////
DRAFT
CROYDON TCE SITE
BRISTOL TOWKSHIP, BUCKS COUNTY
PENNSYLVANIA
PUBLIC MEETING SUMMARY
MEETING DATE: August 20, 1987 TIME: 7:00 PM LOCATION: Bristol Township Municipal Building 2501 Oxford Valley Road Levittown, Pennsylvania 19057
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III (EPA) held a public meeting at the Bristol Township Municipal Building on August 20, 1987. The purpose of the meeting was to explain the Superfund process and to discuss the remedial investigation (RI) that the EPA is planning to conduct at the Croydon TCE Site in Bristol Township. Representing the EPA were Abraham Ferdas, Assistant Superfund Branch Chief; Harry Harbold, Regional Project ' Manager; Nanci Sinclair, Community Relations Coordinator; and Richard Brunker, Toxicologist. The EPA's contractors for the Croydon TCE Site were represented by Ray Wattras, REM III Site Manager, and Carrie Deitzel, REM III Community Relations Coordinator for Region III. Edna Roth, Bristol Township Administrator; Councilman David Hite; and Councilwoman Terry Bradley were also present. At 7:00 pm, few people had arrived, and the start of the meeting was delayed. At 7:20, Ms. Sinclair called the meeting to order. She then presented an overview of the Superfund process and the upcoming RI. She stressed that the EPA encourages citizen participation throughout the remedial process and explained how residents can become involved. Before turning the program over to Mr. Harbold, Ms. Sinclair provided her address and phone number, as well as the locations of local information repositories where residents can find copies of site-related documents. AR5DOOI9 DRAFT
During Mr. Harbold's presentation, he explained how the study area boundaries were established for the Croydon TCE Site. He also discussed the three primary objectives of the Phase I RI: to determine the quality of the groundwater, to assess the impact of groundwater on public health and the environment, and to. identify potential contaminant sources. In addition, Mr. Harbold said that 29 new monitoring wells will be installed, and several existing monitoring wells will be resampled in order to collect data about contaminants and local hydrology. Mr. Harbold reminded meeting attendees that domestic well sampling will not occur until October and encouraged everyone who has not yet responded to the EPA's well-users' survey to return the questionnaires or contact the Agency as soon as possible, if they want their wells sampled. Following the presentations, questions were presented by members of the audience. Below is a summary of public comments and concerns and the EPA's responses to them. 1. Several questions concerned the RI conducted at the Rohm & Haas Superfund Site immediately adjacent to the Croydon TCE Site. Residents wanted to know if data from the Rohm & Haas investigation will be used in the Croydon TCE Site study and if the Rohm £ Haas Site will be resampled. They also wanted to know whether the EFA will split samples with Rohm & Haas, if company property is resampled, and if the company's data will be made available to the public, if sample splitting occurs. EPA RESPONSE: Data from the Rohm & Haas Site RI will be reviewed, and some of the existing Rohm & Haas monitoring wells will be resampled. No decision has been made regarding the splitting of samples. (A member of the audience, who identified himself as the public affairs manager for Rohm & Haas, stated that if samples are split, the company will make its data available to the public.) 2. One resident wondered what might happen if Rohm & Haas data and EFA data are widely divergent or if EFA data from the Croydon TCE Site suggests that the existing Rohm & Haas Site RI data is wrong. He reminded the EPA representatives that both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PADER) and the EFA had already sampled in the Croydon area during the Rohm & Haas site investigation and, therefore, should already have pertinent information about the current site. 2 AR500020 DRAFT
EPA RESPONSE: The Rohro & Haas RI was performed by a contractor hired by Rohm & Haas. The EPA did not perform a quality check of the data and will not be relying on it during the Croydon TCE site study. During the Croydon TCE Site investigation, the Agency will sample new monitoring wells, as well as some existing Rohm & Haas monitoring wells. Although both PADER and the EPA did do some sampling during the Rohm & Haas study, no sampling occurred north of State Road. The Croydon TCE Site RI extends the study area so that sampling will occur in that area. Since new data will be gathered, there is no need to depend on historical data from previous studies. 3 . Several questions concerned households with wells as the sole source of their domestic water supply. One resident wondered if he and the five other families on his street (Pine Street), who depend on wells, will have to wait until the RI is completed before alternate water supplies will be provided, if their wells are found to be contaminated. The costs that homeowners might incur, if alternate water supplies are needed, were also a major concern. EPA RESPONSE; The well samples will be collected and analyzed as soon as possible, and if a health threat is found, the EPA will take emergency action to provide an alternate source of potable water. This will be provided at no cost to the homeowners. Two possible alternatives might be bottled water or the installation of carbon filters on existing plumbing. A long term solution may be to extend the public water supply lines to households with contaminated or potentially contaminated wells. The affected households could be connected to the public water supply with Super fund money; however, the homeowners would then have to pay the resulting monthly water bills. 4. Several questions were raised about TCE. The currently-known level of TCE contamination in Rohm £ Eaas monitoring wells and the concentration level, or parts per billion (ppb) , of TCE that might pose a health threat were of concern. One resident asked several questions about the regulation of TCE in the workplace and the potential routes of TCE exposure, including whether the chemical is mobile in groundwater. He stated that at his workplace, no precautions are employed in handling TCE. He and others reportedly mix it with their bare hands and 3 AR50G02! DRAFT
