accomplish the objectives identified in Section 4.0.

Appendix A of the CIP provides a timeframe for community involvement activities; Appendix B provides contact information for EPA project contacts, elected officials and the media; and Appendix C lists the location of the information repository established for the site.

2.0 SITE BACKGROUND

The Little Scioto River lies to the west of Marion, in Marion Township, Marion County, Ohio (see figure on next page). It flows south into the Scioto River, a major tributary of the Ohio River. An approximately four-mile stretch of river sediment (mud) is contaminated with coal tar creosote containing hazardous polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, from the former Baker Wood Preserving Co., a wood treatment plant that operated from the 1890s to 1960s. Waste from Baker Wood entered the Little Scioto River from the North Rockswale ditch, which flows west along the south side of Holland Road. Since 1992, Ohio Department of Health has maintained a health advisory against swimming, wading and eating fish from this stretch of the river.

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Site location map.

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In April 1999, EPA began cleanup activities at the Baker Wood property. Afterward, workers drained and dredged a 1¼-mile stretch of the Little Scioto River. The area was backfilled with clean soil and the contaminated mud was removed and dried on a pad just east of the cleanup area. It was eventually shipped to Bucyrus, Ohio in 2001 for proper disposal.

Dark, black creosote-contaminated sediment dug out of the Little Scioto River.

The Little Scioto River cleanup project began in 2002 with the goal of removing the creosote- contaminated mud from about a one-half mile stretch of the North Rockswale Ditch and the river bottom along a stretch of the Little Scioto River from north of Holland Road to south of State Route 739. The initial project was paid for with funds from the U.S. Coast Guard Oil Pollution Act and EPA

A view of a portion of the river already cleaned removal funds. The first phase of cleanup was up. This is facing north from Holland Road. completed in 2003 with about 32,000 tons of sediment removed from a three-quarter mile segment of the river. About 10,000 tons of contaminated soil and vegetation were also removed from the North Rockswale Ditch.

In 2006, an additional three-quarter mile stretch of the river was cleaned up and about 31,000 tons of river sediment were removed. It was funded by EPA ($2.5 million) and Ohio EPA ($1 million). Work ended near the intersection of State Route 95 in November 2006 when additional funding to complete the cleanup along the river to State Route 739 was no longer available.

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In September 2009, the site was added to the National Priorities List. The National Priorities List is a roster of hazardous waste sites that are eligible for funding and cleanup under the Superfund program. A notice explaining this approach can be found in the Federal Register.

EPA is continuing its investigation of the Little Scioto River. This first involves designing a plan to sample mud in the river from slightly north of State Route 95 to the confluence of the Scioto River in Green Camp. A work plan will be completed by March 2010. Actual sampling in the river, at the Baker Wood site and other possible locations is set to begin in spring 2010.

The Little Scioto River facing south from the 95th Street Bridge. This portion still needs to be cleaned up.

3.0 COMMUNITY BACKGROUND

This section describes the composition of the city of Marion and Marion County, Ohio communities, the history of community involvement with the site, and major community concerns in Marion regarding the site.

3.1 COMMUNITY PROFILE

According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau (estimate), the population of Marion County is 65,788. The racial makeup of the county is approximately 92 percent White, 7 percent Black or African American, 2 percent Hispanic or Latino, 1 percent Asian, with 1 percent of the population reporting two or more races. With a population of 35,841, the city of Marion is the county’s largest city and is the county seat of Marion County. It is located in north-central Ohio, about 50 miles north of Columbus. Marion is a small-sized city with an area of 8 square miles while all of Marion County has an area of 409 square miles.

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Marion, nicknamed the City of Kings, is a community proud of its heritage as the former home of 29th U.S. President Warren G. Harding. Local monuments to President Harding include the Harding Home and Museum and the Harding Memorial. Marion County is named for General Francis “The Swamp Fox” Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War.

Marion County is governed by three elected commissioners. The city of Marion is governed by a mayor, who is elected every four years and a city council, whose members are elected every two years. The site is also located in Marion Township, which is governed by an elected three- member board of trustees and assisted by an elected township clerk. Both the city of Marion and Marion County have health departments which have been kept informed of activities at the site.

