[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 159 (Thursday, August 15, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42404-42407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20589]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 300
[FRL-5552-6]
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan;
National Priorities List
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Delete Alcoa (Vancouver Smelter) NPL Site
from the National Priorities List Update: Request for Comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces
its intent to delete the Alcoa (Vancouver Smelter) NPL Site from the
National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this
proposed action. The NPL constitutes Appendix B of 40 CFR part 300
which is the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution
Contingency Plan (NCP), which EPA promulgated pursuant to Section 105
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. EPA and the State of
Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) have determined that the
Site poses no significant threat to public health or the environment
and, therefore, further remedial measures pursuant to CERCLA are not
appropriate.
DATES: Comments concerning this Site may be submitted on or before
September 16, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Lynda Priddy, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Mail Stop ECL-113, Seattle,
Washington 98101.
Comprehensive information on this Site is available through Ecology
which is available for viewing at the Alcoa Site information
repositories at the following locations:
Fort Vancouver Regional Library, Main Branch, 1007 East Mill Plain
Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98633
Washington Department of Ecology, Industrial Section, 2404 Chandler
Court SW, Suite 200, Olympia, WA 98502.
The deletion docket for the deletion of the Alcoa Site is available
through EPA at the following locations:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 6th Street,
Records Center, Seattle, WA 98115
Fort Vancouver Regional Library, Main Branch, 1007 East Mill Plain
Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98633.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynda Priddy, U.S. EPA Region 10, 1200
Sixth Avenue, Mail Stop: ECL-113, Seattle, Washington 98101, (206) 553-
1987.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis of Intended Site Deletion
I. Introduction
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces its
intent to
[[Page 42405]]
delete a site from the National Priorities List (NPL) Appendix B of the
National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR
Part 300, and requests comments on this deletion. EPA identifies sites
on the NPL that appear to present a significant risk to human health or
the environment. As described in Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP, sites
deleted from the NPL remain eligible for federal Fund-financed remedial
actions or state action under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) in
the unlikely event that conditions at the site warrant such actions.
EPA plans to delete the Alcoa (Vancouver Smelter) Site (``Site'')
at 5701 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver, Washington, from the NPL.
EPA will accept comments on the plan to delete this Site for thirty
days after publication of this document in the Federal Register.
Section II of this document explains the criteria for deleting
sites from the NPL. Section III discusses procedures that EPA is using
for this action. Section IV discusses the Alcoa (Vancouver Smelter) NPL
Site and explains how the Site meets the deletion criteria.
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
Section 300.425(e) of the NCP provides that ``releases'' (sites)
may be deleted from, or recategorized on the NPL where no further
response is appropriate. In making a determination to delete a site
from the NPL, EPA shall consider, in consultation with the state,
whether any of the following criteria have been met:
(i) Responsible parties or other parties have implemented all
appropriate response actions required;
(ii) All appropriate Fund-financed responses under CERCLA have been
implemented, and no further action by responsible parties is
appropriate, or
(iii) The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses
no significant threat to public health or the environment and,
therefore, taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
Even if a site is deleted from the NPL, where hazardous substances,
pollutants or contaminants remain at the site above levels that allow
for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure, EPA's policy is that a
subsequent review of the site will be conducted at least every five
years after the initiation of the remedial action at the site to ensure
that the site remains protective of human health and the environment.
In the case of the Alcoa Site, hazardous substances remain at the Site
above health-based levels, therefore, access to the Site has been
restricted, deed restrictions and institutional controls have been
imposed, groundwater monitoring and periodic five-year reviews will be
required. In addition, in the event that there is a significant release
from a site deleted from the NPL, the site may be restored to the NPL
without application of the Hazard Ranking System.
III. Deletion Procedures
The following procedures have been used for the intended deletion
of this Site: (1) Ecology has issued a Preliminary Close Out Report
(PCOR) which documented the completion of remedial activities; (2)
Ecology has issued a letter certifying that no further remedial action
is expected and that the remedy is protective of human health and the
environment; (3) EPA has concurred with Ecology's finding that the
remedy is protective of human health and the environment; (4) Ecology
has concurred with the proposed deletion decision; (5) A notice has
been published in the local newspaper and distributed to appropriate
federal, state, and local officials and other interested parties
announcing the commencement of a 30-day public comment period on EPA's
Notice of Intent to Delete; and, (6) All relevant documents have been
made available for public review in the local Site information
repositories.
