nuclear metals, inc. superfund site public meeting 3 14 12.pdf · – madeqe/massdep ... •...

55
Nuclear Metals, Inc. Superfund Site Public Meeting March 14, 2012 1

Upload: lydieu

Post on 25-Aug-2018

214 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Nuclear Metals, Inc.

Superfund Site

Public Meeting

March 14, 2012

1

Presentation Outline • Background

• Historic Regulatory Agency Involvement / Actions

– MADEQE/MassDEP

– EPA Time-Critical Removal Actions

• Comments by Town Representatives

– Concord Fire Department - Chief Mark Cotreau

– Citizens Research & Environmental Watch – Tim Rose

– 2229 Main Street Committee Chair - Pam Rockwell

• Current Activities under EPA authority

– Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS)

– Non-Time-Critical Removal Action (NTCRA)

2

Site Location USGS Quadrangle, Maynard, MA 1983

3

Current Site Plan

Old Landfill Area

4

5

Historical Site Activities • R&D activities included fundamental research in physical and

chemical metallurgy, fuel element development, and high temperature materials, primarily for AEC and the Department of Defense.

• Significant manufacturing operations included:

Fabricating depleted uranium (DU) metal into:

o Penetrators/armor-piercing munitions

oMedical shielding devices (radiography)

o Aircraft counterweights

Forming metal powders

Making beryllium and beryllium/aluminum alloy parts

• From 1958 to 1985, wastes were disposed of in the on-site “Holding Basin” and in other areas of the site

6

Historic Regulatory Involvement • MADEQE, [now Massachusetts Department of Environmental

Protection (MassDEP)] got involved in 1980, when solvent contamination was found in an on-site water supply well.

• A variety of environmental studies were performed by NMI/Starmet and other entities between 1980 and 1998.

• With Army funding, Starmet excavated and disposed off-site 8,000 cubic yards of uranium-contaminated soil from the Holding Basin in 1997.

• Regulatory responsibility for Starmet’s licenses to possess radioactive materials was transferred from NRC to the MADPH-RCP (Mass Dept. of Public Health-Radiation Control Program) in 1997.

• In 2007, MassDEP performed removal action with Army funding to address drums of UF4 , DU metal, and other wastes.

• MADPH-RCP terminated the licenses to possess radioactive materials in November 2011.

7

Depleted Uranium Tetrafluoride Drums

8

EPA’s Activities • In July 2000, EPA proposed the Site for inclusion on the

National Priorities List (NPL). NMI was listed on the NPL in June 2001.

• Between March 2002 and April 2003, EPA conducted a time-critical removal action (TCRA) to reduce the potential for exposure by: – Capping the “old landfill” & installing a fence around the

area; – Lining the holding basin.

• In June 2003 EPA reached agreement with Settling Parties to conduct a Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and Engineering Evaluation / Cost Analysis (EE/CA)

• Between January 2008 and September 2008, EPA conducted a second TCRA to remove hazardous and/or flammable materials from facility buildings

9

10

Old Landfill Area – Before Cap

11

Old Landfill Area – After Cap

12

Holding Basin – Before Cap

13

Holding Basin - After Cap

14

2008 Time-Critical Removal Action

15

2008 Time-Critical Removal Action

16

Current Activities under EPA Authority Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS)

• Initiated in 2003

• Evaluation of nature and extent of contamination, risks to human health and the environment, and options and costs to address unacceptable risks.

• “Study of everything outside the buildings, leading to overall Site remedy”

Non-Time-Critical Removal Action (NTCRA)

• Initiated in 2011

• Maintenance, then progressive removal of buildings contents and demolition of buildings, with capping of foundations.

• “Empty, then demolish the buildings.”

17

Comments regarding the site work by: Chief Mark Cotreau, CFD

Tim Rose, CREW Pam Rockwell, Head of 2229 Main Street Committee

18

Citizen’s Research and Environmental Watch (CREW)

• An independent citizen’s advocacy group founded in 1989 to oversee the safe operation at Nuclear Metals and now the safe and complete cleanup of the site.

