RECORD OF DECISION Operable Unit Four Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site Niagara County, New York United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 New York, New York September 2018 Table of Contents PART 1 DECLARATION ................................................................................................... iv PART 2 DECISION SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 1 1. SITE NAME, LOCATION, AND DESCRIPTION ........................................................... 1 2. SITE HISTORY AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES .................................................. 1 3. HIGHLIGHTS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ..................................................... 3 4. SCOPE AND ROLE OF RESPONSE ACTION ................................................................ 3 5. SUMMARY OF REMEDIAL INVESTIGATIONS .......................................................... 4 5.1 Previous Investigations ........................................................................................... 4 5.2 Results of EPA’s OU4 Remedial Investigation ...................................................... 4 6. CURRENT AND POTENTIAL FUTURE LAND AND RESOURCE USE .................... 5 7. SUMMARY OF SITE RISKS ............................................................................................ 5 7.1 Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment .............................................................. 5 7.1.1 Hazard Identification .................................................................................. 6 7.1.2 Exposure Assessment.................................................................................. 7 7.1.3 Toxicity Assessment ................................................................................... 7 7.1.4 Risk Characterization .................................................................................. 7 7.1.5 Uncertainties in the Risk Assessment ......................................................... 8 7.2 Summary of Human Health Risks .......................................................................... 9 7.3 Ecological Risk Assessment ................................................................................... 9 7.4 Basis for Taking Action .......................................................................................... 9 8. REMEDIAL ACTION OBJECTIVES ............................................................................... 9 9. DESCRIPTION OF REMEDIAL ALTERNATIVES ...................................................... 10 10. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................... 12 10.1 Overall Protection of Human Health and the Environment .................................. 12 10.2 Compliance with ARARs, to be Considered (TBCs) and other Guidance ........... 13 10.3 Long-Term Effectiveness and Permanence .......................................................... 14 10.4 Reduction in Toxicity, Mobility, or Volume Through Treatment ........................ 14 10.5 Short-Term Effectiveness ..................................................................................... 15 10.6 Implementability ................................................................................................... 15 10.7 Cost ....................................................................................................................... 16 10.8 State/Support Agency Acceptance ........................................................................ 16 i US EPA Eighteen Mile Creek OU4 ROD 10.9 Community Acceptance ........................................................................................ 16 11. PRINCIPAL THREAT WASTES .................................................................................... 17 12. SELECTED REMEDY ..................................................................................................... 17 12.1 Description of the Selected Remedy ..................................................................... 17 12.2 Summary of the Rationale for the Selected Remedy ............................................ 18 12.3 Summary of the Estimated Selected Remedy Costs ............................................. 18 12.4 Expected Outcomes of the Selected Remedy ....................................................... 18 13. STATUTORY DETERMINATIONS .............................................................................. 19 13.1 Protection of Human Health and the Environment ............................................... 19 13.2 Compliance with ARARs ..................................................................................... 19 13.3 Cost Effectiveness ................................................................................................. 19 13.4 Utilization of Permanent Solutions and Alternative Treatment (or Resource Recovery) Technologies to Maximum Extent Practicable ................................... 20 13.5 Preference for Treatment as a Principal Element ................................................. 20 13.6 Five-Year Review Requirements .......................................................................... 20 14. DOCUMENTATION OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ................................................... 20 The Responsiveness Summary is provided as a separate attachment to this Record of Decision. APPENDIX I: .................................................................................................................. FIGURES APPENDIX II: ................................................................................................................. TABLES APPENDIX III: .............................................................. ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD INDEX APPENDIX IV: .............................................. NEW YORK STATE CONCURRENCE LETTER APPENDIX V: .......................................................................... RESPONSIVENESS SUMMARY ii US EPA Eighteen Mile Creek OU4 ROD APPENDIX V ATTACHMENTS: • Attachment A – Proposed Plan • Attachment B – Public Notice “Tear Sheet” • Attachment C – Public Meeting Transcript • Attachment D – Written Comments Submitted During Public Comment Period LIST OF FIGURES: Figure 1 Site Location Map Figure 2 Eighteen Mile Creek Corridor Overview LIST OF TABLES: Table 1 Summary Exposure Point Concentrations for Chemicals of Concern Table 2 Selection of Exposure Pathways Table 3 Noncancer Toxicity Values Table 4 Cancer Toxicity Values Table 5 Cancer Toxicity Values – Oral/Dermal Cancer Slope Factors Table 6 Cancer Toxicity Values – Inhalation Unit Risk Factors Table 7 Calculated Cancer Risks and Noncancer Hazards Table 8 Cost Estimate Summary for the Selected Remedy Table 9 Chemical-Specific ARARs, TBCs, and Other Guidance Table 10 Location-Specific ARARs, TBCs, and Other Guidance Table 11 Action-Specific ARARs, TBCs, and Other Guidance iii US EPA Eighteen Mile Creek OU4 ROD PART 1 DECLARATION SITE NAME AND LOCATION Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site Niagara County, New York Superfund Site Identification Number: NYN000206456 Operable Unit: 04 STATEMENT OF BASIS AND PURPOSE This Record of Decision (ROD) documents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) selection of a remedy for Operable Unit 4 (OU4) of the Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site (Site), in Niagara County, New York, which is chosen in accordance with the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9675, and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 C.F.R. Part 300. This decision document explains the factual and legal basis for selecting the OU4 remedy. The attached index (see Appendix III) identifies the items that comprise the Administrative Record for this action, upon which the selected remedy is based. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was consulted on the proposed remedy in accordance with Section 121(f) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. § 9621(f), and concurs with the selected remedy (see Appendix IV). ASSESSMENT OF THE SITE Actual or threatened releases of hazardous substances from the Site, if not addressed by implementing the response action selected in this ROD, may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, welfare, or the environment. DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED REMEDY The selected remedy described in this document addresses a discrete portion of the Site involving contaminated soil at residential properties in the vicinity of the former Flintkote Company Plant (Flintkote) property in the City of Lockport, New York. This is the fourth remedial phase, or operable unit, for the Site, identified as OU4. The major components of the selected remedy for the contaminated soil at the residential properties in OU4 include the following: - Excavation of approximately 14,000 cubic yards (cy) of lead-contaminated soil that exceeds EPA’s cleanup levels, from approximately 28 properties in the vicinity of the Flintkote property; - Transportation of the contaminated soil off-site for proper disposal, with treatment as necessary; iv US EPA Eighteen Mile Creek OU4 ROD - Backfilling of the excavated areas with clean fill; - Restoration of the affected properties; and - Where necessary, the potential to offer short-term temporary relocation of residents during the cleanup of their properties, if excavation activities significantly impact their ability to access or use their residences. EPA’s studies to date have identified