[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 28407-28410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13481]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-5828-5]


National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan 
National Priorities List

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of intent to delete the Middletown Air Field Site, 
located in Middletown, Pennsylvania, from the National Priorities List 
and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III announces 
its intent to delete the Middletown Air Field Site (Site) from the 
National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comment on this 
action. The NPL constitutes Appendix B of the National Oil and 
Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, 
which EPA promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as 
amended. EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 
Protection (PADEP) have determined that all appropriate CERCLA response 
actions have been implemented and that no further cleanup is 
appropriate. Moreover, 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 this Site from the 
NPL may be submitted on or before June 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to Nicholas J. DiNardo, (3HW50), 
Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 841 Chestnut 
Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, (215) 566-3365.
    Comprehensive information on this Site is available for viewing at 
the Site information repositories at the following locations:

U.S. EPA, Region III, Hazardous Waste Technical Information Center, 841 
Chestnut Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107, (215) 566-5363.
Middletown Public Library, 20 North Catherine Street, Middletown, PA 
17057, (717) 944-6412.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicholas J. DiNardo (3HW50), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, 841 Chestnut Building, 
Philadelphia, PA 19107, (215) 566-3365.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

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

I. Introduction

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III announces its 
intent to delete the Middletown Air Field Site, Dauphin County, 
Pennsylvania, from the National Priorities List (NPL), Appendix B of 
the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan 
(NCP), and requests comments on this 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) of the NCP, any site deleted from the NPL remains 
eligible for Fund-financed remedial actions if conditions at the site 
warrant such action.
    EPA will accept comments on the proposal to delete this Site from 
the NPL for thirty calendar 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 how the site meets the deletion 
criteria.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    The NCP establishes the criteria that 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, EPA will consider, in consultation with the 
State, whether any of the following criteria have been met:
    (i) Responsible or other parties have implemented all appropriate 
response actions required; or

[[Page 28408]]

    (ii) All appropriate Fund-financed responses under CERCLA have been 
implemented and no further cleanup is appropriate; or
    (iii) As set forth in the investigative findings for the Site, the 
release poses no significant threat to public health or the environment 
and, therefore, taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
    In addition to the above, for all remedial actions which result in 
hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remaining at the site 
above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure, 
section 121(c) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9621(c), the NCP at 40 CFR 
300.430(f)(4)(ii) and EPA's policy, OSWER Directive 9320.2-09, dated 
August 1995, provide that a subsequent review of the site will be 
conducted at least every five years after the initiation of the first 
remedial action at the Site to ensure that conditions at the Site 
remain protective of public health and the environment. In the case of 
this Site, EPA conducted a ``five year review'' in August of 1996. 
Based on the inspection, EPA determined that conditions at the Site 
remain protective of public health and the environment. As explained/
discussed below, the Site meets the NCP's deletion criteria listed 
above. Five-year reviews will continue to be conducted at the Site 
until no hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remain above 
levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure.
    Releases shall not be deleted from the NPL until the state in which 
the release was located has concurred on the proposed deletion. 40 CFR 
300.425(e)(2).
    All releases deleted from the NPL are eligible for further Fund-
financed remedial actions should future conditions warrant such action. 
Whenever there is a significant release from a site deleted from the 
NPL, the site can be restored to the NPL without application of the 
Hazard Ranking System. 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3).

III. Deletion Procedures

    Section 300.425(e)(4) of the NCP sets forth requirements for site 
deletions to assure public involvement in the decision. During the 
proposal to delete a site from the NPL, EPA is required to conduct the 
following activities:
    (i) Publish a notice of intent to delete in the Federal Register 
and solicit comment through a public comment period of a minimum of 30 
calendar days;
    (ii) Publish a notice of availability of the notice of intent to 
delete in a major local newspaper of general circulation at or near the 
site that is proposed for deletion;
    (iii) Place copies of information supporting the proposed deletion 
in the information repository at or near the site proposed for 
deletion; and,
    (iv) Respond to each significant comment and any significant new 
data submitted during the comment period in a Responsiveness Summary.
    If appropriate, after consideration of comments received during the 
public comment period, EPA then publishes a notice of deletion in the 
Federal Register and places the final deletion package, including the 
Responsiveness Summary, in the Site repositories.
    Deletion of a site from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any individual's rights or obligations. As stated in Section II 
of this Notice, Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP provides that the 
deletion of a site from the NPL does not preclude eligibility for 
future response actions.

