[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 180 (Monday, September 16, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48657-48659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23518]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-5608-3]


National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; 
National Priorities List

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Delete the Twin Cities Air Force Reserve 
Base, Small Arms Range Landfill, Minneapolis-St. Paul International 
Airport Site, from the National Priorities List.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), 
Region 5, announces its intent to delete the Twin Cities Air Force 
Reserve Base, Small Arms Range Landfill, Minneapolis-St. Paul 
International Airport Site (SARL), 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 U.S. EPA 
promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. 
U.S. EPA and the State of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) 
have determined that the SARL poses no significant threat to public 
health or the environment and, therefore, further remedial measures 
pursuant to CERCLA are not appropriate.

DATES: Comments concerning the proposed deletion of the SARL from the 
NPL must be submitted on or before October 16, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Thomas Bloom, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 5, Mail Code SR-6J, 77 West Jackson 
Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604. Comprehensive information on the SARL is 
available for viewing through the site information repositories at the 
following locations: Southdale Public Library, 7001 York Avenue South, 
Edina, MN 55435 934th Air Wing/Public Affairs Office, 760 Military 
Highway, Minneapolis-St. Paul IAP Air Reserve Station, MN 55450-2000

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Bloom, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Region 5, Mail Code SR-6J, 77 West Jackson 
Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 886-1967

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion
V. Conclusion

I. Introduction

    The U.S. EPA, Region 5 announces its intent to delete the Twin 
Cities Air Force Reserve Base, Small Arms Range Landfill (SARL) from 
the National Priorities List (NPL), Appendix B of National Oil and 
Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR Part 300, 
and requests comments on this deletion. U.S. EPA identifies sites that 
appear to present a significant risk to public health, welfare, or the 
environment and maintains the NPL as the list of these sites. 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.

[[Page 48658]]

    The U.S. EPA will accept comments on the proposal to delete the 
SARL for thirty days after publication of this document in the Federal 
Register.

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. U.S. EPA, in consultation with the State of Minnesota, has 
concluded that the Site meets the following criteria for site deletion:
    (i) Responsible parties or other parties have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required; and
    (ii) All appropriate response under CERCLA has been implemented, 
and no further action by responsible parties is appropriate.
    Even if a site is deleted from the NPL, where hazardous substances 
remain at the site above levels that allow for unlimited use and 
unrestricted exposure, U.S. 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. If new information 
becomes available which indicates a need for further action, U.S. EPA 
may initiate remedial actions. Whenever there is significant release 
from a site deleted from the NPL, the site may be restored to the NPL 
without the application of the Hazardous Ranking System.

