[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 163 (Friday, August 22, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 44619-44621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22065]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-5876-4]


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

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of intent for partial deletion of the Saegertown 
Industrial Area Site from the National Priorities List (NPL).

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency, Region III (EPA) 
announces its intent to delete certain releases on the Saegertown 
Industrial Area Site (Site) from the National Priorities List (NPL) and 
requests public comment on this proposed action. The NPL is published 
at 40 CFR part 300, appendix B. Part 300 is the National Oil and 
Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), which the EPA 
promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA). 
EPA has determined that the Site as described on the NPL no longer 
necessitates remedial measures for the properties affected by those 
releases. This proposal for partial deletion includes releases on the 
property formerly owned by the General American Transportation 
Corporation (GATX) and Spectrum Control, Inc. (SCI) and property 
currently owned by the Saegertown Manufacturing Corporation (SMC).
    EPA bases its proposal to delete the releases from the former GATX 
and SCI properties, and the SMC property (Deleted Properties) from the 
Site on the determination by EPA and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 
(PADEP), that all appropriate actions under CERCLA have been 
implemented to protect human health, welfare and the environment, as 
defined by CERCLA, and, therefore, no further remedial measures 
pursuant to CERCLA are deemed necessary for the Deleted Properties.
    This partial deletion pertains only to releases on the former GATX 
and SCI properties and the SMC property at the Site, and does not 
include the Lord Corporation property (Operable Unit--1) at the Site. 
Operable Unit--1 (OU-1) will remain on the NPL, and response activities 
will continue for this Operable Unit.

DATES: Comments concerning this Site may be submitted on or before 
September 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to Steven J. Donohue, Remedial 
Project Manager, 3HW22, U.S. EPA, Region III, 841 Chestnut Building, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, (215) 566-3215, Fax (215) 566-3001, 
e-mail DONOHUE.STEVEN@ EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.
    Comprehensive information on this Site is available for viewing in 
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) 566-5364; and the Saegertown 
Area Library, 320 Broad Street, Saegertown, PA 16433, (814) 763-5203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven J. Donohue (3HW22), EPA Region 
3, 841 Chestnut Building, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, (215) 566-3215, Fax 
(215) 566-3001, e-mail DONOHUE.STEVEN@ EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV.

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, Region III (EPA) announces its 
intent to delete releases on certain portions of the Saegertown 
Industrial Area Site (Site) located in Saegertown, Crawford County, 
Pennsylvania from the National Priorities List (NPL) published at 40 
CFR part 300. These releases no longer pose a threat to human health or 
the environment and therefore remedial measures according to CERCLA are 
no longer necessary on the Deleted Properties. EPA requests comments on 
this partial deletion.
    The Deleted Properties at the Saegertown Industrial Area Site are 
those properties, as originally listed on the NPL in February 1990, 
located to the north of Pennsylvania Route 198. The Deleted Properties 
are bounded by Route 198 to the south, generally bounded by an unnamed 
intermittent tributary of Woodcock Creek to the east and the northern 
property boundary of SMC to the north, and bounded by the former 
Conrail railroad right of way to the west. A figure and the exact 
coordinates that define the Deleted Properties at the Site are 
contained in the NPL deletion docket.
    Section II of this document explains the criteria for partially 
deleting portions of a site from the NPL. Section III discusses the 
procedures that EPA is using for this action. Section IV discusses the 
Saegertown Industrial Area Site and explains how partial deletion 
criteria are met for this Site.

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 Fund-Financed 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.
    Site releases may not be deleted from the NPL until the state in 
which the site is located has concurred with the proposed deletion. EPA 
is required to provide the state with 30 working days for review of the 
deletion notice prior to its publication in the Federal Register.
    It states in the NCP (40 CFR 300.425(e)(3)) that all sites deleted 
from the NPL are eligible for further Fund-financed remedial action 
should future conditions warrant such action. 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.