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The following site summary provide's EPA's rationale for the 
proposal to delete the Middletown Air Field Site from the NPL.
    The Site is located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, about 8 miles 
southeast of Harrisburg. It is situated between the boroughs of 
Highspire and Middletown along Pennsylvania Route 230, and bordered by 
the Susquehanna River to the south. The site property was initially 
established as Camp George Gordon Meade by the Army in July 1898 and 
then was operated as a pickle farm by the H.J. Heinz company until May 
15, 1917, when ground was broken for an Army Signal Corps storage depot 
(the Aviation General Depot, later known as the Middletown Air 
Intermediate Depot). Flight activities began on the site in 1918 and 
the airfield was named Olmstead Field in 1923. In 1947 it became known 
as Olmstead Air Force base. In 1967 Olmstead Air Force Base was 
transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the facility was 
renamed Olmstead State Airport. It was renamed Harrisburg International 
Airport in 1971.
    The former Air Force field and most of the former Air Force 
industrial buildings (approximately 625 acres) are currently owned by 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of 
Transportation (PennDOT) maintains and manages the Harrisburg 
International Airport (HIA) portion. The 193rd Special Operations group 
of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard operates a small portion of the 
Site, just east of the airport complex. Approximately 218 acres of 
former administrative and housing facilities north of Route 230 are 
owned by the Harrisburg campus of Pennsylvania State University. An 
additional 93 acres of former Air Force warehouse facilities north of 
the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) were originally leased to Fruehauf 
Industries (Fruehauf) in May 1966 by a local industrial development 
authority. Fruehauf manufactured truck trailers and its Site activities 
including welding, punching, fastening, foaming and painting. By May 
23, 1986, Fruehauf had acquired ownership of the 93 acres. In June 
1995, the property, excluding the North Base Landfill, was sold to 
First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. by Fruehauf. Fruehauf still retains 
ownership the North Base Landfill property.
    Activities throughout the history of the Site included:
     Warehousing and supply of parts, equipment, general 
supplies, petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) for the Department of the 
Army's Northeast Procurement District;
     Complete aircraft overhaul including stripping, 
repainting, engine overhaul, reassembly, and equipment replacement;
     Engine and aircraft testing; and
     General base support maintenance and operation.
    HIA currently conducts general airport operations and maintenance, 
and leases buildings to fixed base operators and industrial tenants. 
Tenants have performed a number of activities at this Site, including:
     Aircraft maintenance operations, aircraft paint stripping 
and repainting, and parts cleaning;
     Aircraft instrument overhaul and repair;
     Fabric dying;
     Machine shop operations; and
     Typewriter ribbon inking and cartridge assembly.
    Various studies have been conducted by both EPA and the 
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP, formerly 
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources), at the 
facility since 1983 to investigate and monitor areas that were affected 
by operations at the Site. In March 1983, PADEP discovered the volatile 
organic compound (VOC) trichloroethylene (TCE) in six of ten HIA 
production wells. This discovery triggered subsequent environmental 
investigations and studies, and the installation of a water treatment 
system that is currently still in use at the facility.
    In 1984, EPA conducted ground penetrating radar and magnetometer 
surveys at the Runway, Industrial, and

[[Page 28409]]