The main daily newspaper in the area is The Marion Star. Radio and television signals are received from Columbus, Ohio with WDIF and WMRN as the main radio stations; and WBNS (CBS-10), WCMH (NBC-4), WSYX (ABC-6), WTTE (Fox 28), for the main television stations, and local station TV 22.

3.2 HISTORY OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

The Little Scioto River site is not near many residents, so very little interest has been expressed.

3.3 COMMUNITY CONCERNS

There is not a lot of concern from residents and local officials about the site. The area is out of the way and is not used by residents. Along the Little Scioto River there is a wildlife refuge, but those interviewed said the contamination does not affect the hunting or the wildlife in that area. Some of the people interviewed stated that though the area is not used and the river has always been dirty, cleaning it up may add value to the area and may spark interest in more recreational uses of the area. A bike path is being installed along the river.

Many of the people interviewed associated the site with the Baker Wood site. Most were familiar with the creosote contamination from the Baker Wood site and recalled the site had been cleaned

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up almost 10 years ago. Two residents expressed concern with flooding in the area and believe that during the cleanup several years ago, tiles were cut in the river, which is causing flooding in their yards.

Communication with Local Residents and Officials: Most people interviewed want to receive information by e-mail as well as regular mail. Because of the low community interest in this site, the local officials and other members of the community believe that not many people would attend public meetings about the site. Instead, it was recommended that an afternoon round-table forum or discussion be organized and invite the local officials and other interested parties. It is believed this type of meeting would garner better information and be more beneficial.

4.0 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

When establishing the objectives for a site-specific community involvement program, EPA considers several factors, including federal requirements that assess the nature and extent of known or perceived site contaminants and known community concerns and requests.

To be effective, the community involvement program must be designed to meet the community’s assumed need to know, give information in a timely manner, accommodate the community’s interest and willingness to participate in decision-making processes and use a language(s) the public can understand.

To meet the needs of the community and to respond to information obtained during the July 2009 community interviews and meet federal requirements, the following objectives have been established for community involvement efforts:

• Enlist the support and involvement of local officials and community leaders, • Monitor citizen interest in the site and respond accordingly, • Inform the community about the planned and ongoing site activities, • Provide follow-up explanations about technical site activities and findings, • Provide opportunities for public input on key decisions,

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• Establish a web site that provides updates and • Provide information to the community about the agencies involved.

5.0 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Specific activities will be done to meet the objectives listed in Section 4.0 and to respond to information received during the community interviews identified in Section 3.0. Specific activities are:

Maintain Point of Contact: EPA has designated a community involvement coordinator as a point of contact. The CIC serves as a liaison between the community and EPA. The current CIC is Susan Pastor, who can be reached at 312-353-1325, 800- 621-8431, ext. 31325 or [email protected]. In addition to the CIC, there is a technical point of contact. The remedial project manager is Margaret Gielniewski, who can be reached at 312-886-6244, 800- 621-8431, ext. 66244 or [email protected]. EPA will include contact information on all written and electronic information and will notify the community of any contact information changes.

Maintain Communication with Local Officials, Agencies, and Community Residents: EPA interviewed local officials from the city of Marion, Marion Township, Marion County, and the Marion County Health Department in the July community interviews. EPA will continue to maintain communication with them as the site is studied. This can be done via phone or e-mail.

Update and Maintain the Site Mailing List: A mailing list of local residents, organizations, businesses, and officials has been established for the site. This list is used for mailing fact sheets, site updates, invitations to public meetings and events and other site-related information to the community. It will be updated regularly to reflect address changes and changes in elected officials and to add new people interested in site activities.

Prepare and Distribute Site-Related Information: Fact sheets, letters, and site updates summarizing current information about the site and describing upcoming activities may be prepared and distributed to those on the site mailing list. Documents announcing public comment

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periods or other opportunities for public involvement will be available for review. They will also be sent to the information repository and posted on the Web site: www.epa.gov/region5/sites/littlescioto.

Conduct Round-Table/Information Sessions: As indicated by local officials, these afternoon sessions should provide information and generate discussion about ongoing work. Even though citizen interest seems to be low, all meetings will be advertised in The Marion Star at least one week in advance.