[[Page 44620]]

III. Deletion Procedures

    Sections 300.425(e) (4) and (5) of the NCP set forth requirements 
for deletions of site releases to assure public involvement in the 
decision. EPA announced a policy change which permitted the partial 
deletions of those releases from the NPL in a document published on 
Wednesday, November 1, 1995 in the Federal Register (60 FR 55466). 
Accordingly, during the proposal to delete a release from the NPL, EPA 
is required to conduct the following activities:
    (i) Publish a notice of intent for partial deletion 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 for 
partial deletion in a major local newspaper of general circulation at 
or near the release that is proposed for deletion;
    (iii) Place copies of information supporting the proposed partial 
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 EPA determines that the deletion is appropriate after 
considering comments received during the public comment period and 
receiving the states's concurrence, EPA then publishes a notice of 
partial deletion in the Federal Register and places the final partial 
deletion package, including the Responsiveness Summary, in the site 
repositories.
    Partial deletion of a site release from the NPL does not itself 
create, alter, or revoke any individual's rights or obligations. As 
stated in section II of this document, Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP 
provides that the deletion of a site release from the NPL does not 
preclude eligibility for future response actions.

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The following summary provides EPA's rationale for the proposed 
partial deletion of the Saegertown Industrial Area Site releases from 
the NPL.
    The Saegertown Industrial Area Site consists of an approximately 
100 acres area located in an industrial park in the Borough of 
Saegertown, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Saegertown is located 
approximately 25 miles south of the City of Erie, Pennsylvania, and 5 
miles north of the City of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
    In July 1984, EPA began to investigate the Saegertown Industrial 
Area Site. Sampling confirmed the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) 
and trichloroethane (TCA) in ground water on the Site. Soil and sludge 
samples from a pond on the Site revealed the presence of TCE, 
tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In 
late 1989, four companies signed an Administrative Order on Consent 
with EPA to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) 
for the Site. On February 21, 1990, the Site was listed on the NPL list 
of Superfund Sites.
    The Site was defined on the NPL as consisting of four properties in 
the industrial park: the Lord property, the former GATX property, and 
the SMC and SCI properties. The RI/FS for the Site examined each of 
these four areas separately. Based primarily on the information 
collected during the RI/FS, EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for 
the Saegertown Industrial Area Site on January 29, 1993, which called 
for remedial action on two areas of the industrial park: the Lord 
property and the property formerly owned by the GATX.
    On the Lord property, the RI/FS estimated that 7,500 pounds of 
chlorinated ethenes had leaked from a sump area into the ground water. 
As a result, the RI/FS estimated that 9.3 million gallons of ground 
water were estimated to be contaminated with PCE, 1,2 dichloroethene, 
vinyl chloride and TCE. In the January 1993 ROD for the Site, EPA 
selected a remedy for the Lord property consisting of the following 
components: delineation of the ground water plume; ground water 
extraction and treatment through air stripping or UV/oxidation; air 
sparging injection wells; vapor extraction and treatment through carbon 
adsorption; and long-term ground water monitoring. Subsequent to the 
ROD, EPA defined the Lord property remedy as Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) at 
the Site.
    On the property formerly owned by GATX, the RI/FS estimated that 
9,000 cubic yards of sludge and soil were contaminated with volatile 
organic compounds (VOCs) and PAHs in the lagoon, sludge bed and pond 
area. The remedy stated in the ROD for the former GATX property 
consisted of the following components: excavation of contaminated 
sludge and soil; onsite incineration with air pollution controls; 
restoration or replacement of the pond and wetland; and long-term 
ground water monitoring. Subsequent to the issuance of the ROD, EPA 
defined the former GATX property remedy as Operable Unit 2 (OU-2) at 
the Site.
    The RI/FS indicated that the releases from the SMC and the SCI 
properties posed no significant threat to public health or the 
environment. The ROD, therefore, selected no action for the SMC and SCI 
properties at the Site. On September 17, 1993 SCI sold it's property at 
the Site to SMC.
    EPA signed separate Consent Orders with Lord Corporation in 
September 1993, and with GATX Corporation in August 1994, for the 
cleanup of their respective current and former properties at the Site.
    In 1991, Lord excavated contaminated soil on its property. The area 
was backfilled and the soil was taken for offsite incineration. Pre-
design studies and studies of the extent of the remaining contamination 
at the Lord property began in 1994. Additional monitoring wells were 
installed in the overburden above the bedrock and in the bedrock to 
delineate the extent of ground water contamination and investigate the 
geology at the Site. In 1996, Lord discovered additional soil 
contamination in the ground under the western tank farm (WTF) on its 
property. Lord excavated 770 cubic yards of soil from the area. This 
soil is currently being biologically treated on the Lord property. Lord 
installed a bioventing system beneath the WTF to treat unexcavated soil 
around the tank foundations. During the spring and summer of 1997, Lord 
has been delineating the extent of ground water contamination on the 
west side of French Creek. This contamination has impacted one private 
well on the west side of the Creek. Lord has installed a treatment 
system on one impacted private well to remove contaminants of concern 
at the Site. Lord is continuing to perform additional hydrogeologic 
studies on the west side of French Creek.
    Because the selected remedy for the Lord Corporation OU-1 at the 
Site has not yet been fully implemented and completed, this portion of 
the Site is not yet protective of human health and the environment and 
is not being proposed for deletion.
    In March of 1995 and 1996, EPA modified the former GATX property 
remedy to allow off-site thermal treatment of contaminated soils and 
sludge and resource recovery. Off-site disposal of the contaminated 
sludge and soil began in the summer of 1995 and was completed in the 
fall of 1996. Over 32,000 tons of soil and sludge were excavated and 
removed from the former GATX property for off-site thermal treatment 
and resource recovery. Analysis of samples collected from the pond, 
sludge bed and lagoon areas on the former GATX property confirmed that 
the performance standard specified by the ROD, which defines the soil

