Superfund Study
In this
paper we will discuss 4 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund projects
based in Alaska, California, Washington State, and Arizona. After reading this
paper you will understand why the U.S. EPA has selected theses sites for
cleanups, what the EPA does, and what methods have been used to clean up these
sites.
First, some background on the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA implements Federal laws designed to
promote public health by protecting our nation's air, water, and soil from
harmful pollution. The EPA accomplishes its mission by utilizing a variety of
research, monitoring, standard setting, and enforcement activities, to ensure
proper and successful cleanups per the standards established since the EPA was
established. The EPA also coordinates and supports research and antipollution
activities of state and local and tribal governments, private and public
groups, individuals, and educational institutions to achieve this. The EPA also
monitors the operations of other federal agencies and contractors for their
impact on the environmental cleanup projects. Source: www.epa.gov/region8/about/faqsr8.html#what
In 1970 President Richard M. Nixon
(1913-1994) signed an executive order that created the EPA as an independent
agency of the U.S. government. The creation of a federal agency by executive
order rather than by an act of the legislative branch is somewhat uncommon. The
EPA was established in response to public concern about unhealthy air, polluted
rivers and groundwater, unsafe drinking water, endangered species, and
hazardous waste disposal. Responsibilities of the EPA include environmental
research, monitoring, and enforcement of legislation regulating environmental
activities. The EPA also manages the cleanup of toxic chemical sites as part of
a program known as Superfund. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/when-was-the-epa-created-and-what-does-it-do
Superfund is the name given to the environmental
program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites and cleanups. It is also the name of the fund established by the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980,
as amended (CERCLA
statute, CERCLA
overview). This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste
dumps such as Love
Canal and Times
Beach in the 1970s. It allows the EPA to clean up such sites and to compel
responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for
EPA-lead cleanups. Source: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/about.htm
The next portion of this paper will discuss three
Superfund Cleanup sites in California, Alaska and Washington State.
Tacoma, WA - The Asarco
Smelter site is located in Ruston, Washington. It is part of the Commencement
Bay/Nearshore Tideflats Superfund Site, in the EPA region 10. The
Commencement Bay - Nearshore Tideflats (CB-NT) Superfund site is located in the
City of Tacoma and the Town of Ruston at the southern end of Puget Sound in
Washington. It encompasses an active commercial seaport and includes 12 square
miles of shallow water, shoreline, and adjacent land, most of which is highly
developed and industrialized. EPA placed the site
on the Superfund National Priorities List in 1983 due to widespread
contamination of the water, sediments, and upland areas. The site is
divided into a number of separate Project Areas being managed as distinct
sites. Contaminants found in the area include arsenic, lead, zinc, cadmium,
copper, mercury, and various organic compounds such as polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Source: http://oaspub.epa.gov/enviro/cerclis_web.report?pgm_sys_id=WAD980726368
The Washington State Department of Ecology is responsible
for this cleanup, which is currently still in operation. Update reports are published every five years, and the last
report was published on 12/23/2009. The report summary states that natural
recovery samples that were collected from sample locations north of the 11th
Street Bridge (including Remedial Action areas 5, 6, and 7) have met the performance
monitoring criteria specified in the Operations, Maintenance and Monitoring Plan
(OMMP). The Year 2 natural recovery performance monitoring surface samples
(0-10 cm) collected, generally detected chemical concentrations that were less
than the Sediment Quality Objectives (SQO), indicating natural recovery is
occurring. Sampling will continue in Year 4 to confirm trends observed. These
results, in conjunction with the early warning samples discussed will be used
to determine additional sampling requirements.
Cleanup methods consist primarily of
studies conducted yearly on soils around the cleanup sites and no
phytostabilization has been used since the cleanup is primarily based in
waterways where the contaminants were discarded. Source: http://www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/sites/cb-nt/cbn
t_3rd_5yr_122309.pdf
Historic photo of the town
of Ruston WA.