Deletion of the Site from the NPL does not in itself, create, alter
or revoke any individual rights or obligations. The NPL is designed
primarily for informational purposes to assist Agency management. As
mentioned in section II of this document, 40 CFR 300.425 (e)(3) states
that deletion of a site from the NPL does not preclude eligibility for
future federal Fund-financed response actions or future actions under
the state's MTCA.
EPA's Regional Office will accept and evaluate public comments on
the EPA's Notice of Intent to Delete before making a final decision.
The Agency will prepare a Responsiveness Summary if any significant
public comments are received.
A deletion occurs when the Regional Administrator places a final
action in the Federal Register. Generally, the NPL will reflect
deletions in the final update following the Notice. Public notices and
copies of the Responsiveness Summary will be placed in the local
repositories and made available to local residents by the Regional
Office.
IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion
The following site summary provides the Agency's rationale for the
intention to delete the Site from the NPL.
A. Site Background
The Alcoa Site in located in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington,
approximately three miles northwest of downtown Vancouver, Washington
and approximately 300 to 500 feet north of the Columbia River. The site
is found at the southeastern corner of the VANALCO smelter complex
located at 5701 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver. The site has been used
for industrial purposes since World War II and is currently zoned for
heavy industry. The area is changing from a mixture of agriculture and
heavy industry to commercial and heavy industry. The site consists of
three waste piles, contaminated soil under waste piles and subsurface
contaminated strata and groundwater.
The Alcoa facility has produced aluminum since 1940 using the Hall-
Heroult electrolytic cell process. The process is an electrochemical
reduction reaction in which aluminum oxide is dissolved in a bath of
molten salts (cryolite) at a temperature of 1760 degrees. An electric
current is passed through the cell causing the reduction of alumina to
aluminum. The entire process occurs in a steel shell or pot that is
lined with insulation material and carbon, known as potlining.
In order to retain the purity of the molten aluminum and the
structural integrity of the cell, the molten aluminum and cryolite
mixture must be kept isolated from the steel shell of the pot. Over
time, the carbon lining materials become impregnated with the molten
cryolite solution, eventually threatening the integrity of the steel
and carbon shell. The pot is drained and the carbon and insulation
materials replaced. The carbon that is removed from failed pots, is
known as spent potlining. Spent potlining consists of carbon, fluoride,
aluminuma and sodium, with minor amounts of calcium, silica, iron and
cyanide and is a listed (K088) dangerous waste.
B. History
* Early 1950's-1973: Spent pot lining was shipped off-site to the
Reynolds Aluminum Plant in Livingston, Washington and recycled.
* 1973-1981: Pot liner waste piles were formed on site. They were
not covered and were exposed to normal precipitation. Fluoride and
cyanide leached out of the exposed pot liner and contaminated soils and
ground water below the piles.
* 1977: Alcoa installed nine shallow monitoring wells in the
vicinity of the three waste piles. Sampling of these wells discovered
groundwater contamination.
[[Page 42406]]
* 1978, 1981: The piles were covered with plastic and clean sand.
* 1986: As a result of increasing cyanide in the monitoring wells,
Ecology ordered Alcoa to conduct a program to assess the groundwater
contamination at the site and to evaluate potential cleanup actions.
* 1987: Alcoa submitted to Ecology a Remedial Investigation and
Feasibility Report. The investigation revealed that the groundwater
contamination extended to the Columbia River. The report identified
four water bearing zones at the site, three of which were contaminated
with concentrations of cyanide and fluoride above drinking water
standards.
* 1989: EPA identified Ecology as the Lead Agency for cleanup
activities at the site. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry conducted a site visit, reviewed available data and made
several recommendations regarding remediation.
* 1990: The site was placed on the NPL by EPA.
* 1992: Ecology issued a final Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) under MTCA
and filed a Consent Decree with Alcoa in State Court. Remedial action
was started and completed. Alcoa's final remedial action report was
submitted to Ecology.