Develop and Distribute News Releases: EPA will prepare and release statements to the news media and post them online to announce significant site investigation findings, completion of major milestones, significant scheduling information, and other pertinent site-related information.

Conduct a Program Evaluation: This CIP was designed to consider site- and community- specific factors as well as to comply with federal requirements. Community concerns, the objectives of the community involvement program for the site, and specific activities to address these concerns in this CIP were based to a large extent on information obtained during July 2009 interviews with local residents and officials. EPA recognizes that changes in areas such as community perceptions, information needs, and population demographics can occur over time and that such changes may necessitate a revised approach to conducting community involvement activities. For this reason as well as to determine whether the activities in this plan are achieving their intended objectives, periodic reviews will be done to determine whether additional activities are warranted or whether changes to current methods of implementing the activities outlined in this plan are necessary.

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APPENDIX A TIMEFRAME FOR COMMUNITY INVOLEMENT ACTIVITIES

TIMEFRAME FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Community Involvement Activities Timeframe 1. Maintain contact with local officials and As needed community leaders

2. Maintain contact with area residents As needed

3. Provide site and Superfund information on the As needed Internet

4. Maintain an information repository As needed

5. Write and distribute news releases As needed

6. Prepare and distribute fact sheets or update As needed reports

7. Hold round-table discussions As needed

8. Hold a public comment period Coinciding with the release of the proposed plan

9. Publish notices or newspaper advertisements As needed

10. Record a public meeting transcript As needed

11. Prepare and issue a responsiveness summary After the public comment period

12. Revise the community involvement plan After a cleanup decision is made

14. Conduct a program evaluation As needed

A-1 Community Involvement Plan for Little Scioto River Site

APPENDIX B U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CONTACTS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, LOCAL OFFICIALS, AND MEDIA CONTACTS

Community Involvement Plan for Little Scioto River Site

CONTACT INFORMATION

A. U.S. EPA Region 5 Project Contacts Susan Pastor Phone: 312-353-1325 Community Involvement Coordinator Fax: 312-385-5344 Superfund Division (SI-7J) E-mail: [email protected] 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590

Margaret Gielniewski Phone: 312- 886-6244 Remedial Project Manager Fax: 312-692-2928 Superfund Division (SR-6J) E-mail: [email protected] 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604-3590

www.epa.gov/region5/sites/littlescioto

B. Ohio EPA Project Contact

Steve Snyder Phone: 614-644-3024 122 S. Front St. Fax: 419-352-8468 Columbus, OH 43215 E-mail: [email protected]

C. Federal Elected Officials

Governor Phone: 614-466-3555 Office of the Governor Fax: 614-466-9354 Riffe Center, 30th Floor E-mail: Use online contact form at: 77 S. High St. http://apps.das.ohio.gov/govpublic/ Columbus, OH 43215-6108 contact.aspx

Senator Phone: 614-469-2083 200 N. High St., Room 614 Fax: 202-228-6321 Columbus, OH 43215 E-mail: Use online contact form at: http://brown.senate.gov/contact/

713 Hart Senate Office Building Phone: 202-224-2315 Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: 202-228-6321

Senator George Voinovich Phone: 614-469-6697 37 W. Broad St., Room 310 Fax: 614-469-7733 Columbus, Oh 43215 E-mail: Use online contact form at: http://voinovich.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm?FuseAction =Contact.ContactForm

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Senator George Voinovich Phone: 202-224-3353 524 Hart Senate Office Building Fax: 202-228-1382 Washington, D.C. 20510

Congressman Jim Jordan Phone: 202-226-0577 4th District Fax: 202-226-0577 515 Cannon Email: Use online contact form at: Washington, D.C. 20515 http://jordan.house.gov/Contact/

D. State Elected Officials

State Senator Karen Gillmor Phone: 614-466-8049 26th District Fax: 614-466-7662 Senate Building E-mail: [email protected] 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215

State Representative Jeffrey A. McClain Phone: 614-644-6265 82nd District Fax: 614-719-6982 77 S. High St. E-mail: [email protected] Columbus, OH 43266