North Base Landfill areas at the Site. EPA removed nine partially 
exposed 55-gallon drums from a fill area located along a stream bank 
northeast of the Meade Heights housing complex. The drums were empty 
except for water and coatings of a hard, black tarry substance. EPA 
sampled the drum contents and found that they did not exhibit the 
characteristic of EP toxicity (as described in 40 CFR 261.24) at the 
time of the sampling.
    EPA evaluated the Site under the Hazard Ranking System and was 
proposed for inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL) on October 
1, 1984. EPA added the Site to the NPL on June 1, 1986. 51 FR 21054 
(June 6, 1996). EPA's initial response after the NPL listing focused on 
the presence of VOCs found in the groundwater beneath the Site. EPA 
selected an interim remedy in the December 30, 1987, Record of Decision 
(1987 ROD) that addressed HIA's contaminated drinking water supply. The 
selected response consisted of the installation of an air stripping 
system for the removal of VOCs to meet the drinking water standards. 
The existing treatment system consists of two air strippers, an ion 
exchange unit for the removal of hardness, and disinfection prior to 
distribution.
    A train spill occurred northwest of the runway area on June 4, 
1988, approximately 500 feet west of Production Well HIA-12. Diethylene 
glycol and mineral oil were released to the soil as a result of the 
spill. PADEP remediated the site of the spill through pumping ground 
water into settling tanks, skimming the mineral oil, biotreatment of 
the diethylene glycol, and reinjection of the treated water. PADEP 
completed the remediation in 1989.
    In order to fully characterize the remainder of the Site and 
identify potential public health and environmental concerns, EPA issued 
a contract for an extensive study of the Site in 1988. The study was 
performed in two phases--the Remedial Investigation (RI) and the 
Feasibility Study (FS). See 40 CFR 300.430 (d) and (e).
    Based upon the 1988 RI/FS for the Site, the Operable Unit 2 Record 
of Decision (1990 ROD), signed on December 17, 1990, directed continued 
operation of existing drinking water supply treatment and the current 
distribution system, the institution of groundwater use restrictions, 
and additional monitoring of the water supply wells. The remedy 
contained in the 1990 ROD also directed the use of institutional 
controls to address direct contact and other threats from potentially 
contaminated soils that may be exposed at the Site during construction, 
demolition, excavation or other activities that disturb Site soils and 
involve the potential for worker and public exposure to presently 
contaminated soils. The 1990 ROD also selected final remedial actions 
at study areas (SAs) 1, 2, 3, and 4 and an interim action at SA-5, 
since the field investigation results at SA-5 were inconclusive in 
determining contaminant sources and their potential environmental 
impact.
    Under the 1990 ROD, the remedy selection for SA-1 involved the 
continued operation of the ground water treatment system currently in 
place at the Site, the institution of restrictions for all ground water 
use throughout the Site (which extends from the North Base Landfill to 
the Susquehanna River), and the addition of monitoring for the water 
supply wells.
    The remedy for SA-2 and SA-3 included land use and access 
restrictions, and the development of public and worker health and 
safety requirements for activities involving construction, demolition, 
and excavation or other activities that would disturb the Site soil.
    The remedy for SA-4, which provided for the installation of 
``sentinel wells'' designed to assure protection of well MID-04 from 
contaminants found on the Site, was coupled with the remedy for SA-1 to 
efficiently and effectively address ground water contamination at the 
Site.
    The interim action required for SA-5 included a study evaluating 
the water quality of, and organisms living in, the stream near Meade 
Heights.
    After reviewing the 1990 ROD, PADEP asserted that the ROD did not 
fully investigate the relationship between soil and ground water 
contamination, nor did it consider active soil cleanup technologies. In 
1992, an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued to 
address PADEP's concerns by expanding the scope of the Supplemental 
Studies Investigation (SSI) required by the 1990 ROD. The ESD explained 
that the ground water remedy selected in the 1990 ROD was an interim 
action and that the final decision would follow in the third ROD. The 
ESD also rescinded the requirement in the 1990 ROD, that the existing 
water supply system must continue to operate even if airport operations 
cease would be eliminated and reevaluated at a later date.
    The SSI concluded that no contaminants of concern were identified 
in the surface water or sediment at the Site above the Biological 
Technical Assistance Group (BTAG) screening levels. Furthermore, based 
on the Baseline Risk Assessment (BRA) that was performed as part of the 
SSI, EPA concluded in the third ROD, issued on September 17 1996, that:
     No additional action, other than that already required by 
earlier RODs, is necessary to address soils at the Site. Therefore all 
remedial designs and remedial actions are complete, and no cleanup 
standards are set for any operable unit.
     Institutional restrictions on ground water use will be 
continued at the Site.
     Monitoring of surface water and sediment in the 
Susquehanna River as required by the 1990 ROD should continue. In 
addition, two locations involving the J-5 storm drain, situated next to 
building 208, should also be sampled quarterly and evaluated as part of 
the five year review for the Site. These locations are the J-5 storm 
drain and the outfall of the J-5 storm line at Post Run. The sampling 
frequency may be modified by PADEP after one year. No other sampling 
for surface water and sediment is deemed necessary at this time.
     Monitoring of the sentinel wells in the North Base 
Landfill Area, as required by the 1990 ROD for the protection of the 
MID-04 well, should continue. No other actions for this area are deemed 
necessary at this time.
     No action is required for surface water or sediment in 
Meade Heights.
     In the event that the HIA should cease or reduce the 
pumping of the production wells, PADEP will assess the potential for 
currently contained hazardous substances to migrate towards the 
Susquehanna River and PADEP, as provided for in the April 16, 1997, 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PADEP and PennDOT, may impose 
a sampling and review period (not to initially exceed 5 years) to 
assess whether any impact is occurring regarding the Susquehanna River. 
After the initial review, PADEP will again review the Site's status and 
determine if additional action is warranted.
     As required by the 1990 ROD, ground water use will be 
restricted in the event any new wells are to be installed or 
modification of usage to existing wells is to be implemented at the 
Site. The extracted ground water must be tested and the results 
reported to PADEP. Ground water use at the Site will require a permit 
or approval by PADEP prior to use.
    The 1996 ROD concluded that no additional action, other than that 
already required by the 1987 ROD and the 1990 ROD, as modified by the 
1992

