EPA Region 5 Records Ctr. 299602 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Involvement Plan Envirochem Site Boone County, Indiana December 2007 v=xEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Involvement Plan Envirochem Site Boone County, Indiana December 2007 Introduction This community involvement plan for the Envirochem site was prepared by the U S Envu-onmental Protection Agency. It provides background information on the site and aCti i ca s progresrast at tthhe tsite , annd to encourage community involvement during the sit e cleanup°'- . This CIP also discusses the concerns of nearby residents regarding the site and ways for EPA to address then. The information in this p.an is based primarily on discussions with residents and local officials in November 2007. Site Description Location and Site Features The Envirochem site is approximately 6 acres located on the east side of U.S Highway 421 1 16 111 diana R Ute 32 WeSt fN rthside Sanitar Landfi11 abouaboTsT,t 5 mile s "nort ' TKh of Zionsvill^ °?e in Boon°e County, Indiana ° ° . The surroundiny g area ' i»<s largeli ' y mral with some rmxed commercial development. It is bordered on the east by the Norths de Landfil, on the south by Fin.ey Creek, on the west by Route 421, and on the s'outh by *e EnvKo-Chem Th.rd site. To the west of Route 421 is pastureland for a commercial horse breeding facility. Approximately 50 people live within 1 mile of the site. Site Background History and Cleanup Progress Envirochem Corp. owned and operated a waste storage and recycling business at the site from 1977 until 1982, when it was closed under a court order obtained by the State. While in operation, waste such as resins, paint sludge, waste oils and flammable solvents were received in drums and tanks and stored onsite. Poor operations and maintenance practices along with several chemical spills led Indiana Department of Environmental Management and EPA to investigate the site. These practices included onsite accumulation and unauthorized discharge of contaminated storm water, poor management of drum inventory, unapproved burning of chlorinated hydrocarbons, and other solvents. More than 20,000 drums and 400,000 gallons of waste remained on the location when Envirochem Corp. went into bankruptcy in 1982. Additionally, contaminated underground and aboveground storage tanks and wastewater in holding ponds were present. In addition, a rainstorm caused a waste pond to overflow into an unnamed ditch onsite and then to Finley Creek. In 1985, the State noted that runoff from the site enters the Eagle Creek Reservoir via Finley Creek. The city of Indianapolis uses the Eagle Creek Reservoir for part of its drinking water supply. Using a negotiated agreement called a consent decree in 1983 and 1984, EPA and a group of 254 parties whom EPA has determined may be legally responsible for the site's contamination removed and treated waste from onsite storage tanks as well as 5,650 cubic yards of soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds (contaminants that evaporate into the air easily), PCBs, phenols, phthalates and installed a fence around the property. Bulk tanks and treating water from cooling ponds were removed in addition to over 3,000 drums of waste and 167,000 gallons of liquid waste from tanks. EPA also removed two underground storage tanks, cleaned and disposed of bulk storage tanks and miscellaneous piping, and placed a clay cap on the surface of the site. The holding pond was drained and capped, and the pond water was sent offsite to an approved facility for treatment. The entire site was then covered with soil and seeded, and drainage channels were set up to control rainwater that runs onto the site. In 1985, EPA installed a sump and collected over 20,000 gallons of ground water contaminated with high levels of VOCs and heavy metals, including barium, lead, and nickel. In 1987, EPA selected installation of a permanent cap over the site and a system to pump and treat contaminated ground water as the preferred cleanup strategy. In 1991, EPA amended the selected plan to include soil vapor extraction rather than ground water collection and treatment, and the SVE system was approved in 1997. This 1997 cleanup plan was constructed in 1998 by the parties responsible for the pollution under a court order negotiated with EPA and IDEM. The responsible parties predicted the SVE system would need to operate for about two years before cleanup standards were met, but the 1997 SVE system was never able to meet those standards. The SVE system was shut down and cleanup standards have not been met. In 2003, EPA completed a five-year review of the cleanup at the site and concluded additional work was needed to collect and treat VOC-contaminated ground water by use of a collection trench at the site perimeter. EPA, IDEM and the trustees representing the responsible parties for the site negotiated