III. Deletion Procedures

    The following procedures were used for the intended deletion of the 
SARL: (1) U.S. EPA, Region 5 issued a Record Of Decision (ROD) which 
addressed the site conditions, quality assurance and control during 
construction, and technical criteria for satisfying the completion 
requirements; (2) a notice has been published in the local newspaper 
and has been distributed to appropriate federal, state, and local 
officials announcing the commencement of a 30-day public comment period 
on U.S. EPA's Notice of Intent to Delete; (3) All relevant documents 
have been made available for public review in the local site 
information repositories; and MPCA has concurred with the proposed 
deletion decision.
    Deletion of the SARL from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any individual's rights or obligations. The NPL is designed 
primarily for information purposes and to assist Agency management. As 
mentioned in Section VI of this document, Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP 
states that deletion of a site from the NPL does not preclude 
eligibility for future response actions.
    For deletion of the SARL, U.S. EPA's Regional Office will accept 
and evaluate public comments of U.S. 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 Notice. 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 is the Agency's rationale for the 
proposal to delete Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base, SARL, from the 
NPL.
    The SARL is a 2 acre landfill located southeast of the Minneapolis-
St. Paul International Airport in Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN. The 
SARL is bounded on the south by Interstate Highway 494, on the south 
and east by the Minnesota River and Fort Snelling State Park, and on 
the west and north by Minnesota Highway 5, Fort Snelling Military 
Reservation, and the airport.
    There are no residential areas within one mile of the SARL. The 
SARL is within the 100-year flood plain of the Minnesota River. The 
last flooding event occurred in 1993.
    The SARL was used as a landfill by the USAFR from 1963 to 1972. 
General base refuse and industrial wastes formed the majority of the 
material disposed of in the landfill. Industrial wastes included 
approximately 100 gallons of painting waste sludge, 800 pounds of paint 
filters, and 100 to 200 gallons of sludge from leaded aviation gasoline 
(AVGAS). The SARL was closed in 1972 and covered with approximately six 
inches to one foot of native soil. In 1983, the Minnesota Department of 
Transportation (MNDOT) completed construction of a stormwater retention 
and settling pond in the area immediately east of the landfill. The 
SARL was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987.
    The Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base, Minneapolis-St. Paul 
International Airport, was listed on the Minnesota Permanent List of 
Priorities (PLP) in November 1986. The SARL is one of fourteen areas of 
concern on the Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base. Currently, response 
actions have been completed at ten of the fourteen areas of concern. 
Although MPCA concurs with the U.S. EPA's decision to delete the SARL 
from the NPL, MPCA does not intend to delete the Twin Cities Air Force 
Reserve Base from the PLP, until environmental concerns in the three 
remaining areas of concern are addressed.
    The SARL was first identified as a possible hazardous waste site 
after the Phase I Installation Restoration Program (IRP) investigations 
were conducted in 1983. Results of preliminary investigations conducted 
in 1986, indicated that contaminated groundwater was present and 
possibly migrating from the SARL. The SARL was placed on the NPL 
because of a suspected release to the groundwater based on the 
preliminary investigations.
    In 1988 and 1989, a Remedial Investigation (RI) was conducted to 
confirm the suspected release, further characterize the site, preform a 
baseline risk assessment and obtain data necessary for evaluation of 
remedial alternatives. Results concluded that inorganic contaminants 
(arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium, and vanadium) 
were present in groundwater at levels exceeding the Safe Drinking Water 
Act (SDWA), Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), and State of Minnesota 
groundwater standards.
    Under the current risk scenario, human health risks due to 
carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic contaminants were found to exist in 
the range considered acceptable to the U.S. EPA and MPCA. Under the 
future use risk scenario elevated carcinogenic risk and an increased 
non-carcinogenic risk from ingestion of soil and groundwater was 
indicated. However, because groundwater is not a current source of 
drinking water and is not expected to be in the future, potential 
future risks are considered to be acceptable.
    Investigation results of surface water and stormwater runoff 
indicate that surface water and stormwater are not being effected by 
site conditions. Therefore, there is no risk to human health and the 
environment due to surface water and stormwater runoff.
    A Feasibility Study (FS) was completed June 1991. An array of 
remedial alternatives which addressed the two remedial objectives were 
developed. The remedial objectives are to prevent risks to humans and 
environmental receptors through contact with landfill components; and 
to prevent risks to humans and environmental receptors from 
contaminants in groundwater. Remedial alternatives were evaluated based 
nine criteria: effectiveness in protecting human health and the 
environment; compliance with federal and state environmental 
regulations; short and long-term effectiveness; permanence; reduction 
of toxicity, mobility, and

