[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]


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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.

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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