• www.CREWConcord.org

19

2229 Main Street Oversight Committee

• A volunteer Concord Town Committee formed by Town Meeting Article 51 in 2002 to monitor the process leading to the cleanup at Starmet, formerly Nuclear Metals, Inc. (NMI), a former defense contractor that is now a superfund site.

• Meets the first Tuesday of each month. • www.concordma.gov/pages/ConcordMA_BComm/2229Co

mmittee

20

Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS)

Evaluation of nature and extent of

contamination, risks to human health and the environment, and options and costs to address

unacceptable risks.

21

RI/FS Timeline

Implemented Three Phases of Remedial Investigation (September 2004 – December 2009)

Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments August 2009 - present

Remedial Investigation Report (~Summer 2012)

Feasibility Study Report (~Winter 2012)

Prepared Work Plans (September – December 2003) Finalized Work Plans (September 2004)

EPA Record of Decision (~Summer 2013)

22

Remedial Investigation Field Work

• 52 monitoring wells installed (in addition to 80 pre-existing wells)

• Samples collected for laboratory analysis: – 225 groundwater – 81 surface water – 546 soil – 412 sediment

• Drums / materials buried in area between cooling water

pond and Holding Basin were excavated and disposed off-site.

23

AOI 2 – Drum Excavation, Material Storage,

Packaging, & Off-Site Transportation and Disposal

24

Poly Carboys and Drum

25

Packaging of waste material from storage containers into 5-ton supersacks

26

Loading supersacks into dump trailers

27

28

Results of Remedial Investigation

• Extent of contamination in soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater delineated sufficiently to proceed with risk assessments.

• Surface soil and subsurface soil exceeding acceptable risk levels constrained to certain areas within Site boundary.

• Sediment exceeding acceptable risk levels constrained to portion of bog and cooling water pond.

• Groundwater contamination exceeding acceptable risk levels exists on-site and in defined area off-site.

29

RI/FS – Next Steps • Finalize Risk Assessments

• Finalize and submit Remedial Investigation Report

• Prepare Feasibility Study Report

– Define “Preliminary Remediation Goals” (PRGs)

– Determine volumes of various media (soil, sediment, groundwater) exceeding PRGs within areas with unacceptable risk

– Evaluate remedial alternatives and costs for each affected media with unacceptable risk

• EPA prepares “Proposed Plan” that identifies overall remedy

• EPA issues “Record of Decision” that sets forth required remedy for Site.

30

Public Involvement in RI/FS • Public Meetings will continue to be held at major project

junctures.

• CREW Concord and the 2229 Main Street Committee have been, and remain, closely involved in the process.

• The community will be able to review and comment on the proposed remedy prior to selection by EPA.

• Project Website at WWW.NMISite.Org

– Provides historic investigation reports

– Provides information on RI/FS activities

– Provides Geographic Information System (GIS) access to all RI sampling results (overlay of data on site map)

31

Non-Time-Critical Removal Action (NTCRA)

( Building Demolition Project)

32

Timeline Leading to NTCRA Project • In June 2006, EPA triggered preparation of Engineering

Evaluation / Cost Analysis (EE/CA) with respect to Starmet buildings

• Draft EE/CA submitted in November 2006, revised and finalized in February 2008

• Public meeting on EE/CA in April 2008

• In September 2008, EPA issued an Action Memorandum authorizing performance of Non-Time-Critical Removal Action (NTCRA) to empty and demolish buildings

• An Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for the NTCRA became effective August 2011

• Last Starmet entity abandoned Site November 2, 2011

33

Project Scope • Monitoring, access controls and site security • Building stabilization, removal and disposal of

hazardous and flammable and combustible materials • Removal and disposal of asbestos, universal waste,

and building contents • Demolish ~180,000 feet2 of buildings down to slabs • Fill voids and place a temporary cap over foundation. • Dispose of debris off-site at appropriately licensed

facilities • Post-removal site control (security and monitoring)

