[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 147 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41875-41881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19587]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-6410-3]


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

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of intent to delete the Sand Springs Petrochemical 
Complex site from the National Priorities List; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 announces 
its

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intent to delete the Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Site (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 EPA promulgated pursuant to section 105 of the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA), as amended. The EPA and the State of Oklahoma, acting through 
the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), have 
determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been 
implemented and that no further cleanup is appropriate. Moreover, EPA 
and the have determined that response activities conducted at the Site 
to date have been protective of public health and the environment.

DATES: Written comments concerning this Site must be submitted on or 
before September 1, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Ms. Nancy Stonebarger, Community 
Relations Coordinator, U.S. EPA, Region 6 (6SF-P), 1445 Ross Avenue, 
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, Telephone (214) 665-6619 or 1-800-533-3508.
    Comprehensive information on this site is available through the EPA 
Region 6 Public Docket, located at the EPA Region 6 library. It is 
available for viewing from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding holidays. The Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Site 
Document Repositories are as follows:
    U.S. EPA Region 6 Library (6MD-II), 12th Floor, 1445 Ross Avenue, 
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, (214) 665-6424 or 665-6427.
    Page Memorial Library, 6 East Broadway, Sand Springs, Oklahoma 
74063.
    Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Attn: Mr. Scott A. 
Thompson, P.O. Box 1677, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101, (405) 702-
5156,, Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Shawn Ghose, M.S., P.E., Remedial 
Project Manager, Mail Code (6SF-AP), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency Region 6 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733, Phone: 
(214) 665-6782 or 1-800-533-3508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

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

I. Introduction

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 announces its 
intent to delete the Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Site (Site), 
Sand Springs, Oklahoma, from the National Priorities List (NPL), which 
constitutes appendix B of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances 
Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR part 300, and requests 
comments on the proposed deletion. The EPA identifies sites that appear 
to present a significant risk to public health 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 conditions at the site warrant such 
action.
    The EPA will accept comments concerning this proposal for 30 days 
after publication of this document in the Federal Register and a major 
local newspaper of general circulation at or near the site ( newspaper 
of record).
    Section II of this document explains the criteria for deleting 
sites from the NPL. Section III discusses the procedures that EPA is 
using for this action. Section IV discusses the history of this Site 
and explains how this Site meets the deletion criteria.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    The NCP establishes the criteria that EPA 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 to protect public 
health or the environment. In making such a determination pursuant to 
Sec. 300.425(e), the EPA will consider, in consultation with the State, 
whether any of the following criteria have been met:
    (a) Section 300.425(e)(1)(i): Responsible parties or other persons 
have implemented all appropriate response actions required;
    (b) Section 300.425(e)(1)(ii): All appropriate Fund-financed 
response under CERCLA has been implemented, and no further response 
action by responsible parties is appropriate; or
    (c) Section 300.425(e)(1)(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.

III. Deletion Procedures

    Deletion of a site from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or 
revoke any person's rights or obligations. The NPL is designed 
primarily for informational purposes and to assist the EPA management.
    Upon determination that at least one of the criteria described in 
Sec. 300.425(e) of the NCP has been met, EPA may formally begin 
deletion procedures. The following procedures were used for the 
intended deletion of the Site from the NPL:
    (1) The EPA consulted with the State of Oklahoma on this proposed 
deletion from the NPL prior to developing this notice of intent for 
deletion.
    (2) The EPA provided the State of Oklahoma at least 30 working days 
for review of this notice of intent for deletion prior to its 
publication in the Federal Register, and the State of Oklahoma, through 
the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), concurred with 
this proposed deletion.
    (3) Concurrently with publication of this notice of intent for 
deletion a notice is being published in a newspaper of record and is 
being distributed to appropriate Federal, State, and local officials, 
and other interested parties. Both documents announce a 30-day public 
comment period concerning this proposed deletion, which commences on 
the date of publication of this document in the Federal Register.
    (4) The EPA has placed copies of information supporting the 
proposed deletion in the information repositories listed above, which 
information is available for public inspection and copying. The notice 
in a newspaper of record also announces the availability of this notice 
of intent for deletion. The public is asked to comment on the EPA's 
proposal to delete the Site from the NPL. All critical documents needed 
to evaluate EPA's decision are listed on the Deletion Docket and are 
available for review and copying at the information repositories.
    (5) Upon completion of the 30-day public comment period, the EPA 
will evaluate the comments and all new data submitted before issuing a 
final decision on the proposed deletion. The EPA will prepare a 
responsiveness summary that will address concerns presented by comments 
and new data and respond to each significant comment and all 
significant new data submitted during the comment period. Such 
responsiveness summary will be included in the final deletion package. 
Members of the public are encouraged

