Site Name: VINELAND CHEMICAL CO., INC
EPA ID: NJD002385664 EPA Region: 02 Metro Statistical Area: 8760
1611 W WHEAT RD, VINELAND, NJ 08360
Operable Unit:
ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R02-89/084 ROD Date: 09/28/89
Contaminant: ARSENIC
Keys: ACL; ARSENIC; CLOSURE REQUIREMENTS; DECONTAMINATION; DIRECT CONTACT; DREDGING; EXCAVATION; FILLING; FLOODPLAIN; GROUND WATER; GROUND WATER MONITORING; GROUND WATER TREATMENT; INTERIM REMEDY; LEACHABILITY TESTS; MCLS; METALS; O&M; OFFSITE DISCHARGE; OFFSITE DISPOSAL; OFFSITE TREATMENT; ONSITE DISPOSAL; ONSITE TREATMENT; PLUME MANAGEMENT; RCRA; SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT; SEDIMENT; SOIL; SOIL WASHING/FLUSHING; STATE STANDARDS/REGULATIONS; SURFACE WATER MONITORING; TREATABILITY STUDIES; TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY; WETLANDS
Abstract:
THE VINELAND CHEMICAL SITE IS IN VINELAND, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NEW JERSEY. THE SITE IS IN A RESIDENTIAL/INDUSTRIAL AREA AND BORDERS THE BLACKWATER BRANCH STREAM A TRIBUTARY TO THE MAURICE RIVER, WHICH ULTIMATELY FLOWS INTO UNION LAKE. THE VINELAND FACILITY CONSISTS OF SEVERAL HERBICIDE MANUFACTURING AND STORAGE FACILITIES, A WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY, AND SEVERAL LAGOONS. THE FACILITY PRODUCES APPROXIMATELY 1,107 TONS OF HERBICIDE WASTE BY-PRODUCT SALTS, EPA HAZARDOUS WASTE NUMBER K 031, EACH YEAR WHICH WERE STORED ONSITE IN UNCONTROLLED PILES ON THE SOIL, IN THE UNLINED LAGOONS, AND IN ABANDONED CHICKEN COOPS. FURTHERMORE, ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED WASTEWATER WAS DISCHARGED INTO UNLINED LAGOONS UNTIL 1980 WHEN VINELAND CHEMICAL COMPANY BEGAN TREATING WASTEWATER. SINCE 1978 HAZARDOUS WASTE SALTS PRODUCED AT THE SITE HAVE NO LONGER BEEN STORED ONSITE FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS AND ARE DISPOSED OF OFFSITE BY LICENSED SHIPPERS; HOWEVER, THE PAST IMPROPER STORAGE OF THOSE SALTS HAVE RESULTED IN EXTENSIVE ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF SOIL, SEDIMENT, AND GROUND WATER BECAUSE OF THE HIGH SOLUBILITY OF THE SALTS. THE GROUND WATER UNDERNEATH THE PLANT DISCHARGES INTO THE BLACKWATER BRANCH STREAM AND HAS RESULTED IN CONTAMINATION OF SEDIMENT IN BLACKWATER BRANCH, THE MAURICE RIVER, AND UNION LAKE. THE SITE HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO FOUR DISCRETE OPERABLE UNITS TO FACILITATE REMEDIATION: SEDIMENT IN THE 870-ACRE UNION LAKE; SEDIMENT IN THE MAURICE RIVER AND BLACKWATER BRANCH STREAM AREAS; SOIL ASSOCIATED WITH THE VINELAND CHEMICAL COMPANY FACILITY; AND GROUND WATER UNDERLYING THE SITE. THE PRIMARY CONTAMINANT OF CONCERN AFFECTING THE SOIL, SEDIMENT, AND GROUND WATER IS ARSENIC.
THE SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTIONS FOR THIS SITE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN
FOUR DISCRETE OPERABLE UNITS (OUS).
OU 1, THE PLANT SITE SOURCE CONTROL, WILL INCLUDE IN SITU FLUSHING OF 126,000 CUBIC YARDS OF ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SOIL, 54,000 CUBIC YARDS OF WHICH WILL BE EXCAVATED AND CONSOLIDATED WITH 72,000 CUBIC YARDS OF UNDISTURBED SOIL; DECONTAMINATING ONSITE STORAGE BUILDINGS (CHICKEN COOPS); AND CLOSING TWO IMPOUNDMENTS FOLLOWED BY OFFSITE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF THE WASTEWATER AND SLUDGE RECOVERED FROM THE IMPOUNDMENTS.
OU 2, THE PLANT SITE GROUND WATER, WILL INCLUDE GROUND WATER PUMPING AND TREATMENT FOLLOWED EITHER BY REINJECTION, OFFSITE DISCHARGE TO THE MAURICE RIVER, OR REUSE FOR SOIL FLUSHING; AND OFFSITE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF RESIDUE SLUDGE FROM GROUND WATER TREATMENT.