dump it on the ground at the end of the day. Residents also asked if TCE was the only chemical of concern to the EPA. EPA RESPONSE ; The concentrations of TCE present in some monitoring wells were very low - - "a thimble-full in a tank car". But the level of TCE that poses a danger to human health depends on the length of exposure and the type of health threat. There are three types of health threats: acute, chronic, and the longer-term cancer threat. An acute threat would be a situation in which concentrations are so high that drinking a single glass of water causes illness. A chronic threat refers to a concentration level that causes illness in a limited period of time - - for instance, a period of a week or a month. A cancer threat involves a much smaller concentration over a much longer period of time several decades. In addition to TCE, samples will be analyzed for all volatile organics and priority pollutants. In the work place, the use of TCE is regulated by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) , not by Super fund. TCE can be taken in by normal breathing, and it can be absorbed through the skin. Anyone putting bare hands into TCE is taking an unnecessary risk. If this is occurring where you work, you should report it to OSHA. TCE is very mobile in groundwater; this is the primary problem at the Croydon site. If TCE is being dumped on the ground, that should also be reported to OSHA. (Ms. Sinclair spoke privately with the resident who raised the occupational-use concerns and exchanged information so that the proper authorities can be notified of the situation described.) 5. A number of residents wondered if it is possible to determine the source (s) of contamination and if the groundwater can be treated. Come expressed fear that the problem might be permanent and might cause their property values to drop; they wondered if Croydon might be another Love Canal. They were also concerned about how long treatment will take, if it is found feasible. EPA RESPONSE; Croydon is not another Love Canal, and it is not an isolated situation. Groundwater contamination is typical throughout Bucksp r However , because there are so many industries3,'-' 4 DRAFT
source (s) may be hard to find. This type of groundwater contamination is treatable, but this is a very large area, and treatment will be a difficult process. It is not possible to predict how long treatment will take. 6. Residents also asked about the proposed monitoring veils. They wanted to know how large an area could be monitored by a single well and whether it would be more practical to sample the existing, non-functional domestic wells than to install new monitoring wells. EPA RESPONSE; The area covered by a single well is dependent on subsurface conditions, but it is a relatively small area. In Phase I, monitoring wells will be concentrated in the "focus area", but throughout the rest of the site, surface waters and intermittant streams will be sampled. Groundwater discharges into surface waters, so if contaminants show up in the surface waters, that will indicate a need for additional monitoring wells. Samples will be collected at numerous locations along Neshaminy Creek, Hog Run Creek, and smaller intermittant streams. Dependent upon Phase I findings, additional monitoring wells may be installed in Phase II. Domestic wells that are still in use will be sampled to determine whether a health threat exists for the well users, but wells that are not in use don't pose a health threat and will not be sampled. To check for contaminant migration, the EPA will install new monitoring wells rather than use out-of-service domestic wells, because monitoring-well data is more reliable. Old wells may be broken or suffering from any number of variables that can invalidate data. 7. Some residents said that they were concerned because local rumors indicated former industrial dumping had occurred on or near their properties. They asked if soil sampling can determine whether dumping has occurred, and if so, whether it will indicate who was responsible? They also inquired whether sample analyses can determine how long contaminants have been present in specific locations. EPA RESPONSE; Soil sampling may or may not determine if dumping occurred in an area, but the RI will examine historical aerial photographs, taken between 1947 and 1979, to look for signs of former i • DRAFT