modifications to a trench system, discussed in the consent decree as "additional work," including installing additional SVE trenches. The new trenches will be connected to the existing SVE system. This strategy should capture and treat the most mobile contaminants. The trench system will be reinforced with a barrier wall, and any polluted underground water that makes it to the barrier wall when the SVE system is not running will be routed through a special gate that will treat remaining contamination. The barrier wall and permeable gate will collect and treat slower-moving pollutants. The changes are detailed in an EPA document called explanation of significant differences. The ESD was signed in September 2006. Design of the additional work is complete, and a modification to the consent decree has been drafted to require its implementation. Court approval of the action is expected in late 2007. EPA is conducting a second five-year review for the remedy that is scheduled to be completed in March 2008. Contaminants The Envirochem site is contaminated with VOCs, heavy metals, PCBs, phenols and phthalates. The mobile contaminants such as VOCs are currently found in the ground water and soil and if nothing is done, are moving toward the unnamed ditch and Finley Creek that lead to potential drinking water supplies. People could be exposed to contaminants by coming into direct contact with or accidentally swallowing contaminated ground water or soil. Liability EPA and IDEM investigated the Envirochem site because of contaminated storm water stored onsite, poor drum inventory management, and several spills. The State pursued Envirochem for violations of the Environmental Management Act, the Air Pollution Control Law, and the Stream Pollution Control Law, resulting in a July 1981 consent decree approved by the Boone County Circuit Court. That Court imposed a civil penalty against Envirochem and placed Envirochem into receivership. In May 1982, Envirochem was ordered by the court to close and environmentally secure the site for failure to reduce hazardous waste inventories. By August 1982, Envirochem was found to be insolvent. EPA has been working on and studying the site since 1983 when it removed storage tanks, treated waste and installed a fence around the property. The site is so polluted, however, that it remained a threat. The location was added to the National Priorities List in 1983. The NPL is a roster of the nation's most polluted areas eligible for cleanup under EPA's Superfund program. A consent decree was negotiated in September 1983 between EPA, the state of Indiana, and 254 potentially responsible parties, which included establishing a fund to finance the removal work that EPA began. The parties also agreed to perform the surface cleanup work at the site. Community Background The site lies within Union Township in Boone County. The 2000 Census showed the population of Boone County to be 46,107, and the population of Zionsville (nearest town to the site) to be 8,775. Union Township's 2000 population was 2,014 with 693 households, an 18 percent increase from its 1990 population of 1,707. In 2000, Union Township had a total of 1,031 males and 983 females. The origin of race in Union Township is represented by the following: white, 98.1 percent; black, 0.4 percent; American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, 0.6 percent; Asian or Pacific Islander, 0.5 percent; and other race, 0.1 percent. A small residential community, Northfield, is 0.25 mile north/northwest of the site. The nearest residence is 600 feet from the site, and approximately 50 residences are within 1 mile of the site. The Northfield Community Church, along with several residences owned by the site's private owner's family, border the site. The site is closed for business and inaccessible to the public; therefore, cleanup workers are the only people onsite. Community Issues and Concerns To learn more about residents' and communities' concerns and issues regarding the site, EPA held several community interviews on November 8 and 9, 2007. EPA talked with residents and local officials and asked them about various issues related to the site's contamination and cleanup, the community involvement process, what they thought was working and not working, and how the community involvement process could be improved. Summary of Community Interviews Fifteen residents, local officials and county health officials were interviewed. Most of the residents interviewed live near the Envirochem site. Local residents with whom EPA spoke demonstrated a strong awareness and interest in the site. Many of the interviewees have been longtime residents and neighbors of the site and are aware of the site's history as well as EPA's involvement with the site. The residents interviewed were concerned about their property, understood the issues and wanted accurate and timely information.