RONALD To Leah Evison, Joan Tanaka, THOMAS SHORT MURAWSKI/R5/USEPA/US cc Mary Canavan 03/31/2009 07:17 AM bcc Subject CF/WATER LETTER TO LISA JACKSON Leah Joan, and Tom, in the attached letter, CF/WATER makes it clear to Lisa Jackson that it prefers an excavation remedy at the Tremont City Barrel Fill Site. R5XEFK)X.,[email protected] [email protected] 03/30/2009 02:05 PM Please respond to To RONALD MURAWSKI/R5/USEPA/US@EPA [email protected] cc Subject Scan from a Xerox WorkCentre Plsase Z'pen the attached document, It was scanned and sent to you using a Xero>; l^or kCent re . Seit hy: [[email protected]] At t;d;:hn:ent Tile Type: PDF Wc t:k "eri re Location: R0605 De;'i::e K ame: R5XER0X R0605 7 665C Sc.anOm.PDF EPA Region 6 Records Ctr. 363590 CF/WATER Lisa Jackson, Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20460 RE: Tremont City Barrel Fill Operable Unit Superfund Alternative Site, Clark County, Ohio Dear Administrator Jackson: I am the cun^enl Chairman of Citizens For Wise Action Toward Environmental Resources (CF/Water). Our group is a grass roots organization that has existed for more than 25 years. Our initial puipose was to gather information and attempt to prompt government responses to a chemical landfill in our community where approximately 50,000 dmms of chemical waste and thousands of gallons of uncontained waste were buried. During that time we also devoted significant effort and financial resources to prevent the establishment of a new, larger (10 fold larger) solid waste landfill from being constructed on property adjacent to the existing chemical landfill. We hired a well-known environmental consulting company to research the area and to aid us in our effort to prevent the new landfill. Fortunately, our efforts have been successful to date. Our consultant did establish critical information about the geology of the site that showed it was not a suitable site for any landfill. In 1984 and again in 1997, we petitioned US EPA to evaluate the Tremont City Landfill Site. The overall Site consists of the chemical landfill, a fomner hazardous waste transfer facility and a closed solid waste landfill. In 1997, my predecessors Dr. Martin Cook and Maynard Amstutz, along with other members of CF/Water, Senator Mike DeWine and Congressman Dave Hobson, met with US EPA Administrator Carol Browner. Ms. Browner assured the group that the site would be properly addressed. After that, US EPA, in conjunction with the USGS, perfonned an extensive investigation which identified releases from the chemical landfill and the solid waste landfill. However, neither the overall site, nor the chemical waste landfill, has ever been listed on the National Priorities List (NPL), Instead, US EPA separated out the chemical landfill site and worked out a settlement with siomie of the Responsible Parties (RP), now known as Responsible Environmental Solutions Mliance (RESA), under the Superfund Alternative Sites (SAS) approach. oince CF/Water is in communication and a member of other environmental groups; I do receive numerous e-mails and correspondence from around the country. Recently, I was forwarded a copy of the Michigan Messenger, in ttiat publication was an article about the Dow Chemical dioxin site in Michigan and your decision to review the SAS approach there. CF/Water members are very tiustrated with Uie complexity and lengthy SAS process at the Tremont City Ban-el Fill Site. While we have had access to a very competent technical advisor (Blase Leven of Kansas State University) ttirough the US EPA's Technical Outreach Services for Communities (TOSC) program, vne feel we have been excluded from meaningful input into the decisions regarding tiie Site since f/lr. Leven is constrained by budget concems from Region 5. In fact, this week, I asked the CFMater membership to authorize the expenditure of funds from our treasury to finance t^avel expenses to Mr. Leven if necessary. While I feel ttiat for the most part, Ron Murawski and Patti Krause have communicated well witti me; ttie flow of infomation is very slow. Also, all documents and con-espondence are considered by the US EPA to be preliminary in nature and therefore (^nfidential until the US EPA issues a final decision on them. It appears to CF/Water, after receiving a copy of US EPA's approval with modifications of ttie F"easibility Study (FS) for the Barrel Fill Site ttiat a remedy may be selected soon. I, along witti Clark County Combined Health District Commissioner, Charles Patterson, recentiy meet witti RESA at ttieir request and it is clear ttiat ttiey do not intend to agree to any type of drum removal remedy. In fact, at ttiat meeting on February 19,2009, ttiey presented a new remedy "Alternative" which flies in ttie face of even ttieir own experf s opinron. Witti ttie advent of a whole new remedy on such short notice and ttie fact ttiat Mr. Leven was denied attending ttie 2-29-09 meeting due to budget resti-ains, I am very concerned ttiat ttiis new Altemative and ttie apparent refusal of RESA to agree to any of ttie ttiree (3) removal Alternatives prevent ttie ultimate remedy in being effective in protecting ttie environment and human healtti in Clark County and ttie sun-ounding area. I have not had ttie opportunity or do not have ttie expertise to understand ttie huge volume of wori< presented by US EPA and RESA; I do not feel ttiat leaving 50,000 + rusting, corroding and deteriorating drums of chemical wastes in ttie ground over one of ttie largest aquifers in ttie county could possibly be ttie bestmettiod of protecting ttie ground and sub-surface water, sfa-eams and community at large. It makes more sense to CF/Water ttiat ttiis problem is addressed now before it becomes a much larger and more expensive problem if there is any more and larger release of contaminants from ttie Barrel Fill Site. Water is one of our most precious commodities, it is vital to any communities' existence. After I read about your attention and commitment to ttie Dow Chemical site in Michigan, I felt ttiat you would give ttie Tremont City Landfill Site ttie same scrutiny. Again, I do not pretend to understand ttie entire SAS process, but I do feel ttiat witti ttie sudden advent of ttiis new Altemative and wittiout ttie time to have our TOSC advisor examine all ttie relevant material, we will have a remedy ttiat will cause catasfr'ophic results in flie long term. I have been advised by US EPA ttiat ttie Public Review period may commence in July of ttiis year; hopefully, we will have clear and understandable information for ttie general public to read and understand so ttiat an effective remedy can be instituted at ttie Tremont City Site. Sincerely, Jeff Briner, Chaimian, CFA/Vater 2520 Knobs End Court Springfield, Ohio 45502 Home Phone 937-325-8522 Office " 937-322-3459 Cell " 937-206-7331 ieffbriner@bizwoh .n-.com CC: Carol Browner, Ass't. to President for Energy and Climate Change Shen-od Brown, Senator, US Senate Steve Austria, Congressman, US House Charles Patterson, Healtti Commissioner, CCCHD Ron Murawski, US EPA Region 5 Kelly Kaletski, Ohio EPA SWDO .