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to contact the EPA to obtain a copy of the responsiveness summary.
    (6) If, after review of all public comments, the EPA determines 
that the deletion from the NPL is appropriate, the EPA will publish a 
final notice of deletion in the Federal Register. The deletion of the 
Site does not actually occur until a final notice of deletion is 
published in the Federal Register. The EPA will place the final 
deletion package in the information repositories listed above once the 
final notice of deletion has been published in the Federal Register.

IV. History and Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The following summary provides the EPA's rationale for deleting the 
Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Site from the NPL.

Site History

    The Site was formerly operated as a petroleum refinery beginning in 
the early 1900s. The refinery was acquired by the Sinclair Oil 
Corporation in the early 1930s and continued to operate until 1948 when 
most of the refinery operations were shut down. Dismantling of the 
inactive portions of the refinery commenced shortly thereafter. All 
remaining refining operations were shut down in 1952. By October 1953, 
Sinclair had conveyed all but approximately 38 acres of the refinery 
property to the Sand Springs Home. In 1969, Sinclair merged with the 
Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), and the 38-acre tract of land was 
absorbed in the merger.
    From 1964 through 1983, several solvent and oil recycling 
facilities operated on a portion of the Site. The area encompassing the 
recycling operations is now referred to as the ``Glen Wynn'' portion of 
the site. The Site (Figure 1) was proposed for inclusion on the 
Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983, and the 
Site was officially added to the NPL in June 1986.
    After the addition to the NPL, the Site was divided into two 
operable units (OUs): the Source Control OU and the Main Site OU 
(groundwater and soils).
    The remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) for the Source 
Control OU was completed in 1987. The Source Control OU consists of 
eleven areas consisting of surface liquids, sludges, and heavily 
contaminated soils (Figure 2). The spray ponds were later determined to 
require no further action.
Records of Decision
    Two Records of Decision (ROD) were developed for the Sand Springs 
Petrochemical Complex. The first was issued on June 28, 1987, for the 
Main Site OU and the second on September 29, 1987, for the Source 
Control OU.
    The first ROD was issued for the groundwater for the main site, and 
a no action alternative was selected because the endangerment 
assessment concluded that, although the groundwater was minimally 
contaminated, it was not used for drinking water, and samples from the 
Arkansas River indicated no contamination. This remedy required 
placement of appropriate warning signs, restriction of access, and 
sampling and analyses of the groundwater and the Arkansas River for a 
period of 30 years.
    The second ROD was issued to control the sources of contamination 
at the Site. The original second ROD required on-site incineration. 
However, the State did not concur with this proposal, and ARCO proposed 
a privately financed remedy for the Site. The ROD was modified to 
require that the sludges from the North and South Glen Wynn Lagoons 
(Figure 2) be excavated and thermally destructed; other sludges from 
the site be excavated, solidified, and placed in a hazardous waste cell 
constructed on site and meeting the requirements of Subtitle C of the 
Solid Waste Disposal Act; and that the Potentially Responsible Parties 
(PRPs) remain liable for the Site and all associated maintenance and 
monitoring. Included in this ROD were the development of an acceptable 
stabilization method, repair or restoration of the cell to prevent 
migration, and destruction or treatment of the cell's contents if 
monitoring showed that the solidification remedy had failed.
    The EPA determined that these alternatives are protective of human 
health and the environment, attain Federal and State requirements that 
are applicable or relevant and appropriate, are cost effective compared 
to equally environmentally protective alternatives, and utilize 
permanent solutions and alternative treatment technologies to the 
maximum extent practicable.
    In October 1990 the EPA, ODEQ, and ARCO entered into a consent 
decree to design and construct the source control remedy. The remedy 
chosen for the source control required that materials from the two 
impoundments (North and South Glen Wynn Lagoons) be excavated and sent 
off-site for incineration.
    In 1991 ARCO conducted a chemical stabilization and solidification 
(CSS) field demonstration to determine the treatment effectiveness of 
several different CSS technologies. In November 1992, ARCO selected a 
quicklime-based CSS process to treat Site wastes. The EPA approved the 
use of the CSS process in February 1993, at which time ARCO commenced 
remedial design activities.
    Remedial action activities began in late 1993 with the start of 
construction of an on-site Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA) type landfill. A transportable CSS treatment unit was moved to 
the Site in the spring of 1994, at which time the excavation, 
neutralization, and treatment of Site wastes started.
Remediation Activities
    ARCO managed all the remediation activities. ARCO contracted with 
Morrison Knudsen Corporation to perform the design and provide quality 
assurance during the remedial action. The prime contractor for the 
remedial action was U.S. Pollution Control, Inc. with Sound/Epic 
providing the transportable treatment unit. The U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Tulsa District, provided oversight for the EPA during the 
remedial investigation, remedial design, and remedial action and will 
continue to provide oversight during the operation and maintenance 
phase.
    The remediation for the Source Control OU was completed in phases 
(see Figures 2 and 3).