activities. Unfortunately, sample analyses will not indicate how long contamination has been present, but hopefully, contaminant hot spots will be revealed by the historical photographs, and potential sources will be indicated. 8. Some residents were concerned about the public water supply. They wondered if groundwater flowing toward the Delaware River presents a threat to that supply, since the water authority has an intake about two miles downstream from the Croydon TCE site. One resident, who said that the Rohm & Eaas landfill is leaking into the river downstream of the Bristol Township Water Authority's pumping station, suggested that high tides push contaminants upriver where they are then taken up by the pumping station. Residents asked if the EFA will sample the public water supply and if the Agency will attempt to characterize variations in contaminant levels in the Delaware River by resampling the river during periods of high and low tides or under different weather conditions that may affect the groundwater table. EPA RESPONSE; The public water supply is monitored by the water authority itself, and it is also policed by other branches of the EPA. It is not monitored by Superfund, and it will not be sampled as part of the RI. It is true that the pumping wells do have a certain cone of influence and that tides may effect the direction of groundwater flo'w. The tidal influence will be analyzed during the RI. The EPA will try to characterize the surface water and groundwater by resampling under various conditions over the short term of the RI, but at some point, sampling will have to end, and decisions will have to be made. Bucks County will continue to sample routinely, and of course, if a long-term remedial action is selected for the site, the state will be required to monitor conditions for a minimum of thirty years . 9. One resident, who eaid that he had filled his yard years ago with soil from the Rohm & Haas landfill, reported that an EFA representative had promised to sample the soil in his yard during the RI at Rohm & Haas, but the resident said no samples \pr,e_ .ever taken. In addition, he said he was concerned^ fabj&u'tC Ja£ 1} leachate seep along Hog Run that was affecting his well. Although the contractor who performed the Rohm 6 DRAFT
& Eaas RI had sampled the veil and the seep, the resident was never provided any information about sample analyses results. He vas angry about both incidents and expressed his opinion that EPA should make core of an effort to follow through and to communicate with residents. EPA RESPONSE: The EPA spokesman said that he did not really know how to respond to the comments about the Rohm & Haas RI because he had not been involved in it. However, he stated that the EPA will make the Croydon TCE Site data available to the public and will provide information about sample analyses to all residents whose wells or properties are sampled. In addition, he told the man that a soil sample from his yard would be taken during the RI. 10. Residents also asked how the EFA became involved with the Croydon TCE Site. EPA RESPONSE; The EPA became involved with the Croydon TCE Site because of data from the Rohm & Haas Site RI that showed a plume of groundwater contamination that may not have originated at Rohm & Haas. 11. Residents asked whether the EFA received a good response to the well-users' survey the Agency had mailed to approximately 500 area homes earlier in the summer. EPA RESPONSE; The response to the survey was about average. One hundred twenty-five responses were received. If you have not responded, there is still time. The well sampling will not occur until October. In addition to the officials listed above, twenty residents and two reporters, who represented the Bucks County Courier Times and the Bristol Pilot, attended the meeting. Following the question and answer session, most of the audience stayed to speak individually with the EPA representatives and the contractors or to examine the large site maps displayed on the wall. The reporters also remained, talking to both EPA personnel and local residents. Discussion continued until approximately 9:15.
AR5GGG25 DRAFT
Attached is a copy of the fact sheet that was provided to meeting attendees and the names of those who asked to be included on the Croydon TCE Site mailing list.
AR50G026 SUPERFUND PROGRAM FACT SHEET v CROYDON TCE SITE BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
USEPA REGION III AUGUST 1987
INTRODUCTION The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to conduct a Remedial Investigation (Rl) and a Feasibility Study (FS) of the CroycfonTCE Site in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The RI/FS will be conducted under the Federal Superfund Program. This tact sheet describes Superfund and the RI/FS objectives for the site.
The Croydon TCE Site The Croydon TCE Site is comprised of approximately 4square miles surrounded by Route 413, Interstate 95, Neshaminy Creek, the Delaware River, and the Rohm & Haas Company property line. Within these boundaries is a focused area of investigation (approximately 1 square mile) that lies between State Road and River Road in the eastern portion of the site. This focus area encompasses a small industrial complex, numerous small businesses, and several private residences. The EPA identified the Croydon TCE Site in 1985, after a Superfund investigation at the neighboring Rohm & Haas Site revealed a plume of groundwater contamination that did not appear to be associated with Ronm $ Haas. Because the source of the contaminated plume coujd not be established and also because some businesses in the area may have previously used substances containing the same compounds found in the contaminant plume, the EPA determined that an RI/FS was necessary to explore areas beyond the scope of the Rohm & Haas investigation. The contaminant of particular concern to the EPA at the Croydon TCE Site is trichloroethene (TCE), a solvent and known carcinogen. TCE is a degreaser used by industry for cleaning machinery and equipment. Before its carcinogenic nature was understood, TCE was a popular and sometimes carelessly used solvent. It is still used today, but its use is now closely regulated.
