[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27998-28000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13324]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-5827-9]


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

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of intent to delete the Tri-State Plating Superfund Site 
from the National Priorities List; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) 
Region V announces its intent to delete the Tri-State Plating Site from 
the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this 
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 of 1980 
(CERCLA) as amended. This action is being taken by U.S. EPA, because it 
has been determined that all Fund-financed responses under CERCLA have 
been implemented and U.S. EPA, in consultation with the State of 
Indiana, has determined that no further response is appropriate. 
Moreover, U.S. EPA and the State have determined that remedial 
activities conducted at the Site to date have been protective of public 
health, welfare, and the environment.

DATES: Comments concerning the proposed deletion of the Site from the 
NPL may be submitted on or before June 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Gladys Beard, Associate Remedial 
Project Manager, Superfund Division, U.S. EPA, Region V, 77 W. Jackson 
Blvd. (SR-6J), Chicago, IL 60604. Comprehensive information on the site 
is available at U.S. EPA's Region V office and at the local information 
repository located at: Bartholomew County Health Department, 440 3rd 
St., Suite 303, Columbus, IN 47201-6798. Requests for comprehensive 
copies of documents should be directed formally to the Region V Docket 
Office. The address and phone number for the Regional Docket Officer is 
Jan Pfundheller (H-7J), U.S. EPA, Region V, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., 
Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 353-5821.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gladys Beard (SR-6J), Associate 
Remedial Project Manager, Superfund Division, U.S. EPA, Region V, 77 W. 
Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 886-7253 or Dave Novak (P-19J), 
Office of Public Affairs, U.S. EPA, Region V, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., 
Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 886-9840.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

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

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region V announces 
its intent to delete the Tri-State Plating Site from the National 
Priorities List (NPL), which constitutes Appendix B of the National Oil 
and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), and requests 
comments on the proposed deletion. The 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 those sites. Sites on 
the NPL may be the subject of remedial actions financed by the 
Hazardous Substance Superfund Response Trust Fund (Fund). Pursuant to 
Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP, any site deleted from the NPL remains 
eligible for Fund-financed remedial actions if the conditions at the 
site warrant such action.
    The U.S. EPA will accept comments on this proposal for thirty (30) 
days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    Section II of this notice explains the criteria for deleting sites 
from the NPL. Section III discusses procedures that EPA is using for 
this action. Section IV discusses the history of this site and explains 
how the site meets the deletion criteria.
    Deletion of sites from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any individual's rights or obligations. Furthermore, deletion 
from the NPL does not in any way alter U.S. EPA's right to take 
enforcement actions, as appropriate. The NPL is designed primarily for 
informational purposes and to assist in Agency management.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    The NCP establishes the criteria the Agency uses to delete sites 
from the NPL. In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e), sites may be 
deleted from the NPL where no further response is appropriate. In 
making this determination, U.S. EPA will consider, in consultation with 
the State, whether any of the following criteria have been met:
    (i) Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required; or
    (ii) All appropriate Fund-financed responses under CERCLA have been 
implemented, and no further response 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, remedial measures are not appropriate.

III. Deletion Procedures

    Upon determination that at least one of the criteria described in 
300.425(e) has been met, U.S. EPA may formally begin deletion 
procedures once the State has concurred. This Federal Register notice, 
and a concurrent notice in the local newspaper in the vicinity of the 
site, announce the initiation of a 30-day comment period. The public is 
asked to

[[Page 27999]]

comment on U.S. EPA's intention to delete the Site from the NPL. All 
critical documents needed to evaluate U.S. EPA's decision are included 
in the information repository and the deletion docket.
    Upon completion of the public comment period, if necessary, the 
U.S. EPA Regional Office will prepare a Responsiveness Summary to 
evaluate and address comments that were received. The public is welcome 
to contact the U.S. EPA Region V Office to obtain a copy of this 
responsiveness summary, if one is prepared. If U.S. EPA then determines 
the deletion from the NPL is appropriate, final notice of deletion will 
be published in the Federal Register.