* 1994: Remedial requirements of the Consent Decree (described in
the next section) have been met by Alcoa. Ecology certifies that the
construction phase has been completed.
* 1996: Ecology issues a Preliminary Close Out Report (PCOR) and
certifies that all remedial action specified in the CAP has been
completed, no further action is expected and that the remedy is
protective of human health and the environment.
C. Remedial Action Selected and Implemented
On February 7, 1992, Ecology, as the Lead Agency and pursuant to
MTCA, issued the CAP (equivalent to the CERCLA Record of Decision) for
the Alcoa Site. The CAP lists the cleanup goals for the site, presents
the different cleanup alternatives that were examined, and presents
Ecology's selected site cleanup method. The elements of the selected
remedial action and a description of the remedial activities performed,
are:
* Removal of approximately 66,000 tons (47,500 cubic yards) of
spent potlining and reclaimed alumina insulation and disposal at a
RCRA-permitted hazardous waste landfill.
Source control was accomplished by the removal of 71,758.91 tons of
potliner material to Chem-Security Systems, Inc., Arlington, Oregon, a
permitted hazardous waste landfill. The potliner material was excavated
by using conventional excavation equipment.
* Characterization of soils below existing potlining piles.
The contaminated soils beneath the piles were sampled for cyanide
and fluoride once the potliner was removed.
* Capping contaminated soils with 50 mil HDPE or 40 mil PVC liner
and covering with two feet of sand with top soil. The capped area shall
be fenced and graded to drain.
A 50 mil high density polyethylene (HDPE) flexible membrane liner
was placed on compacted sand. The liner extended beyond the limits of
the removed pile. A one foot by one foot anchor trench was excavated
around the perimeter of the cap to hold the liner in place.
Eighteen to twenty-four inches of clean sand was placed over the
entire area. The sand was placed so the capped area would drain from
north to south. Upon completion of the sand cover, six inches of
topsoil was placed and compacted over the capped area. The topsoil was
hydroseeded and the capped area was fenced with an eight-foot chain
link fence. The purpose of this cap is to minimize further infiltration
of water into the contaminated soil and thereby minimize or prevent
further leaching of the contamination from the soil into the
groundwater.
Alcoa has inspected and performed maintenance on the cap on a
quarterly during the regularly scheduled groundwater monitoring
activities. Maintenance requirements for the cap include grading to
maintain proper site drainage, repair of any erosion or areas of
distressed vegetation, and maintenance of site perimeter fencing and
warning signs.
* Institutional controls to prevent the disruption of the liner and
withdrawal of groundwater from the contaminated plume.
Alcoa has recorded a restrictive land use covenant in the property
deed for the site to ensure that no groundwater is removed for domestic
purposes from the plume and that there is no interference with the
cleanup action. Alcoa may use the site for industrial purposes
consistent with the remedial action and the covenant. If the levels of
fluoride in the groundwater reach 4.0 mg/l and free cyanide in
groundwater reaches 0.2 mg/l, levels that are safe for drinking, Alcoa
or the subsequent owner may request that Ecology remove the requirement
for a restrictive covenant. However, Ecology may agree with that
request only after a public comment period and insofar as the request
is consistent with applicable law, including cleanup standards.
* Continued groundwater and Columbia River surface water
monitoring. Groundwater remediation will be required if fluoride and
cyanide concentrations increase near the Columbia River. The
concentration of cyanide and fluoride will have to increase to levels
that are treatable.
Subsurface flow into the Columbia River is from the deep and
aquifer zones. Measurements in the Columbia River upstream and
downstream from the Site show no difference in cyanide and fluoride
concentrations which indicates that the Alcoa Site is not a significant
source of these contaminants to the Columbia River. Ecology estimates
that seepage of contaminated groundwater from the Alcoa Site into the
Columbia River would add 0.001 ppb fluoride and 0.000008 ppb cyanide
seepage--minimal levels of fluoride and cyanide--to Columbia River
water.
D. Characterization of Risk
Prior to remediation, the preliminary environmental pathways of
concern related to the potliner waste piles were groundwater
contamination and on-site soils.