The Superfund Program In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and in 1986, the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) was passed. Together these acts created an 8.5 billion dollar "Superfund"' and gave the federal government the power to address toxic waste sites nationwide. Superfund monies are deffiifteg (from TB-J substantial tax levied on the petroleum and chemical industries and fronra DToia- based tax imposed on corporate income. Superfund is administered by the EPA, which has the authority to use fund monies to remediate abandoned or 500011 uncontrolled toxic waste disposal sites or to respond to releases, or threatened releases, of hazardous substances into the environment. Under CERCLA, the EPA may take legal actions against potentially responsible parties (PRPs) and may also require PRPs to reimburse Superfund for the cost of remedial activities. The RI/FS at the Croydon TCE Site will be conducted with Superfund monies because contaminant sources and responsible parties are currently unknown. The process can be expected to take about 20 months to complete at an estimated cost of $900,000.
The RllFS at Croydon TCE Site During the Phase I Rl, the EPA will collect information to help determine the nature of ground water contamination and to discover how far the contaminants have spread. Information will also be gathered to assess the risks posed to public health and the environment by groundwater contamination. The effect of contaminated groundwater on local surface waters, as well as the identity of possible sources of contamination will also be included in the study. As part of the investigation, EPA will sample approximately 40 residential wells that were identified by responses to a recent well survey. Twenty-seven monitoring wells will also be installed in locations identified by studying aerial photographs for signs of past industrial activity and environmental stress that may indicate the presence of contamination. Additionally, surface waters, including Neshaminy Creek, Hog Run Creek, the Delaware River, a pond behind the local VFW, and various intermittent streams will be sampled to determine if they have been affected by groundwater contamination. A limited amount of soil sampling will also be conducted. After the Rl data is analyzed, it will be used as a basis for the feasibility study which will identify appropriate remedial alternatives for the Croydon TCE Site. If sources of groundwater contamination are identified or the extent of contamination is found to be greater than anticipated, a Phased RI/FS will be conducted to characterize the contaminant sources and develop long-term remedial alternatives for the site.
Keeping Informed Throughout the Superfund process, the EPA will provide site-related information to the community by placing information in the local respository established at the Bristol Township building, and citizens' comments and inquiries will be welcomed. The EPA contact for the Croydon TCE Site is Nanci Sinclair. She may be contacted at the following address: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III 841 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215)597-4164. APPENDIX C i , MAILING LIST
CROYDON TCE SITE BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, BUCKS COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA
Bob & Patricia Hubbard (215) 785-0296 605 Sixth Avenue Croydon, PA 19020 Thomas & Joan McCall (215) 788-0993 601 Sixth Avenue Croydon, PA 19020 Harry & Barbara Higgensen (215) 7S8-1009 611 Sixth Avenue Croydon, PA 19020 Christine A. Blade 619 Sixth Avenue Croydon, PA 19020 Arthur & Mary Dustman (215) 785-5352 2050 High Street Croydon, PA 19020 Harry Foster (215) 788-0341 1601 River Road Croydon, PA 19020 Bob J. Ausura (215) 946-1555 121 Border Rock Road Croydon, PA 19020 Bernie Wedo (215) 788-2190 347 Washington Street Bristol, PA 19007 Dave Kite (215) 945-1303 5 Good Lane Levittown, PA 19055 Paul Mandelaro (215) 788-1859 2916 Steele Avenue Bristol, PA 19007 Paul J. Ditzel, Sr. (215) 788-2359 3505 RocJcview Drive Bristol, PA 19007 A R u u u 0 2 8 c-i Joe & Nan Wunsch (215) 788-3544 702 Central Avenue Croydon, PA 19020 Betty Cichy (215) 757-0910 301 Prospect Avenue Langhorne, PA 19047 (Bristol Pilot) Mary Blakey (215) 752-6865 Bucks County Courier Times Levittown, PA 19055 Brian HcPeak (215) 785-8828 Rohm & Haas P.O. Box 219 Bristol, PA 19007
AR500029 C-2