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The Tri-State Plating site is located at 1716 Keller Avenue in a 
residential and small business neighborhood in Columbus, Indiana. 
Residences lie to the north, east, and the west of the site, and a 
small industrial business lies to the south. Prior to the 
decontamination and demolition of all on-site structures in 1989, an 
electroplating process building and a storage building were located on 
the site. The Tri-State Plating Property encompasses an area of 
approximately 130 feet by 120 feet. The site is located 800 feet 
southwest of the City of Columbus secondary municipal well field and 
800 feet west of Haw Creek. The area surrounding the site is relatively 
flat, with steeper slopes to the east of the site along Haw Creek.
    Metal-plating operations occurred at the site for 40 years prior to 
Tri-State Plating under Hull Industries and Quality Plating Service 
Company, Inc. The facility was purchased by Tri-State Plating, Inc. on 
April 13, 1981. Plating operations were performed by this company from 
December 1981 until the facility closed in May 1984.
    Environmental problems at the site were brought to the attention of 
authorities, on January 25, 1983, when the Bartholomew County Health 
Department (BCHD) was summoned to the site following the death of six 
birds that reportedly drank from a pool of solutions dumped on site. A 
sample of the liquid was collected and elevated concentrations of 
cadmium, cyanide, chromium, manganese and lead were detected. 
Subsequent investigations by BCHD and the Indiana State Board of Health 
(ISBH) conducted in February, March and April 1983 revealed that on-
site surface soils contained extremely high levels of cadmium, 
chromium, lead, nickel and cyanide when compared to off-site samples 
from surrounding properties. These investigations also discovered 
elevated levels of chromium in water from the Arvin Industries well 
located 200 feet south of the site, although cyanide and other sites 
contaminants were not detected. Also during this period, sampling and 
analysis of effluent leaving the Tri-State Plating facility, conducted 
by Columbus Utilities, verified that plant wastes were being discharged 
to city sewers.
    In May 1984, following several discharges that exceeded the 
specified limits, illegal dumping of wastes on the ground surface at 
the site, failure to install a waste treatment system, and one severe 
spill that interrupted the biological system at the city of Columbus 
Waste Water Treatment Facility, sewers from Tri-State Plating were 
blocked and the water supply was cut off. The Tri-State Plating site 
has been abandoned since this time.
    On September 18, 1985, the Site was proposed for the National 
Priorities List (NPL), (50 FR 3764). The Site was finalized June 10, 
1986, (40 FR 21054).
    On September 23, 1986, the current owner, Mr. James Padget, was 
notified of EPA's intentions to conduct a Remedial Investigation and 
Feasibility Study (RI/FS). He did not offer to perform any studies or 
remedial action at the site and informed EPA that he had filed for 
bankruptcy.
    EPA on-site activities started early in 1987 when the Technical 
Assistance Team (TAT) conducted a site assessment. Approximately 60 
soil samples, 27 barrels of waste, and four ground-water samples were 
submitted for cyanide and metal analysis. These samples included 
background samples from local residences. The EPA samples detected 
metals and cyanide contamination to a depth of 4 feet on-site, which 
was the maximum sampling depth. The well water samples collected did 
not detect cyanide contamination; however, low levels of metals were 
discovered in Arvin Industries East Well No. 2.
    On June 5, 1987, a fence was constructed by EPA to prevent site 
access. On August 26 and 27, 20 drums containing inorganic materials 
were removed and disposed at a Resource Conservation Recovery Act 
(RCRA) compliant facility. During the week of August 29, 1987, TAT 
obtained subsurface soil samples to determine the vertical extent of 
contamination. Samples were also collected from a residence north of 
the site. Additional background soil samples were also collected. A 
total of 19 soil samples were collected on and near the site and 
submitted for analyses. On September 24, 1987, EPA removed and disposed 
of seven remaining drums and took seven samples of building materials, 
including ceiling brick and floor materials. Samples were analyzed for 
inorganic parameters.
    In the Fall of 1987, the EPA performed a site building 
decontamination and limited soil removal action. Approximately one foot 
of top soil was removed from the open yard areas at the site. Several 
areas of visible contamination were noted adjacent to the building 
foundation during the top soil removal and a trench approximately four 
feet deep was excavated along the northern and southern foundation of 
the main process building to remove the discolored materials. All 
excavated areas were backfilled and regraded with clean soil. 
Contaminated subsurface soils identified during past EPA sampling 
activities were left on-site. The EPA also washed the interior surface 
of the main process building using caustic-sodium hypochlorite 
solution. This was performed in an attempt to remove surface 
contamination identified through past EPA sampling efforts.
    EPA initiated a two-phased Remedial Investigation at the Tri-State 
site beginning in 1987 to determine the nature and extent of any 
remaining contamination following EPA's initial removal action 
activities. During the first phase of the study, EPA collected samples 
from 10 locations on the surface of walls, ceilings, and floors in the 
on-site buildings to determine whether the 1987 building 
decontamination activities had been successful. In addition, 25 surface 
and subsurface soil samples were collected to determine the depth of 
soil contamination at the site. EPA also installed four monitoring 
wells at the site and collected eight ground-water samples for 
laboratory analysis. These Phase I activities, completed in January 
1988, revealed elevated levels of cyanide, chromium, copper, and 
cadmium on building surfaces and/or in subsurface soils and groundwater 
at the site.
    Phase II activities involved installing eight new monitoring wells, 
collecting two rounds of 19 groundwater samples from on-site monitoring 
wells and industrial wells at Arvin Industries, and collecting 46 
subsurface soil samples.
    Based on the results of the Remedial Investigation, there was 
concern that contamination in on-site soil may continue to migrate into 
groundwater and that people or animals may come into direct contact 
with contaminated on-site buildings. Because of these concerns, the EPA 
conducted a second removal action at the site from February

