J J J J J J DRAFT REPORT J DELTA QUARRIES SITE J COMMUNITY RELATION PLAN Prepared for U.S. BWIROWafEAL PROTECTION AGENCY Office of Waste Programs Enforcement Washington, D.C. 20460 Work Assignment No* 843 EPA Region III Site^fe. No. 31PN3 Contract No. 68-01-7331 COM Federal Programs "Corporation Document No. T843-C03-CR-CFJC-3 -Prepared By Booz, Alien & Hamilton Inc. Wbrk Assignment Project Manager Elizabeth Stelow Telephone Number 301) 951-4533 Primary Contact Ann Cardinal Telephone Number (215) 597-9905 Date Prepared August 4, 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Community Relations Plan _ . Delta Quarries Site __*"--- ,.\Blair County, Pennsylvania PAGE Section A — Background and Key Issues 1 1. Site History 1 2. Community Profile 4 3 History and Analysis of Community Concerns 6 4. Summary of Key Issues and Community Concerns 7 Section B — Community Relations Techniques and Objectives 8 Section C — Schedule and Timeline 12 Appendix A: List of Interested Parties A-l 1. Federal Representatives A-l 2. Federal Agency Officials A-l 3. State Representatives A-2 4. State Officials A-3 5. County and Local Officials A-3 6. Other Interested Parties A-4 7. Local Media . A-4 Appendix Br List of Sites for Information -—.-^Repositories and Local Meetings B-l ftR5Q003l* 1 COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN DELTA QUARRIES SITE 1 BLAIR COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 1 This community relations plan describes community concerns related to the Delta Quarries site in Blair County, Pennsylvania/ The plan also outlines proposed community relations activities to be conducted by Region 1 III of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the cleanup process. The activities outlined in this plan are designed to provide interested citizens, officials, and local civic and environmental organizations with information about the Superfund program and activities, and developments at the site. It is also designed to provide EPA with the appropriate mechanisms for responding to community concerns that have been raised or are likely to emerge during the cleanup process. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Office will have the lead responsibility for overseeing technical and community relations work at the site. Enforcement actions by EPA, as well as necessary changes to the Proposed Remedy, may require modification of the community relations program or specific activities recommended in this plan. This community relations plan is based on on-scene interviews and telephone conversations held with area citizens and local officials. EPA Region III -files were also reviewed. A. BACKGROUND AND KEY ISSUES 1. Site History The Delta Quarries site covers approximately 55 acres in Antis and Logan Townships, Blair County, Pennsylvania— ^ Since the 1960s, operators of the site have disposea of municipal wastes without a permit. The site consisted originally of two adjacent landfills that merged in 1976 to form one landfill, currently owned by Delta Quarries & Disposal, Inc. (Delta). These adjacent landfills were Stotler and Parshall/Kruise . Because they were operated without permits and no records were kept, little is known of the wastes accepted by the original landfills. The Stotler Landfill began operations in the early 1960s. Several letters between the landfill operator and companies,, ^ _ -1- 5/rr LOCATION OIL TA QUAHRIES AKO U3*0$AL/S70TL£* LANDFILL Attti **4 Lift* <*frm " From: U.S.G.S. 7 1/2* B«llwoodtPA Quodronyl*, PR 1972. * SCALE: |—————| N ADAPTED FROM MEISER & EARtl IM€>. 0 2000 f«tt AR500036 O rf g ^» y_—• » AR500037 O 5J *S l&a* 54£? »I III O L r- * 1.12 •> *ui" o- K*. 2x * ff •* kJ ui^ S?~ using the facilities indicate that liquid and solid industrial wastes were disposed of beginning in 1970. The Parshall/Kruise Landfill began operation in 1964 and very little documentation has surfaced regarding the types of .waste's accepted prior to its merger with the Stptler .Landfill. According to a Pennsylvania Department of" Environmental Resources (PADER) memorandum, the landfill accepted "housekeeping" wastes of unknown content beginning in 1971. In 1976, the Stotler Landfill expanded to include the Parshall/Kruise Landfill. Site-related documents indicate that some industrial wastes were disposed of beginning at this time and continuing until the site was sold to Delta in 1978. Delta owned and operated the landfill from 1978 to 1985. On-site ground-water and surface water sampling was conducted adjacent to the site by PADER from 1982 to 1984. Samples revealed the presence of chlorinated industrial solvents (tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane), chromium, and lead. The solyents_are su.spected to cause cancer in humans and the heavy metals are toxic. In response to the contamination found at the Landfill, PADER and Delta,signed a Consent Order on November 1, 1984 that reglred Delta to develop a closure plan. The Delta Quarries Landfill closed February 28, 1985. The site was proposed in 1986 for the National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites, thereby making it eligible for Federal funding should cleanup be deemed necessary. In October 1987, EPA and Delta entered into a Consent Order to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) at the site. The RI/FS will examine the nature and extent of the contamination at the site and identify alternatives for addressing it. The RI/FS is scheduled to begin early in the Summer of 1988. 