[[Page 44621]]

cleanup goal, was achieved in all the excavation areas. The excavated 
areas on the former GATX property were then backfilled with clean soil, 
graded back to pre-existing contours and seeded. EPA inspected the 
former GATX property on October 10, 1996 and approved the 
demobilization of the remedial action contractor from the Site. EPA 
reinspected the former GATX property on June 4, 1997 and confirmed that 
vegetation had been fully re-established in the disturbed areas.
    The ROD did not call for remedial action on the ground water 
beneath the former GATX property. Analytical results of ground water 
samples taken before the remedial action indicated that contaminants of 
concern were either not detected or were detected at concentrations 
below their Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) 
concentrations. Analysis of ground water samples from monitoring wells 
on the former GATX property has been performed quarterly through the 
remedial action and following completion of the remedial action. The 
concentrations of selected VOCs peaked during February of 1996 with 
some detections slightly in excess of allowable MCLs. In samples taken 
during quarterly monitoring in November 1996, February 1997 and May 
1997 no VOCs have exceeded their respective allowable MCL 
concentrations. Monitoring is continuing and VOCs concentrations appear 
to be declining. Most VOCs concentrations are now below the detection 
limits of the analytical equipment.
    GATX has implemented all appropriate response actions required 
under CERCLA on its former property at the Site. With the exception of 
continuing monitoring of the ground water, no further action is 
required at the former GATX property. In July 1997, EPA approved the 
remedial action certification report documenting the completion of the 
cleanup of the former GATX property in accordance with the ROD. The 
remedy selected and implemented at the former GATX property, OU-2 of 
the Site, remains protective of human health and the environment. The 
former GATX property is available for unrestricted use and unlimited 
access. Due to the continued ground water monitoring on the former GATX 
property, EPA will include this portion of the Site in the next Five-
Year Review of the Site.
    In public meetings in Saegertown the community has requested that 
EPA cleanup and delete portions of the Site as soon as possible to 
allow development of the industrial park. EPA is proposing to delete 
all appropriate areas of the Site in order to foster the re-use of 
Deleted Properties at the Site.
    EPA believes that releases from the former GATX property, as well 
as the former SCI property and the SMC property (where no action was 
selected by the ROD), may be deleted from the Site as defined on the 
National Priority List and that no further remedial measures are 
necessary for the Deleted Properties of the Site.

    Dated: August 8, 1997.
Thomas Voltaggio,
Acting Regional Administrator, USEPA Region 3.
[FR Doc. 97-22065 Filed 8-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P