Tank Bottom Pit

    The Tank Bottom Pit (formerly called the Chemlink Waste Pits) 
remediation started on September 4, 1991. The operations conducted as 
part of the remediation were setting up the decontamination area, 
constructing the haul road, excavating the sludge and underlying one 
foot of material, sampling of remaining material, and backfilling and 
revegetating the area. Approximately 3,650 cubic yards of material were 
excavated and placed in the Small Acid Sludge Pit. These materials were 
later treated with other sludge pits as noted below.

Glen Wynn Area

    Remedial activities for the Glen Wynn portion of the Site commenced 
in August 1992. The remediation included the following 6 subsites: 
North Lagoon, South Lagoon, Drum Area, T-5 Area, L-Shaped Area, and 
Pump House.
    The Pump House contained barrels of soil and water and plastic bags 
of personal protective equipment from previous investigations at the 
Site. Soils in two of the barrels were determined to be Glen Wynn 
wastes and were incinerated with other Site wastes. All waste materials 
on the Glen Wynn subsite were tested for chlorine content. Those wastes 
that exceeded the chlorine

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criteria were considered Glen Wynn wastes. All water was treated onsite 
at the temporary wastewater treatment plant. All plastic bags of 
personal protective equipment were transported to the Lone Mountain 
Hazardous Waste facility. The remaining barrels of soil were later 
deposited at the northeast end of the Large Acid Sludge Pit to be 
treated with main site wastes in mid-1994. The empty barrels were 
cleaned, crushed, and transported to an off-site disposal facility.
    Remediation of the other subsites consisted of excavating 
contaminated material and transporting this material to off-site 
hazardous waste incinerators. After excavated areas tested clean, 
except for the contaminated lagoon soils at depths greater than 
indicated by the consent decree workplan, the excavations were 
backfilled and compacted with either stockpiled soil from the subsites 
(if cleanup criteria was met) or with clean fill from off-site sources. 
Contaminated debris, generated during the remediation, were transported 
to the Lone Mountain Hazardous Waste facility in northwest Oklahoma.
    The remaining contaminated lagoon soils are at depths greater than 
indicated by the consent decree workplan. Borehole samples, down to 
groundwater level, showed that approximately 700 cubic yards of 
contaminated soil remained in the South Lagoon and its peripheral area, 
and 300 cubic yards remained in the North Lagoon. In accordance with 
the EPA's requirements, the area of the lagoons were regraded to 
prevent ponding, and groundwater is being monitored.
    Final site grading and seeding occurred in December 1992.

Other Sludge Pits

    Remedial activities for the other sludge pits were included in the 
Source Control OU cleanup. These include the wastes in the Large and 
Small Acid Sludge Pits, the River Acid Sludge Pit (Figure 2), the 
contaminated soils adjacent to these pits, the Surface Impoundment 
between the Large and Small Acid Pits, the Round River Pit, the Levee 
Pit, and the Con-Rad Sludge Area. The last three pits were discovered 
during the second phase investigation. The Spray Ponds (east and west) 
were also discovered at this time, but were not included in the consent 
decree workplan.
    The operations conducted as part of the remediation were 
neutralizing the sludge and underlying one foot of material by mixing 
the material with a lime slurry, excavating the neutralized material, 
sampling of remaining material, neutralizing and removing additional 
material containing greater than 100 ppm benzo(a)pyrene, treating 
approximately 206,500 cubic yards of stabilized waste in the Thermal 
Treatment Unit (TTU) to achieve the physical and chemical properties 
required by the ROD, placing the treated material in the landfill and 
covering with a RCRA-type cap, and backfilling and revegetating the 
area (Figure 3).