[[Page 48659]]

volume; implementability; cost; State and community acceptance.
    A Record of Decision (ROD) was signed on March 31, 1992, by U.S. 
EPA Regional Administrator, which selected Natural Attenuation, 
Maintenance, Site Access Restrictions, and Groundwater and Surface 
Water Monitoring. The MPCA concurred with the remedy selected in the 
ROD. The ROD concluded that due to site environmental characteristics, 
natural attenuation of low level contamination would occur through 
adsorption, biodegradation, physical/chemical degradation and 
dispersion. Groundwater and surface water monitoring were necessary to 
assess the quality of groundwater and surface water immediately 
downgradient from the landfill and evaluate the effectiveness of 
natural attenuation. Access restrictions and site maintenance were 
included to achieve the remedial objective of protecting human health 
and the environment from contact with landfill components.
    Construction of the fence was completed on September 21, 1992. The 
Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) for monitoring the SARL groundwater 
and surface water and installation of one monitoring well were 
completed by September 1992.
    Groundwater and surface water monitoring was conducted every two 
months during 1993. A revised monitoring schedule of quarterly 
monitoring was approved and implemented in 1994. Groundwater and 
surface water monitoring results, and a review of all data collected 
during the history of the SARL, confirm that natural attenuation has 
proven to be an effective remedial action at the site. Site access 
restrictions (fence) and site maintenance have proven effective in 
protecting human health and the environment from contact with landfill 
components.
    The RI report was presented to the community in July 1990. The FS 
report and Proposed Plan were presented to the community in August 
1991. These documents were available for public comment through the 
administrative record in two information repositories. The information 
repositories are maintained at the Southdale Public Library, Edina, MN, 
and at the Public Affairs Office located at the Minneapolis-St. Paul 
IAP Air Reserve Station.
    A public meeting to explain the proposed remedial action was held 
on September 5, 1991. Representatives from the USAFR, U.S. EPA and MPCA 
answered questions about remedial activities at the site. One member of 
the community attended. One comment was received from the MPCA public 
affairs officer regarding improvement of the USAFR community relations 
program. A Responsiveness Summary addressing the comment is attached to 
the ROD.
    In 1994, USAFR re-initiated community relation activities for the 
purpose of forming a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB). The RAB was to 
consist of USAFR, U.S. EPA, MPCA, Technical Review Committee (TRC) 
members and the surrounding community. The purpose of the RAB is to 
enhance community relations at Department of Defense sites.
    Notice of formation of the RAB was placed in local newspapers and 
flyers were sent out to the local community inviting community 
participation. At that time, there was no response from the community. 
Newspaper notices inviting community participation have been issued 
annually. Presently, there has been no response from the community.

How Twin Cities Reserve Air Force Base--SARL Meets 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. U.S. EPA, in consultation with the State of Minnesota, has 
concluded that the Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base, Small Arms Range 
Landfill, meets the following criteria for site deletion:
    (i) Responsible parties or other parties have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required; and
    (ii) All appropriate response under CERCLA has been implemented, 
and no further action by responsible parties is appropriate.

State Concurrence To Delete Twin Cities Reserve Air Force Base--SARL

    The State of Minnesota concurred with the deletion of the SARL by 
letter dated August 28, 1996. U.S. EPA, in consultation with the State 
of Minnesota, has concluded that the SARL meets the following criteria 
for site deletion: (1) U.S. EPA and the State of Minnesota have 
implemented all appropriate response actions required; (2) All 
appropriate response under CERCLA has been implemented; and (3) the 
confirmation sampling conducted as follow up to the recommendations in 
the SARL 1994 Annual Report, verifies that the SARL poses no 
significant threat to public health or the environment and, therefore, 
taking of further remedial measures is not appropriate. U.S. EPA and 
the State of Minnesota believe that the above listed criterions for 
deletion have been met.
    Subsequently, U.S. EPA is proposing deletion of the Twin Cities 
Reserve Air Force Base--SARL from the NPL. Documents supporting this 
action are available at the local information repositories.

V. Conclusion

    U.S. EPA has determined that all appropriate Fund-financed 
responses under CERCLA at the Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base, Small 
Arms Range Landfill, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport site 
have been completed, and no further Superfund response is appropriate 
in order to provide protection of human health and the environment. 
Therefore, it is proposed that the SARL be deleted from the NPL.

    Dated: August 29, 1996.
Jo Lynn Traub,
Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA, Region V.
[FR Doc. 96-23518 Filed 9-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P