OU 3, THE STREAM AND RIVER AREAS SEDIMENT, WILL INCLUDE EXCAVATING, DREDGING, AND TREATING 62,600 CUBIC YARDS OF EXPOSED AND BURIED SEDIMENT FROM THE BLACKWATER BRANCH AND ITS FLOODPLAIN USING WATER WASH EXTRACTION FOLLOWED BY ONSITE REDEPOSITION OF TREATED SEDIMENT; TREATING AND OFFSITE DISPOSAL OF SLUDGE RESIDUE FROM THE WATER WASH EXTRACTION PROCESS; IMPLEMENTING A THREE-YEAR PERIOD OF NATURAL RIVER FLUSHING FOR THE MAURICE RIVER SEDIMENT AFTER REMEDIATING THE ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER; AND SELECTION OF A WATER WASH CONTINGENT REMEDY FOR THE RIVER SEDIMENTS IF LEVELS PERSIST ABOVE ACTION LEVELS.
OU 4, AN INTERIM REMEDY FOR THE UNION LAKE SEDIMENT, WILL INCLUDE DREDGING, EXCAVATING, AND TREATING SEDIMENT FROM UNION LAKE USING WATER WASH EXTRACTION FOLLOWED BY REDEPOSITION INTO THE LAKE; TREATING AND DISPOSING OF SLUDGE RESIDUE OFFSITE; AND SEDIMENT AND SURFACE WATER MONITORING. THE ESTIMATED PRESENT WORTH COST FOR THESE REMEDIAL ACTIONS IS $66,384,636, WHICH INCLUDES ESTIMATED ANNUAL O&M COSTS OF $3,463,463 FOR THE SHORT TERM AND $38,010 FOR THE LONG TERM FOR THE PLANT SOURCE CONTROL, STREAM AND RIVER SEDIMENT, AND LAKE SEDIMENT OPERABLE UNITS; AND A PRESENT WORTH O&M COST OF $5,155,053 FOR THE GROUND WATER OPERABLE UNIT.
Remedy:
THE REMEDIAL ACTIONS, WHICH WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN PHASES OR OPERABLE UNITS, CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING:
OPERABLE UNIT ONE (PLANT SITE SOURCE CONTROL)
* IN SITU TREATMENT, BY FLUSHING, OF THE ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SOILS TO REDUCE ARSENIC LEVELS. PORTIONS OF THE CONTAMINATED SOIL WILL BE EXCAVATED AND CONSOLIDATED PRIOR TO THE FLUSHING ACTION.
* PLANT SITE REMEDIATION ALSO INCLUDES CLOSURE OF THE TWO LINED SURFACE IMPOUNDMENTS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT (RCRA), AND DECONTAMINATION OF THE FORMER CHICKEN COOP STORAGE BUILDINGS.
OPERABLE UNIT TWO (PLANT SITE MANAGEMENT OF MIGRATION)
* REMOVAL OF ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER THROUGH PUMPING, FOLLOWED BY ON-SITE TREATMENT AND REINJECTION OF THE TREATED GROUNDWATER TO THE AQUIFER AT THE MAXIMUM RATE PRACTICABLE.
OPERABLE UNIT THREE (RIVER AREAS SEDIMENTS)
* EXCAVATION AND TREATMENT OF THE EXPOSED ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN THE BLACKWATER BRANCH FLOODPLAIN. TREATMENT WILL CONSIST OF A WATER WASH EXTRACTION.
* DREDGING/REMOVAL AND TREATMENT, BY WATER WASH EXTRACTION, OF THE SUBMERGED ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS IN THE BLACKWATER BRANCH ADJACENT TO AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE VINELAND CHEMICAL COMPANY PLANT SITE.
* AFTER STOPPING THE FLOW OF ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER FROM THE VINELAND CHEMICAL COMPANY PLANT SITE, A THREE YEAR PERIOD FOR NATURAL RIVER FLUSHING WILL BE IMPLEMENTED.
* REMEDIATION OF THE SUBMERGED MAURICE RIVER SEDIMENTS WILL BE PERFORMED, AS NECESSARY, BY DREDGING AND TREATMENT WITH A WATER WASH EXTRACTION.
OPERABLE UNIT FOUR (UNION LAKE SEDIMENTS) -
* REMOVAL AND TREATMENT OF ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS ON THE PERIPHERY OF UNION LAKE WILL BE PERFORMED AFTER THE THREE YEAR FLUSHING PERIOD (IF NO REMEDIATION IS PERFORMED IN THE MAURICE RIVER) OR AFTER REMEDIATION OF THE MAURICE RIVER (IF THIS IS NECESSARY FOLLOWING THE FLUSHING PERIOD).
* THE ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS ON THE PERIPHERY OF UNION LAKE WILL BE EXCAVATED AFTER THEY ARE EXPOSED BY LOWERING THE LAKE'S WATER LEVEL.
* THIS IS AN INTERIM REMEDY, SINCE ARSENIC-CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS ABOVE HEALTH-BASED LEVELS WILL REMAIN IN UNION LAKE. THEREFORE, PERIODIC REVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS ARE REDISTRIBUTED, THROUGH NATURAL PROCESSES, TO THE CLEANED AREAS.