[[Page 28000]]

to March 1989. This removal action, called an Expedited Response Action 
(ERA), involved excavating soil, decontaminating and demolishing all 
structures on the site, and transporting the soil, building debris, and 
asbestos found during the course of the cleanup to state and federally-
regulated landfills. The excavated area was filled with clean soil, the 
site fence was removed, and the site was graded and revegetated.
    During the ERA, EPA collected 357 subsurface soil samples on the 
site to determine the limits of excavation. EPA also collected 21 soil 
samples from the base of the excavated areas to determine the 
effectiveness of the removal activities. EPA also conducted a 
groundwater pump test to determine whether the migration of 
contaminated groundwater from the site could be prevented by the 
continuous withdrawal of groundwater and to calculate the pumping rate 
necessary to accomplish this objective. Groundwater sampling was 
conducted to determine the level of contamination in the groundwater 
following the groundwater pump test and site cleanup. Contaminated 
groundwater collected during the pump test was discharged to and 
treated at the Columbus wastewater treatment plant.
    Based on the results of the RI/FS, and as described in the Proposed 
Plan, EPA recommended a Remedial Action involving the long-term 
operation of a groundwater extraction and treatment systen which 
utilized the existing on-site extraction well. A groundwater extraction 
and treatment system would provide for the long-term protection of 
public health and the environment.
    On March 30, 1990, a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed which 
selected this remedy. The extraction and treatment of contaminated 
groundwater continued until the maximum groundwater remediation goals 
were met in 1995. The site groundwater was then sampled for a two year 
period to assure that the groundwater remediation goals were achieved 
permanently and that no further remediation would be required. This 
activity was completed in Spring of 1996.
    EPA, with concurrence from the State of Indiana, has determined 
that all appropriate Fund-financed responses under CERCLA at the Tri-
State Plating Superfund Site have been completed, and no further CERCLA 
response is appropriate in order to provide protection of human health 
and the environment. Therefore, EPA proposes to delete the site from 
the NPL.

    Dated: May 9, 1997.
Valdas V. Adamkus,
Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA, Region V.
[FR Doc. 97-13324 Filed 5-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P