Epa Proposes Cleanup for Tibbetts Road Superfund Site
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Connecticut Maine Massaciiusetts New Hampshire Rhode isiand Vermont United States Office of SDMS D Environmental Protection External Programs 468239 Agency John F. Kennedy Federal Building ^1^ Region I Boston, Massachusetts 02203 ^'^PCfund Records CiPnf Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode isiand Vermont "-" ' l?9 fff itrj BjiEAK: 0. 1 OTHER: EPA Environmental News For more information call Jim Sebastian, Community Relations 617/565-3423 Darryl Luce, Site Manager, 617/573-5767 June 12, 1992 EPA PROPOSES CLEANUP FOR TIBBETS ROAD SUPERFUND SITE BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is releasing a proposed cleanup plan to address hazardous waste contamination at the Tibbets Road Superfund site in Barrington, New Hampshire. EPA will hold a public meeting to discuss the plan on Wednesday, June 24, at the Barrington Elementary School at 7:30 pm. The proposed cleanup calls for extracting contaminated ground water from the site, treating it to acceptable standards, and returning the treated water to the bedrock aquifer underneath the site. The plan also includes the improvement and continued operation of the drinking water treatment plant which draws water from nearby Swains Lake, and the removal of 12 barrels of incinerator ash from the site. The cleanup is estimated to take two to three years to design and construct and cost approximately $3,776,000. From June 25 to July 24, EPA will hold a public comment period on the Proposed Plan. Those interested in commenting on the plan should mail comments, postmarked no later than July 24, 1992 to: Darryl Luce, EPA Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA, JFK Federal Building, Boston, MA 02115. A public hearing will also be held on July 14 to accept oral comments on the plan. In addition to describing EPA's preferred cleanup alternative, the Proposed Plan lists four other alternatives under consideration and describes the results of the Remedial Investigation, a two year study into the nature and extent of contamination at the Tibbets Road site. Copies of the Proposed Plan, the Remedial Investigation, and all other documents concerning the site will be available by July 24 at the Barrington Public Library and at the EPA Records Center in Boston. -2 The 1.9 acre Tibbetts Road site is located near the intersection of Hall Road and Route 4 in Barrington, approximately 1200 feet from Swain's Lake. From the 1940's to 1984 the owner of the site collected and stored at least three hundred thirty-seven barrels containing hazardous substances at the site, many of which leaked their contents to the soil and ground water. Beginning in 1984, EPA conducted a removal action that consisted of the off-site disposal of the remaining contents of the barrels, the disposal and incineration of soils contaminated by hazardous substances, and the construction of a drinking water supply system. A Remedial Investigation found volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene and TCE, and heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead, in the ground water. The VOCs and metals were found at levels above Federal and State drinking water standards. Tests of soil on the property revealed limited VOC contamination. A more detailed description of the contamination and the cleanup altematives can be found in the Proposed Plan. #### EPA Region I Proposed Plan Superfimd Program Tibbetts Road Site Barrington, New Hampshire June 1992 EPA Proposes Cleanup Plan for the Tibbetts Road Superfund Site The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region I is proposing a cleanup plan, referred to as a preferred altemative, to address contamination at the Tibbetts Road Superfund Site in Barrington, New Hampshire (Figure 1, page 26). The Proposed Plan describes a cleanup option recommended from among those that were evaluated during the Remedial Investigation* and Feasibility Study performed for the Site. In accordance with Section 117(a) ofthe Comprehensive Envht>nmental Response, Compensation, and liability Act (CERCLA), EPA is publishing this Proposed Plan to provide opportvmity for public review and conunent on the cleanup altematives, known as remedial altematives, imder consideration for the Site. EPA will consider public comments as part of the final decision-making process for selecting the cleanup remedy for the Site. The preferred altemative includes: 1) the extraction of contaminated ground water from the overburden aquifer and the bedrock aquifer; 2) pretreatment of ground water to remove inorganic metals; 3) treatment of groiind water with ultraviolet light and an oxidation process (UV-oxidation) to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs); 4) recharge of treated water using bedrock injection wells; 5) the improvement and continued operation ofthe existing drinking water treatment plant; and 6) the removal of 12 barrels of incinerator ash and 3 barrels of granular activated carbon to ofF-site disposal facilities. The preferred altemative is described in greater detail on pages 8 through 11 of this doctmient. This Proposed Plan: 1. explains the opportunities for the public to comment on the remedial alternatives; 2. includes a brief history of the Site and the principal findings of Site investigations; *Words in boldface are defined in the glossary which begins on page 21. 