2. Community Profile ^filair County, Pennsylvania, is located in the west/central part of the State, 60 miles north of Maryland, 100 miles east of Ohio, and 100 miles south of New York. The County evolved 150 years ago into a leading area for the manufacture of railroad cars and equipment. It exists along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau. AR5QOQ38 -4- • . Thp Delta Quarries site is situated in the eastern region of Blair County, half in Antis Township and half in Logan Township. Antis and Logan Townships have current populations of 6,524 and 12,183, respectively* The City of Altoona, with a population of 57>000'/ borders Logan Township to the south and is the largest metropolitan area in Blair. U.S. 220 intersects Altoona, Logan Township, and Antis Townships. The Little Juniata River, which is used for recreational'purposes, runs parallel to U.S. 220, less than one mile to the west. Ground water flows to the northeast in the direction of the Little Juniata River, which is within three miles of the site. The City of Altoona, once a railroad and coal mining town, is experiencing a shift in its economic base. The three largest sources of employment and revenue are transportation, the manufacture of non-durable goods, and health services. Transporation includes the remaining railroad work and trucking. The most important non-durable good in this area of Pennsylvania is paper. Health services compose such a large share of the economic base because of three hospitals and many private offices employing specialists that serve not only Blair, but also the surrounding counties. In addition to these industries, Pittsburgh Plate Glass is a large employer of site community residents. Growth that has occurred in Blair County has not brought.with it any large industry, but residents are hopeful. Residents and officials of the site community attribute their high quality of life to Blair County, The life they described is slow, quiet, and pleasant. One official gave as evidence of the slow pace the fact that there is no morning traffic peak. Unemployment in Blair County is two or three percent higher than the national average, but lower than the average for the State. The area has one of the lowest rates of turnover in the nation, according to a public official, and many family groups have remained in the area for four or five generations. The only visible population shifts are a slight growth in the County population and a movement from Altoona to the surrounding townships and boroughs, The priority issues in Blair County are economic development, conservation of existing communities, orderly growth and development, and solid waste management. Delta Quarries was the last large landfill in Blair County. When it closed in 1985, waste was sent to the Delta Quarries landfill in n n r n n Huntington County, which subsequently closed in 19815 HnOUUI -5- Sincest hat time, waste has been sent to neighboring counties with existing landfills. The County Planning Commission has proposed to resolve this problem by siting an incinerator in Antis Township and burying the ash .in a :iandfill in nearby Bedford. 3. History and Analysis of Community Concerns Because this site had press coverage only at the time the site was" listed on the NPL, and complaints on the part of the community are not well documented, it is difficult to reconstruct a history of concerns about the site. Therefore, the timeframes represented in the following discussion are approximate. According to one citizen, 15 years ago there were a few complaints by community members about the appearance of the site. At that time the site had piles of garbage that were visible from Sandy Run Road. Approximately five or six years ago the site was made more presentable and the limited concern died. Before the site closed, and perhaps as long as five years ago, there were reports of fires burning on the site. Although the fire department was unable to provide any information on these fires, one resident living within one-half mile of the site said that the fires occurred three or four times in the course of three months. She described the smell emanating from the site during the burning as the smell of "oily rubber," and said that when the fires started, they burned well into the night.