COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN Tennessee Products Superfund Site Chattanooga, Tennessee February 2019 5 55 UJ CD V. U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION IV : yy?y>iyiA Approved by Date: ^ ^ ! I'" 11116207 The S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund Community Involvement Progr,-\m is committed TO PROMOTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CITIZENS AND THE AGENCY. Active public involvement is crucial to the success of any public project. EP.A'S COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES AT THE Tennessee Products Superfund Site ARE DESIGNED TO Inform the public of the nature of the environmental issues associated with the site. Involve the public in the decision-making process that will affect them. Involve the public in the responses under consideration to remedy these issues, and Inform the public of the progress being made to implement the remedy. Table of Contents Section Page 1.0 Overview of the Community Involvement Plan....................................................................... 4 2.0 Capsule Site Description...............................................................................................................5 2.1 Site History........................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Site Description Location....................................................................................................7 2.3 Site Inspectionsand Cleanup .Activities........................................................................... 10 3.0 Community Background............................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Community Profile............................................................................................................. 12 3.2 Histoiy of Community Involvement................................................................................15 3.3 Key Community Concerns................................................................................................ 15 3.4 Response to Community Concerns..................................................................................15 3.5 Summaiy of Communication Needs................................................................................15 4.0 EP.A's Community Involvement Program................................................................................16 4.1 Tlie Plan............................................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Time Frame Summaiy for Community Involvement .Activities..................................21 .Appendices: .A EP.A Regional Contacts................................................................................................................22 B Local OlTicials.............................................................................................................................. 23 C State Officials................................................................................................................................ 25 D Federal Elected Officials..............................................................................................................26 E Potentially Responsible PiU'ties...................................................................................................27 F Media Contacts.............................................................................................................................28 G Meeting Locations........................................................................................................................30 H Repositoiy Location..................................................................................................................... 31 I Other Local Resources.................................................................................................................32 J Fact Sheets..................................................................................................................................... 33 Figures: 1 Site Community Map.................................................................................................................... 8 2 Regional Map................................................................................................................................. 9 3 State Map.......................................................................................................................................10 4 EJ Screen Map..............................................................................................................................14 Tennessee Products Community Involvement Plan Page 3 February 2019 Section 1.0 Overview of the C'ommunitv Involvement Plan Tlie EPA developed this Community Involvement Phin (CIP) to tacilitate two-way communication between the community suirounding the Tennessee Products Superfund Site (Site) and the EPA and to encourage community involvement in Site remediation activities. Tlie EPA will utilize the community involvement activities outlined in this plan to inlbnn iu*ea residents about the Site iind provide opportunities for community involvement. Tills CIP addresses the Site's relationship to the community and the EP.A (Section 2.0). provides a description of the community (Section 3.0). presents the EP.A's community involvement program (Section 4.0). and provides a listing of resources available (.Appendices). Tlie EP.A drew upon several information sources to develop this plan, including community interviews and Site files. Tlie EP.A's Regional OtTice will oversee the implementation of the community involvement activities outlined in this Plan. Tennessee Products Community Involvement Plan Page 4 February 2019 Section 2.0 Capsule Site Description 2.1 Site History The Site includes an approximate 2.5-mile section of Chattanooga Creek that contained sediments contaminated primarily with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). During the last several decades, a coke plant complex (formerly called Chattanooga Coke and Chemical) and adjacent industrial facilities were owned and operated by various entities. The nature of operations and waste disposal practices led to the contamination of sediments in Chattanooga Creek. The Chattanooga Coke and Chemical facility operated a coal carbonization facility near the creek from 1918 to 1995, and the Reilly Tar property produced coal tar products from 1921 to 1976. The tar products were made from the by-products of coke production at the coke plant. In 1976, Velsicol purchased a parcel near Reilly Tar and Chemical. The original facility at the Velsicol main plant site was constructed in 1948 by the Tennessee Products Corporation to expand toluene chlorination operations from the adjacent coke plant. Velsicol purchased the facility from Tennessee Products in 1963. At the time of the purchase, various chemicals were being produced at the plant. The Southern Wood Piechnont wood treatment facility operated from 1925 until 1988. It is located in the middle course of the creek below the 38* Street Bridge. Up until 1940, wastewater from the facility was discharged directly into the creek. Later this wastewater was channeled into a wetland adjacent to the creek and ultimately into a municipal sewer line. The coke production processes at the coke plant over its 82+ year history have led to the environmental problems in nearby areas, including Chattanooga Creek. Coal carbonization removes gases from coal by heating. This process changes coal to coke, which is used for industrial purposes. The off-gases were used for residential heating and lighting. A typical coke oven produced 80% coke, 12% coke-oven gases, 3% coal tar (containing primarily phenols, naphthalene, and other various PAHs), and 1% light oils (such as benzene, toluene, and xylene). The waste handling procedures used by the coke plant over its history are uncertain. However, uncontrolled dumping of coal tar wastes off-site was apparently a procedure used at one time as is indicated by the discovery of the Chattanooga Creek Tar Deposit and the Hamill Road Dumps. In December 1993, the EPA conducted a search for other coal tar waste deposits along the floodplain of Chattanooga Creek between 38th Street and Hooker Road Bridge, on the west side of the Creek, but no additional sites were found. The EPA placed the Site on the Superlund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 1995 due to contaminated groundwater, sediment, soil, and surface water resulting from operations at the facilities. To minimize risks posed by the contaminants to human health and the environment, a remedy was chosen that consisted of a combination of the following: excavation, stabilization, treatment, recycling, off-site disposal, and stream restoration. During the first phase of removal, emphasis was placed on waste-to-Iuel recycling of the excavated and stabilized sediments. Due to changing economic conditions and associated cost constraints, the second phase of remedial Tennessee Products Community Involvement Plan Page 5 February 2019 work opted for chemical stabilization and off-site disposal of the excavated sediments instead of recycling. Tennessee Products Community Involvement Plan Page 6 February 2019 2.2 Site Description/Location The 2.5-mile section of Chattanooga Creek included in the Site is located in an urban industrial and residential area immediately west of downtown Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, in the Chattanooga Valley. Chattanooga