Removal of spent potliner material and insulation from the site and
capping the area of contaminated soil has eliminated potential surface
exposure to contaminated soil and significantly reduced the source of
groundwater contamination. Four years of groundwater monitoring
following the remedial action indicate that concentrations of cyanide
and fluoride have exceeded MCLs in the groundwater under the
contaminated soil at certain times. Groundwater samples taken where the
groundwater enters the Columbia River show no detections of cyanide or
fluoride. Ecology does not believe that the drinking water well one
mile upgradient of the Site is threatened because the groundwater is
not expected to move upstream. Monitoring data in the upgradient
industrial production wells indicate that fluoride and cyanide levels
are below acceptable drinking water levels or MCLs, however, some
monitoring wells upgradient, within 600 feet, of the capped area have
shown exceedances of MCLs for cyanide and fluoride. All pathways by
which environmental receptors could potentially be exposed to Site-
related contaminants have been eliminated.
Since hazardous substances remain on Site, operation and
maintenance activities for the cap will continue, use
[[Page 42407]]
of the Site has been restricted, and institutional controls will remain
in effect (e.g., restricted access to the Site). A long-term
groundwater monitoring program has been implemented at the Site. In
addition, the Site will continue to be subject to periodic five-year
reviews to ensure that the remedy remains protective of human health
and the environment.
E. Other Activities at the Facility
The NPL site was defined as the potliner waste pile area and any
contamination associated with the potliner waste (e.g., cyanide and
fluoride-contaminated soil and groundwater). However, some other areas
of the facility were contaminated and have been addressed, separately
from the NPL site, pursuant to the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) or
the State Dangerous Waste Law. These areas include: (1) A landfill area
containing TCE contamination; (2) a lagoon area containing PCBs; (3)
PCB and PAH soil contamination in the Rod Mill building; (4) PCB and
TPH-contamination in a parking lot. cont; (5) TPH and cyanide in a
barge bludge lagoon; and (6) as a RCRA closure, tank sludge from the
VANEXCO anodizing plant. More information on these activities can be
found in the comprehensive Site file. See the next section for the
location of the site file and deletion docket.
F. Public Participation
Community input has been sought by Ecology throughout the cleanup
process for the Site. Community relations activities have included
public meetings prior to signing the Consent Decree, several public
notices in local newspapers, and routine publication of progress fact
sheets. A copy of the Deletion Docket can be reviewed by the public at
the Fort Vancouver Regional Library or the EPA Region 10 Records
Center. The Deletion Docket includes this document, the CAP, the
Project Completion Report, Consent Decree, and the PCOR. Comprehensive
Site files are available for review at Fort Vancouver Regional Library,
and the Washington Department of Ecology. EPA Region 10 will also
announce the availability of the Deletion Docket for public review in a
local newspaper and informational fact sheet.
One of the three criteria for deletion specifies that EPA may
delete a site from the NPL if ``responsible parties or other persons
have implemented all appropriate response actions required''. EPA, with
the concurrence of Ecology, has determined that this criteria for
deletion has been met. EPA and Ecology believe that no significant
threat to human health or the environment remains because pathways of
concern for exposure to contaminants no longer exist. Groundwater data
show that MCLs are not exceeded at the point where groundwater from the
Site enters the Columbia River and there are no drinking water wells
within the area of groundwater contamination nor will any be allowed in
the future. Because of the limited extent of the contaminated plume,
the completed source removal, the placement of institutional controls,
the technical infeasibility and lack of effectiveness of a more
aggressive groundwater remedial action, and the lack of impact on the
Columbia River, EPA and Ecology believe that natural attenuation over
time will reduce the level of cyanide and fluoride concentrations in
the groundwater under the Site. Groundwater monitoring will continue
until there are no exceedances of MCLs. If new information comes
available that indicates that there is a significant threat to human
health or the environment then EPA or Ecology can require or conduct
additional remedial action, if appropriate. Subsequently, EPA is
proposing deletion of this Site from the NPL. Documents supporting this
action are available from the docket.
Dated: August 6, 1996.
Randall F. Smith,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 96-20589 Filed 8-14-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P