Smelter Parking Lot
Asarco Smelter Site
Aerial Photo of Commencement Bay Waterways
View of Commencement Bay from Point Defiance Zoo
The second site for this paper is located in Deadhorse, AK, and is called the British Petroleum (BP) Alaska GC1-GC2 Transmission
Pipeline Discharge cleanup. Source:
www.epaosc.org/BPAlaskaTransmissionPipelinelineDischargeMarch06.On Thursday March 2, 2006, BP Alaska reported an oil discharge of an unknown quantity from a flow line carrying crude oil on the North Slope's Prudhoe Bay oil field. The spill location is in the western operating area of the field between Gathering Center 1 and Gathering Center 2. Site conditions at the time of the spill were frozen tundra covered with snow. Spill responders from BP and Alaska Clean Seas responded with vacuum trucks and BP shut down its process and depressurized the line. Based upon Historic Properties checks from other spills in this area there are no known cultural or historic sites impacted by the spill.
www.epaosc.org/BPAlaskaTransmissionPipelinelineDischargeMarch06.On Thursday March 2, 2006, BP Alaska reported an oil discharge of an unknown quantity from a flow line carrying crude oil on the North Slope's Prudhoe Bay oil field. The spill location is in the western operating area of the field between Gathering Center 1 and Gathering Center 2. Site conditions at the time of the spill were frozen tundra covered with snow. Spill responders from BP and Alaska Clean Seas responded with vacuum trucks and BP shut down its process and depressurized the line. Based upon Historic Properties checks from other spills in this area there are no known cultural or historic sites impacted by the spill.
Department Of Impact was notified, and the US Fish and
Wildlife Service has been involved in the response and cleanup effort to
evaluate the risk to wildlife and natural resources. The spill was found to
have impacted 1.93 acres, consisting mainly of frozen tundra but also a portion
of an adjacent frozen lake.
All planned cleanup operations have
been completed. Backfilling the areas trimmed of contaminated ice
and tundra with replacement tundra and organic material was completed on April
29, 2006. All cleanup confirmation samples collected during the residual
oil trimming operation showed results below applicable State of Alaska cleanup
standards. New tundra material was fertilized and watered during the summer
months. BP's tundra restoration consultant reports that the project is off to a
good start with a wide diversity of indigent vegetation species being observed.
Booms placed along the lake front and wildlife exclusion fences are being
removed prior to freeze up. No additional sheen of the spilled crude oil has
been observed or reported this summer since minor amounts were detected and
removed during break-up (end of winter). Source:
http://www.epaosc.org/site/polrep_profile.aspx?site_id=2092
Cleanup areas along Alaska
Pipeline
Photos of wintertime cleanup
effort
Final result of cleanup effort
The third and final site is the former AMCO
Chemical Facility is located at 1414 3rd Street in Oakland, CA, one block south
of the W. Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station. The facility is
bordered on the north by a vacant lot owned by BART, on the west by residences,
on the south by 3rd Street, and on the east by Nelson Mandela Parkway (formerly
Cypress Street). The size of the Facility property is approximately 160 - 200
feet by 226 feet (about 0.9 acre). The Cypress (I-880) Freeway corridor crosses
just to the south, passing over 3rd Street near the southeast corner of the
property. The current land use at the facility is light industrial; land use in
surrounding areas is a mix of commercial, light industrial and residential
facilities. The nearest residences are immediately adjacent to the facility
along 3rd and Center Streets. Source:http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/ViewByEPAID/CA0001576081#descr
.
The cleanup started
in 1989 with studies made by the EPA. In 1996, investigations performed on
behalf of Pacific Gas and electric Co. (PG&E) and the California Department
of Transportation documented the presence of chlorinated solvents and
other contaminants such as vinyl chloride along 3rd Street, south of the
site. Subsequent investigations have confirmed the presence of chlorinated
solvents and other contaminants, including vinyl chloride, in soil, soil gas,
and groundwater on or near the site. Some of these chlorinated solvents
are human carcinogens. Sampling has indicated that the site poses no immediate
threat to residents; however, there is concern that contaminants from the site
may pose a potential threat if nothing is done. It is important to note that
the groundwater beneath the Site is not being used by the community as a
drinking water source. Phytostabilization has not
been used in the cleanup effort as affected areas include sand areas and
underwater aquifers.