State Representative Dave Burke Phone: 614-466-8147 83rd District Fax: 614-719-6983 77 S. High St. E-mail: [email protected] Columbus, OH 43266

E. Local Elected Officials

Marion County Phone: 740-223-4001 222 W. Center St. Fax: 740-383-1190 Marion, OH 43302

Commissioners Andy Appelfeller E-mail: [email protected] Josh Daniels E-mail: [email protected] Dan Russell E-mail: [email protected]

Engineer Phone: 740-223-4110 Brad Irons Fax: 740-223-4119 E-mail: [email protected]

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City of Marion City Hall Phone: 740-387-2222 233 W. Center St. Fax: 740-387-0962 Marion, OH 43301

Mayor Scott Schertzer Phone: 740-387-3591 E-mail: [email protected]

City Council

President, Dave Edwards Phone: 740-383-1775 E-mail: [email protected]

Clerk of Council, Irene Fulton Phone: 740-387-4935 E-mail: [email protected]

Clerk Pro Tempore, Linda Strzelecki Phone: 740-387-5865 E-mail: [email protected]

1st Ward, Ralph Cumston, II Phone: 740-383-4500 E-mail: [email protected]

2nd Ward, Ayers Ratliff Phone: 740-223-0070 E-mail: [email protected]

3rd Ward, Michael Thomas Phone: 740-387-8141 E-mail: [email protected]

4th Ward, Debbie Blevins Phone: 740-383-9894 E-mail: [email protected]

5th Ward, John Smith Phone: 740-383-5454 E-mail: [email protected]

6th Ward, Dr. James Gilsford Phone: 740-382-6878 E-mail: [email protected]

At-Large Councilman, Ryan Schertzer Phone: 740-375-2817 E-mail: [email protected]

At-Large Councilwoman, Rebecca Gustin Phone: 740-387-5442 E-mail: not available

At-Large Councilman, Jason Schaber Phone: 740-383-4500 E-mail: [email protected]

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Marion Township 129 S. Main St. Phone: 740-382-4255 Marion, OH 43302

Trustees Lynn Clabaugh Phone: 740-382-3098 E-mail: [email protected]

William R. McCauley Phone: 330-654-3599 E-mail: [email protected]

Karen McCleary Phone: 740-389-2995 E-mail: [email protected]

Fiscal Officer Sheila Perin Phone: 740-272-1383 E-mail: [email protected]

F. Local Agencies

Marion County Health Department 222 W. Center St. Marion, OH 43302

Environmental Health Director Phone: 740-223-4162 Joe Evans E-mail: [email protected]

City of Marion City Hall Phone: 740-387-2222 233 W. Center St. Fax: 740-387-0962 Marion, OH 43301

Health Department Commissioner Phone: 740-387-3604 Frederick Winegarner E-mail: [email protected]

Public Service Director Phone: 740-387-4651 Jay Shoup E-mail: [email protected]

G. Newspapers

The Marion Star Phone: 740-387-0400 150 Court St. Marion, OH 43302

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H. Radio Stations

WMRN Phone: 740-383-1131 1330 N. Main St. Marion, OH 43302

WDIF/WYNT Phone: 740-389-6786 1465 Mount Vernon Avenue Marion, OH 43302

I. Television Stations

TV 22 Phone: 740-383-1165 117 N Greenwood St., Suite 1 Marion, OH 43129

WBNS-TV CBS 10 Phone: 614-460-3700 77 Twin Rivers Dr. Columbus, OH 43215

WCMH-TV NBC 4 Phone: 614-263-4444 3165 Olentangy River Rd. Columbus, OH 43202

WSYX-TV ABC 6 Phone: 614-4781-6666 1261 Dublin Rd. Columbus, OH 43215

WTTE-TV Fox 28 Phone: 614-821-9883 1261 Dublin Rd. Columbus, OH 43215

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APPENDIX C INFORMATION RESOURCES

Community Involvement Plan for Little Scioto River Site

INFORMATION REPOSITORY

Marion Pubic Library 445 E. Church St. Marion, OH

EPA WEB PAGE www.epa.gov/region5/sites/littlescioto

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