3. provides a brief description ofthe preferred altemative and other altematives evaluated in the Feasibility Study; 4. outlines the criteria used by EPA to propose £in altemative for use at the Site, and briefly analyzes whether the altematives meet each criterion; and 5. presents EPA's rationale for its preliminary selection ofthe preferred altemative. To help the public participate in reviewing the cleanup options for the Site, this document also includes information about where interested citizens can find more detailed descriptions of the remedy process and the altematives under consideration for the Tibbetts Road Site. The Public's Role in Evaluating Remedial Altematives Public Informational Meeting EPA will hold a public informational meeting on Wednesday, June 24,1992 at 7:30 p.m. at the Barrington Elementary School, located on New Hampshire Route 125 to describe the preferred altemative and other altematives evaluated in the Feasibility Study. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting to hear the presentations and to ask questions. Public Comment Period EPA is conducting a 30-day public comment period from Jxine 25 to Jiily 24, 1992, to provide an opportunity for public involvement in the final cleanup decision. During the comment period, the public is invited to review this Proposed Plan and the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study reports and to offer comments to EPA. Public Hearing EPA also will hold an informal public hearing on Tuesday, Jvly 14,1992 at 7:30 p.m. at the Barrington Elementary School, New Hampshire Route 125, to accept oral conunents on the cleanup edtematives luider consideration for the Site. This hearing will provide the opportunity for people to comment on the cleanup plan after they have heard the presentations made at the public informational meeting and reviewed this Proposed Plan. Conunents made at the hearing will be transcribed, and a copy of the trginscript will be added to the Site Administrative Record available at the EPA Records Center at 90 Canal St. in Boston, MA, and at the information repository location listed on page 3. 2 EPA Superfund Program: Proposed Plan Written Comments If, after reviewing the information on the Site, you woiild like to comment in writing on EPA's preferred altemative, any of the other cleanup alternatives under consideration, or other issues relevant to the Site cleanup, please deliver your comments to EPA at the Public Hearing or mail your written comments (postmarked no later than Jiily 23,1992) to: Darryl Luce, Remedial Project Manager U.S. Envirorunental Protection Agency Waste Management Division (HSN-CAN5) JFK Federal Building Boston, MA 02203-2211 (617) 573-5767; FAX (617) 573-9662 EPA's Review of Public Comment EPA will review comments received from the public as part of the process of reaching a final decision on the most appropriate remedial altemative, or combinations of altematives, for cleanup ofthe Tibbetts Road Site. EPA's final choice of a remedy wiU be issued in a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Site this autumn. A dociunent, called a Responsiveness Summary, that summarizes EPA's responses to comments received during the public comment period will be issued with the ROD. Once the ROD is signed by the EPA Regional Administrator, it will become part of the Administrative Record, containing documents used by EPA to choose a remedy for the Site. Additional PubUc Information Because this Proposed Plan provides only a sxunmary description of the investigation of the Tibbetts Road Site and the cleanup altematives considered, the public is encouraged to consult the Administrative Record, which contains the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study reports and other Site dooiments, for a more detailed explanation of the Site £ind all of the remedial altematives under consideration. The Administrative Record is available for review at the following locations: EPA Records Center Barrington Public Library 90 Canal Street, 1st Floor Star Route (Province Lane) Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Barrington, NH 03825 (617) 573-5729 (603) 664-9715 Hours: Hours: Monday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday: 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tibbetts Road Site 3 Site History The Tibbetts Road Superfund Site occupies 1.9 acres in the Town of Barrington, Strafford County, New Hampshire (Figure 1). The Site is approximately two miles northeast of the intersection of Route 4 and Hall Road in Barrington. Swains Lake lies twelve himdred feet to the north of the Site.