The EPA is currently investigating
parties that the department believes may be responsible. Under the Superfund
process, EPA may seek to have any identified Potentially Responsible Parties
(PRPs) to conduct some or all of the response actions at the site and reimburse
EPA for its costs. In some cases where EPA is unable to identify financially
viable PRPs, EPA may continue to use federal funds to address contamination at
the site until these parties have been determined.
No phytostabilization methods
have been used as affected areas include sand areas and underwater aquifers. Source:
http://www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/sites/cb-nt/cbnt_3rd_5yr_122309.pdf
AMCO Chemical Facility/DC
Metals Historic Photos
Google Photo –AMCO/DC Metals
Superfund Site
East Oakland auto salvage yard,
redeveloped into Edes Avenue Development Area
Studies made since establishment of
the phytostabilization project are as follows:
Buffalo
grass thrives in this effort the best at 10% of composting. Buffalo grass
appears hardy in this project and is likely to thrive in the future. Of course
all varieties of vegetation are subject to situations including but not limited
to global warming and drought. Since early this century this area has been
affected by a drought in this area. Because the heaviest rainfall in the area
is in the summer months (also known as monsoon season), the vegetation will not
benefit from the precipitation as much in other seasons because of higher
temperatures and evaporation at this time of the year. During the rest of the
year the amount of rainfall is about the same though over a longer period. The
study also looked at the amounts of bacteria in the soils at deployment of this
phytostabilization effort and has concluded that it was 10 to the 3rd
(in million parts). On day 60 of the study measurements were taken and it was
determined that bacteria that was beneficial to the newly established
vegetation had increased to 10 to the 8th (in million parts). It
appears that this effort should be successful.
Study personnel
Cleanup area site map
Iron King Mine -
Humboldt Smelter Superfund Site photos
When one considers the reasons that these Superfund sites
were established and are ongoing (except BP’s Deadhorse, AK site), you should
see that in the early part of the 20th century that guidelines and
legislation holding those that polluted the environment responsible had yet to
be established. Since that time, much effort for this legislation has been
written and made into laws or guidelines that hold these parties responsible
for the pollution of these sites responsible. In three of the four cases cited
in this paper, only one cleanup has been completely and successfully finished;
however EPA monitoring of all of these sites continues.
The BP Alaska Deadhorse Superfund
site has shown that the EPA’s efforts, planning, and method implementation have
been successful. The Alaska Pipeline systems infrastructure failed and allowed
crude oil to be spilled. The vacuum cleanup and other methods used to contain
the contamination have been successful as well as introducing new native vegetation
to the cleanup site. The EPA considers
British Petroleum’s efforts to have been cohesive and effective. Studies of the
site should ensure that the cleanup is long lasting will continue to be a
success.
To conclude, the writer of this paper has learned that the
EPA rules and methods for protecting the environment are absolutely necessary.
Preventing chemical, petroleum spills and other types of pollutants introduced
into the environment are absolutely vital to protection of the environment. Not
allowing hazardous waste to be dumped into the environment and allowing these
wastes to remain without cleanup efforts or be disposed of properly in
hazardous material collection sites according to the guidelines that have been
written and enforced since the 1960’s when Nixon’s cabinet determined that the
EPA should be established are the EPA’s primary directive. At first it seemed
overkill until the research that was done to write this paper showed that this
has been necessary and effective. Long lasting efforts of the EPA and
supporting agencies are vital to keeping this effort productive and our
environment clean and healthy. The BP Alaska Deadhorse cleanup site is the best
evidence of these efforts. Finally, a suggestion: Reduce, reuse, recycle and
never litter should be part of everyone’s daily regimen.
No comments:
Post a Comment