Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August2003 Volume I of X Text and Tables U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Wod< Ass-ig:nm e_nt Noa 94-1.RJC0-06ZZ CDlt 8140 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 1000 Dallas, Texas 75231 tel: 214 346-2800 fax: 214 696-5373 August 29, 2003 Mr. John Meyer Remedial Project Manager U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, Project Management Section (6SF-LP) 1445 Ross Avenue Dallas, Texas 5202 Subject: Calcasieu Estuary - Final Remedial Investigation Report Deliverable Dear Mr. Meyer: Enclosed are three copies of the Calcasieu Estuary Final Remedial Investigation Report deliverable. Each copy consists of text pages, Tables, Figures and document covers/ spines revised per our meeting on Monday August 25. Document revisions were in response to comments received during public review. Revised sections include the Executive Summary, Sections 7, 8, 10 and 15, Tables 2-1, 7-2 and 10-2, and Figures 2-5 and 7-2. Three sets of electronic copies (compact disk copies) are also attached. The revised sections have been linked, and these copies replace the Draft Final electronic copies. If you have any questions regarding this deliverable, please feel free to call me at (214) 346- 2874. We look forward to continuing our support to EPA on this work assignment. ~.,-r,~4e~ry ITUtruol .your·S., Mitchell S. G 10r Project Manager cc: Project File 3282-941-CO-EPOU-17203 consulting· engineering . construction , operations Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August2003 Executive Summary U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work A•signmenl No.: 9U-RIC0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY v REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUMEIOFX TEXT AND TABLES ' Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 Volu1n e II of X figures U.S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Assis 11,nient No.: 94t-R1C0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME II OF X FIGURES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 Volume Ill of X Figures U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Assign111enl No.: 941-RlC0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME III OF X FIGURES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 Volume JV of X Figures U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Ass,gmnent No.: 941 -RIC0-0622 FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME IV OF X FIGURES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana FinaJ Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 VolumeVofX Appendices U.S. EPA Co ntract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Assignment No.: 941-RIC0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUMEVOFX APPENDICES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 Volum e VI of X Appendices U.S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Worl< Assignment No.: 941-RIC0--06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY . REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME VI OF X APPENDICES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial In vestigation Report August 2003 Volume VII of X Appendices U.S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work A'ISignment No.: 941-RlCQ.06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME VII OF X APPENDICES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report Augus t 2003 Volun1e VlIJ of X Appendices U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Assig.nment No.: 941-RJC0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME VIII OF X APPENDICES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August 2003 Volume IX of X Appendices U. S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Work Assignment No.: 941-R1C0--06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUME IX OF X APPENDICES Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation Lake Charles, Louisiana Final Remedial Investigation Report August2003 Volume X of X Appendices U.S. EPA Contract No. 68-WS-0022 Wod< Assigmuent No.: 941-R!C0-06ZZ FINAL CALCASIEU ESTUARY REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT LAKE CHARLES, LA VOLUMEXOFX APPENDICES Executive Summary • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI committed funding during 1999 under the EPA' s Region VIII Response Action Contract (RAC) to conduct a remedial investigation (RI) portion of a RI/ feasibility study (FS) for the Calcasieu Estuary in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. The RI was authorized to investigate the potential for impact to human health and the environment resulting from documented uncontrolled releases of organic and inorganic contaminants to the Calcasieu Estuary. This report is the result of three years of site characterization, data evaluation, technical analysis, and reporting, through the cooperation of numerous federal and state agencies, including EPA, and EPA's contractor COM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. This executive summary contains 15 sections that summarize the background and history (Section ES-1 and ES-2), the RI planning and implementation phases of work (Section ES-3 and ES-4), data evaluation and analysis for the reference area and four specific areas of concern (AOCs) (Section ES-5 through ES-11), summaries of the ecological and human health risk assessments (Section ES-12 through 14), and overall summary and conclusions (Section ES-15). Tables and figures that support the discussion are included in the text. ES-1 Introduction • ES-1.1 General The Calcasieu Estuary is located in the southwestern corner of Louisiana, predominately in Township 10 South, Range 9 West (Figure ES-1). The study area covers approximately 50 square kilometers (km2) of the Calcasieu River basin, and extends from a constructed saltwater barrier on the Calcasieu River north of the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana south to Moss Lake, approximately 24 km south of Lake Charles. The estuary is created by saltwater migrating north from the Gulf of Mexico via the Calcasieu River Ship Channel and freshwater draining toward the Gulf from numerous inland rivers, bayous, and lakes. The estuary supports a diverse aquatic ecosystem, which is surrounded by a typical industrialized city. As noted above, the RI/FS process for the Calcasieu Estuary was initiated by EPA Region VI under EPA's Region VIII Response Action Contract (RAC) No. 68-W5-0022, Work Assignment No. 941-RICO-06ZZ. EPA is addressing threats to human health and the environment related to uncontrolled releases of organic and inorganic chemicals to the estuary under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, and the National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). CERCLA provides the federal government with authority to develop Jong-term solutions for those sites that pose unacceptable levels of risk to human and ecological receptors and CDf./1 ES-1 • 3282-941-FITZ-RUHZ-13707 Executive Summa,y • Calcasieu Estuary R//FS to arrange for the restoration of damaged natural resources and determine distribution of cost of the actions to potentially responsible parties through cost recovery. It is important to note, however, that the Calcasieu Estuary is not a Superfund site by virtue of listing on the National Priorities List (NPL). Instead, CERCLA provisions allow for sites to progress through, but not beyond, the RI/FS process without a Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score ES-1.2 Objectives of the RI The RI objectives were: • Define the nature and extent of chemical contamination in sediment, surface water, and biota within the Calcasieu Estuary • Estimate the risk to ecological and human risk receptors in the Calcasieu Estuary To meet these objectives, the RI included two phases of investigation, and ecological and human health risk assessments, as described in Section ES-4. The human health risk assessment estimated risk to residential, commercial/ industrial worker, and recreational user populations, as discussed in Section ES-14. The ecological risk assessment used a weight of evidence approach including, hazard quotients, sediment • quality triad data, and food chain modeling to estimate potential risk to ecological receptors (Section ES-13). ES-1.3 Site History and Historical Site Characterization Industrial development dominates much land within and around the Calcasieu Estuary. This development dates back to the late 1800s and is directly related to improvements of the Calcasieu River and subsequently the Calcasieu River Ship Channel. Major industry, including chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining companies first appeared in the Calcasieu Parish vicinity during the early 1920s, with the discovery of nearby petroleum and natural gas reserves. In 1938, Calcasieu River was expanded to include an inland ship channel from Lake Charles to the Gulf of Mexico. World War II and post-war years were a catalyst for further industrial development in the Calcasieu Estuary. Abundant raw materials, like crude oil and natural gas, coupled with acreage,