34

NTCRA Timeline • Spring 2012 – prepare first set of “Construction Submittals”,

which will detail specific steps to remove and package building contents for off-site disposal, procure transportation and disposal contractors

• Summer / Fall 2012 – Proceed with removal of building contents

• Winter / Spring 2013 – Prepare second set of Construction Submittals, addressing removal of equipment, ductwork, etc from buildings

• Summer / Fall 2013 – Proceed with removal of equipment

• Winter / Spring 2014 – Prepare third set of Construction Submittals, addressing demolition of buildings and installation of temporary cap over foundation slabs

• Summer / Fall 2014 – Proceed with demolition and capping

35

Site Plan

36

Starmet Facility Buildings

37

Completed Tasks • Interim NTCRA Work Plans submitted November 5,

2011, approved by EPA on December 19, 2011

• NTCRA Work Plans submitted on January 18, 2012

• Installed fencing / gate at street, placed “No Trespassing” signs around fence perimeter

• Secured facility (reinforced doors, changed locks)

• Shut down essentially all building electrical panels

• Setup Office Trailers

• Cleared brush from around buildings and perimeter fence

• Completed site familiarization training for CFD

38

Completed Tasks (continued) • Disconnected and blanked high pressure natural gas

supply, installed new meter on low pressure natural gas supply

• Initiated inventory of building contents, with focus on flammable materials, gas cylinders, and chemicals

• Performed interior wipe and high volume air sampling

– Detected beryllium in most wipes, none in air samples

• Performed HEPA vacuuming and/or applied fixing agent in areas with significant surface contamination

• Initiated beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing on project team, due to potential for exposure.

39

Completed Tasks (continued)

• Installed five 2 Million BTU heating units and fuel supplies

– Running on portable generators pending installation of electrical supplies (near complete)

– Installed fans/ductwork to help circulate heat through out buildings

• Cleaned up metal debris/wood pallets outside building D (in courtyard area) – temporarily stored in roll off boxes

• Reinforced bottom areas of Butler Building B3 (walls were rotting wood)

40

Completed Tasks (continued) • Installed electrical service , internet and phone lines to

trailers • Removed OSB Boards covering Bldg A windows • Removed air conditioner units from Bldg A windows and

blanked open windows with metal sheeting • Initiated actions in response to Fire Hazard Analysis

recommendations (access pathways, remove plastic sheeting, etc.)

• Completed design of internal lighting / power system • Initiated installation of lighting • Disconnected / Disabled Groundwater Supply Wells

41

Work Trailers

Bottom Parking Lot prior to trailers

42

Mobilized Heating Units

43

44

Installed Heater (Butler B-4)

Before After

45

Butler Building B3 Reinforcement (cont.)

46

OSB Board Removal

47

Air Conditioner removal

48

Beryllium Area after clean up

Be Waste placed in white packs & moved to Rep area Starmet Drums moved into Rep Area

49

Beryllium Area after Clean up

50

Questions?

51

NMI Site - Points of Contact

Title Name Phone # E-Mail Address

EPA Project Manager

Melissa Taylor

617 918 1310 [email protected]

EPA Community Relations

Kelsey O’Neil 617 918 1003 [email protected]

MassDEP Project

Manager

Garry Waldeck 617 348 0417 [email protected]

de maximis Project

Coordinator

Bruce Thompson 860 298 0541 [email protected]

Project Website: WWW.NMISite.Org

52

Areas of Soil or Sediment with Unacceptable Risk

Unacceptable Risk Area

(where remediation will

need to be evaluated in Feasibility

Study)

53

Areas of Groundwater with Unacceptable Risk (VOCs)

54

Area of Groundwater with Unacceptable Risk (DU)

55