Main Site OU

    Remediation activities for the Main Site OU consisted of the 
placement of warning signs, access restriction, and placement of seven 
new monitoring wells. Two of the wells, placed on the dike south of the 
landfill, were installed prior to construction of the landfill, and the 
other five were installed after its completion in August 1995 (Figure 
3). The wells have been sampled and analyzed for the constituents 
listed in the consent decree workplan for four quarterly sampling 
rounds, two semi-annual sampling rounds, and one annual sampling round. 
These analyses have not shown a degradation of the groundwater which 
would require a further response action.
    A bibliography of reports relevant to the review of this Site is 
attached (Attachment 1). These documents along with others are 
available at the information repositories listed above.
    The EPA, with the concurrence of the State of Oklahoma, has 
determined that all appropriate CERCLA response actions for the Site 
have been completed. Therefore, the EPA makes this proposal to delete 
the Site from the NPL.

Attachment 1: Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Site Documents

Bibliography

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sand Springs Petrochemical 
Complex Source Control Operable Unit, Record of Decision, EPA Region 
6, September 1987
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sand Springs Petrochemical 
Complex Site Main Site (Groundwater) Operable Unit, Record of 
Decision, EPA Region 6, June 1988.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sand Springs Petrochemical 
Complex, Oklahoma Fact Sheet, EPA Region 6, Updated 03/21/97
John Mathes and Associates, Inc., Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex 
Superfund Site, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Main Site Operable Unit, 
Remedial Investigation Report, March 1988
USPCI Remedial Services, Independent Task Report, Sand Springs 
Petrochemical Complex, Glen Wynn Portion, May 1993
USPCI Remedial Services, Construction Report, Sand Springs 
Petrochemical COmplex, Glen Wynn Removal Action, May 1993
Morrison Knudsen Corporation, Remedial Design/Remedial Action Source 
Control Operable Unit, Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex, Executive 
Summary Draft and Tasks 1 through 11 Work Plans, July 1988
Morrison Knudsen Corporation, Remedial Design/Remedial Action Source 
Control Operable Unit, Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex, 
Groundwater Level Monitoring Plan, October 1993
Morrison Knudsen Corporation, Remedial Design/Remedial Action Source 
Control Operable Unit, Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex, 
Consolidated Final Design Report: Volume VI--Closure Plan, October 
1993
Morrison Knudsen Corporation, Remedial Design/Remedial Action Source 
Control Operable Unit, Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex, 
Consolidated Final Design Report: Volume XIII--Landfill Groundwater 
Monitoring Plan, August 1993
Morrison Knudsen Corporation, ARCO Sand Springs Landfill, Final 
Construction Report, August 1995
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, Sand Springs 
Petrochemical Complex Superfund Site Preliminary Close Out Report-
Draft, February 1996.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division Laboratory, 
Results of Chemical Analyses of Soil Samples Site Characterization 
ARCO Remedial Action, SWDED-GL Report No. 14812,-1, January 1989, et 
seq.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division Laboratory, 
Results of Tests of Stabilized Sludge Samples, Sand Springs ARCO 
Refinery, SWDED-GL Report No. 15250-1, February 1992.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division Laboratory, 
Results of Chemical Analyses of Water Samples, ARCO Sand Springs, 
SWDED-GL Report No. 16400, -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, October 1995, et 
seq.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Close Out Procedures for 
National Priority List Sites--Interim Final, (U. S. EPA Office of 
Solid Waste and Emergency Response Directive 9320.2-09), August 
1995.
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Structure and Components 
of Five-Year Reviews, (U. S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
Response Directive 9355.7-02), May 1991
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Closeout Report, September 
1997

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    Dated: June 2, 1999.
Myron O. Knudson,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region 6.
[FR Doc. 99-19587 Filed 7-30-99; 8:45 am]
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