[[Page 28410]]

ESD, is required at the Site. Further, EPA has concluded that the 1996 
ROD's ``No Further Action'' alternative's use of engineering and 
institutional controls at the Site will not interfere with the 
redevelopment and expansion objectives set forth in the October 1990 
Master Plan Harrisburg International Airport commissioned by PennDOT's 
Bureau of Aviation's State-owned Airports Division.
    On August 21, 1996, EPA and PADEP conducted a final inspection of 
the sentinel well construction. No deficiencies were noted nor were 
additional activities deemed necessary as a result of the inspection.
    All remedial actions for this Site are complete. Collection of 
monitoring well data from the HIA production wells and the North Base 
Landfill sentinel wells, initially on a quarterly basis (unless and 
until modified by PADEP), is the only O&M requirement necessary.
    PADEP has assumed the responsibility for assuring compliance with 
the institutional controls identified in the RODs for this Site, and 
the review of data generated as part of the 5-year review process. On 
April 16, 1997, PADEP and PennDOT entered into a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU). The MOU expresses the intent of PADEP and PennDOT 
that PennDOT will, inter alia, perform the sampling of the wells, water 
and sediment and implement institutional controls, as required by 
remedy selected in the 1996 ROD.
    The statutorily required five-year review of the ground water 
treatment remedy selected in the 1987 ROD was completed on September 
1996. Further five year reviews will be conducted pursuant to OSWER 
Directive 9355.7-02. ``Structure and Components of Five-Year Reviews,'' 
and/or other applicable guidance. The next scheduled five year review 
is set for September, 1998. Subsequent five year reviews will be 
conducted pursuant to the directive.
    The remedies selected for this Site have been implemented in 
accordance with the three Records of Decision as modified and expanded 
in the EPA-approved Remedial Designs for the Operable Units and the 
1992 ESD. Human health threats and potential environmental impacts have 
been reduced to acceptable levels. EPA and the PADEP find that the 
remedies implemented continue to provide adequate protection of human 
health and the environment.
    EPA, with the concurrence of PADEP, believes that the criteria for 
deletion of this Site have been met. Therefore, EPA is proposing 
deletion of this Site from the NPL.

    Dated: May 15, 1997.
W. Michael McCabe,
Regional Administrator, USEPA Region III.
[FR Doc. 97-13481 Filed 5-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P