[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 159 (Thursday, August 15, 1996)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 42402-42404] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-20590] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 300 [FRL-5552-3] National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; National Priorities List AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of Intent to Delete USDOE Hanford 1100 Area from the National Priorities List Update: Request for Comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces its intent to delete the USDOE Hanford 1100 Area from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment [[Page 42403]] 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: Dave Einan, Environmental Protection Agency, 712 Swift Boulevard, Suite 5, Richland, Washington 99352. Comprehensive information on this Site is available through the public docket which is available for viewing at the information repository at the following location: DOE Richland Public Reading Room, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, 100 Sprout Road, Room 130, Richland, Washington 99352. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Einan, U.S. EPA Region 10, 712 Swift Boulevard, Suite 5, Richland, Washington 99352, (509) 376-3883. 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 delete USDOE Hanford 1100 Area from the National Priorities List (NPL), Appendix B of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR Part 300, and request comments 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 remedial actions in the unlikely event that conditions at the site warrant such action. EPA will accept comments on the proposal 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 Hanford 1100 Area Site and explains how the Site meets the deletion criteria. II. NPL Deletion Criteria Section 300.425(e) of the NCP provides that releases may be deleted from, or recategorized on the NPL where no further response is appropriate. In making a determination to delete a release 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 response under CERCLA has 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 public health and the environment. In the case of this Site, where maintenance of a landfill cap and continued groundwater monitoring is required, EPA will conduct Five- Year reviews commencing in September 1998. If new information becomes available which indicates a need for further action, EPA may initiate remedial actions. Whenever there is a significant release from a site deleted from the NPL, the site may be restored to the NPL without the application of the Hazard Ranking System. III. Deletion Procedures The following procedures were used for the intended deletion of this Site: (1) EPA Region 10 issued a final close out report which documented the achievement of cleanup goals; (2) Ecology concurred with the proposed deletion decision; (3) A notice has been published in the local newspaper and has been 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, (4) 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 itself create, alter, or revoke any individual rights or obligations. The NPL is designed primarily for informational purposes and to assist Agency management. As mentioned in Section II of this document, 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP states that the deletion of a site from the NPL does not preclude eligibility for future response actions. For deletion of this Site, EPA's Regional Office will accept and evaluate public comments on EPA's Notice of Intent to Delete before making a final decision to delete. If necessary, the Agency will prepare a Responsiveness Summary to address any significant public comments 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 document. Public notices and copies of the Responsiveness Summary will be 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 proposal to delete this Site from the NPL. A. Site Background The Hanford Site, operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), was established in 1943 to produce nuclear material for national defense. The Hanford 1100 Area NPL Site consists of two, non-adjacent areas located in the southern portion of the Hanford Site and covers less than 5 square miles. The majority of the NPL Site is located adjacent to the City of Richland. The other portion is located on the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) Reserve, approximately 15 miles northwest of Richland. B. History The 1100 Area remains active. The portion near Richland contains the central warehousing, vehicle maintenance, and transportation distribution center for the entire Hanford Site. Waste sites include a landfill, french drains, underground tanks, and a sand pit where up to 15,000 gallons of waste battery acid from vehicle maintenance may have been disposed. The portion on the ALE is a former NIKE missile base and control center and is now used for the ALE headquarters. The missile base contained all facilities necessary for missile launching and maintenance, as well as living quarters for personnel. [[Page 42404]] The U.S. Army closed and decommissioned the base in the 1960's. The 1100 Area was placed on the NPL in November 1989 based on its proximity to groundwater wells used to supply drinking water to Richland. In 1989, DOE, with oversight provided by EPA and Ecology, began a remedial investigation (RI) to characterize the nature and extent of contamination and to assess potential risks to human health and the environment. The major findings of the investigation included:Approximately 130 cubic yards of soil in a depression were contaminated in an unrecorded spill with bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate at up to 25,000 mg/kg. Approximately 165 cubic yards of soil in an area adjacent to a parking lot where stormwater runoff collected was contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) up to 42 mg/kg. A landfill used for disposal of office and construction waste, asbestos, sewage sludge, and fly ash had asbestos-containing debris throughout the landfill and a localized area of soil contaminated with PCBs up to 100 mg/kg. Groundwater in the vicinity of the landfill was found to be contaminated with trichloroethene and nitrate above MCLs, although these contaminants were not found in the landfill itself. The same contaminants were found beneath an adjacent, upgradient facility. An additional fifty waste sites were identified as potentially being contaminated above health-based cleanup standards. These sites would be fully evaluated during remedial design. The sites primarily consist of tanks that were used for fuel and chemical solvent storage, electrical transformers and pads, spills, and disposal areas. Based on the results of the RI and risk assessment, a Record of Decision was signed on September 30, 1993. The major components of the selected remedy included: Soil and debris contaminated above cleanup standards would be excavated and disposed of off-site at a permitted facility. Contaminated soil from the bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate spill would be incinerated at an off-site facility. The landfill with asbestos-containing debris would be closed as an asbestos landfill. A groundwater monitoring program would be implemented until contaminant levels allowed for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. Institutional controls would be implemented for the asbestos landfill and the groundwater. All remedial actions were completed by December 1995. The final closeout report signed in July 1996 documents that the objectives of the remedial actions were met. Consistent with EPA guidance, a five-year review of this project is necessary to ensure the continued protection of human health and the environment. The review will be conducted in accordance with OSWER Directive 9355.7-02, ``Structure and Components of Five-Year Reviews''. C. Public Participation Community input has been sought throughout the cleanup of the Hanford 1100 Area Site. Community relations activities have included public review of the proposed cleanup plan, a public meeting prior to signing of the ROD, several public notices in local newspapers, and routine public notices regarding the cleanup progress. A copy of the Deletion Docket can be reviewed by the public at the DOE Richland Public Reading Room in Richland. The Deletion Docket includes this document, the ROD, the Field Reports from the remedial action, and the Final Site Closeout Report. 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 specified that EPA may delete a site from the NPL if ``responsible parties or other parties have implemented all appropriate response actions required.'' EPA, with concurrence of Ecology, believes that this criterion for deletion has been met. Subsequently, EPA is proposing deletion from 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. 96-20590 Filed 8-14-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P