COMMUNITY REIATIONS PLAN FOR THE WESTINGHOUSE ELEVATOR PLANT SUPERFUND SITE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Preparedly Dynamac Corporation * On March 5,1991 Under TESVm Contract No. 68-W9-0005 Work Assignment No. C03054 For additional information, contact Amy Barnett Office of Public Affairs UJS. Environmental Protection Agency 841 Chestnut Building Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215)597-6915 W.T WESTINGHOUSE ELEVATOR PLANT SITE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page PREFACE .............................................. 1 1.0 OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN ........ 2 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY ........................ 4 2.1 Site Location ....................................... 4 22 Site History ........................................ 4 3.0 COMMUNITY BACKGROUND ............................. 9 3.1 Community Profile ................................... 9 3.2 Chronology of Community Involvement ................... 9 33 Key Community Concerns .............................. 11 4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM ... 14 5.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS ACTIVinES AND TIMING ......... 16 APPENDICES A Contact List of Key Community Leaders and Interested Parties (excluding residents for privacy protection) ........................................ A-l B Locations for Public Meetings and Information Repository ..................................... B-l C Media List .............................................. C-l D Technical Assistance Grant Information ........................ D-l E Sample Fact Sheets ........................................ E-l F Glossary of Technical Terms ................................. F-l AR500023 EXHIBITS 1 Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site Location Map .................. 8 2 Timing Schedule for Community Relations Activities ............... 22 3 Steps in the Superfund Process ............................... 23 AR5GQQ21* PREFACE \ y This Community Relations Plan for the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Superfund Site was ^^ developed by Dynamac Corporation under Contract Number 68-W9-0005 (TES Vm), Work Assignment Number C03054, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region EL This Community Relations Plan is a working document that serves as a guide for communication with the community of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The activities and schedules recommended in this plan are based on current concerns the community identified during recent interviews. These concerns may change; when this occurs, different or additional community relations activities may be required to address these changes. This plan will be reviewed periodically and revised as needed. The goal of this Community Relations Plan is to establish meaningful communications between the community of Gettysburg and EPA. The activities designated in this Community Relations Plan will be conducted at the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site in order to promote a better understanding of site activities and encourage community involvement. Throughout this Community Relations Plan, technical terms will appear in bold type. These terms are defined in the Glossary of Technical Terms located in Appendix F. AR500025 SECTION 1 OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNIT- RELATIONS PLAN This Community Relations Plan identifies issues of community concern and interest related to the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site located in Gettysburg, Cumberland Township, Pennsylvania. This Community Relations Plan outlines community relations activities to be conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during remedial activities at the Site. Some of these activities are conducted as required by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. All are tailored to address the needs of the community affected by the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site. The program outlined hi this plan is designed to inform the public about the progress of EPA activities at the Site and give the public an opportunity to participate in the Superfund process. This Plan also updates community concerns and activities outlined for the Site in the EPA (EBASCO Services Inc., Consultants) Community Relations Plan prepared in February 1987. Community concern about the Site was high at the time the initial contamination was discovered in 1983. Community interest has leveled off in recent years as the immediate threat from the contamination has been addressed. The community relations activities planned for this Site should inform the community about the Superfund process with specific emphasis on how this applies to the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site. These activities should consider the fact that there are two other Superfund Sites, Shriver's Corner and Hunterstown Road, located in close proximity to the Westinghouse Site. This Community Relations Plan is divided into the following sections: SITE DESCRIPTION Included in this section is historical, geographical, and technical information about the Site. COMMUNITY BACKGROUND The background of the community surrounding the Site and specific concerns they have expressed are described in this section. OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN Objectives developed for this community relations program to address the specific concerns of the community are listed hi this section. AR500026 COMMUNITY RELATIONS ACTIVITIES AND TIMING This section specifies the types of community relations activities that will be conducted at the Site and indicates when these activities will be conducted. APPENDICES The appendices provide names, addresses, and telephone numbers for: Federal, State and local officials; the information repository and public meeting places; a glossary of technical terms that have been highlighted throughout the body of the Community Relations Plan; and local media that may be used for the dissemination of site-specific information. Appendix D provides Technical Assistance Grant information. The information in this plan is based primarily on interviews EPA staff conducted during September and December 1990 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Interviews were held with residents from Straban and Cumberland Townships, local officials from Gettysburg, Adams County, Cumberland and Straban Townships, the state representative and senator for Adams County, and an aide from U.S. Congressman Goodling's Office. Site specific documents used in preparing this Community Relations Plan include: EPA (Dynamac Corporation, Consultants) Work Plan, Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Compliance Oversight, (June 16, 1989); EPA (Paul C Rizzo Associates, Inc., Consultants) Phase I Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Report, (June 12, 1989) and other documents provided by the EPA Remedial Project Manager for the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site. These documents provided information necessary for the Site description section of this Community Relations Plan. The EPA Region .m Office mgint?in$ lead responsibility for managing the Superfund remedial process at the Site. EPA Region m also maintains lead responsibility for the community relations activities at the Site. AR500027 SECTION 2 SITE DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY 2.1 SITE LOCATION The Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site is situated on an 85 acre site located on the west side of Biglerville Road approximately 1.5 miles north of Gettysburg in Cumberland Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, (see Exhibit 1). The manufacturing plant, located at the Site, was constructed and began producing elevators and escalators in 1963. The area immediately surrounding the site is partially rural with some residential development, light industry and farming. 22 SITE HISTORY During the elevator and escalator manufacturing processes conducted at the plant on the Site, Westinghouse used solvents to degrease thin coatings of oil applied to bare metal surfaces to prevent rusting. Westinghouse removed this coating prior to painting and assembly operations. The primary solvent used during this degreasing process was trichloroethene (TCE). In 1975,1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) replaced TCE as the primary degreasing solvent Westinghouse stored solvent drums shipped to the plant for future use in an area near the loading dock. At times, these drums allegedly leaked during the handling and storage procedures at the loading dock. Based on reports from local residents, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PADER) initiated an investigation in August 1983 of alleged environmental problems possibly related to the Westinghouse Elevator Plant Site. Due to the nature of the manufacturing procedure at the plant, PADER conducted ground water, surface water and soil sampling at the Site to check for possible contamination. Preliminary testing by PADER in August 1983 revealed the presence: of trichloroethene (TCE) in nearby surface water. In September 1983, EPA, along with PADER and Westinghouse, collected ground water samples from the Westinghouse Plant irrigation well and several nearby residential wells. Chemical analysis of these samples revealed the presence of organic compounds in the ground water samples collected near the plant. This information prompted PADER to routinely sample residential wells in the area until alternative water supplies could be provided. Westinghouse assumed responsibility for providing the alternative water supplies and began conducting its own sampling to help determine the extent of contamination at the Site and where it was originating. In September 1983, Westinghouse performed tests