Site Name: CEDARTOWN INDUSTRIES, INC

EPA ID: GAD095840674 EPA Region: 04 Metro Statistical Area:

S FURNACE ST, CEDARTOWN, GA 30125

Operable Unit: 01

ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R04-93/129 ROD Date: 07/09/05

Contaminant: VOCs, Other Organics, Metals

O&M Costs: $32,000 Estimated Costs: $3,372,1

Keys: Air Monitoring; Arsenic; Background Levels; Benzene; Capping; Carbon Adsorption (GAC); Carcinogenic Compounds; Chromium; Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Contingent Remedy; Debris; Direct Contact; Drinking Water Contaminants; Excavation; Filling; Ground Water; Ground Water Monitoring; Ground Water Treatment; Institutional Controls; Leachability Tests; Lead; MCLs; Metals; O&M; Offsite Discharge; Offsite Disposal; Onsite Containment; Onsite Discharge; Onsite Disposal; Onsite Treatment; Organics; PAHs; Pesticides; Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW); RCRA; Safe Drinking Water Act; Soil; Solidification/Stablization; Solvents; State Standards/Regulations; Treatability Studies; Treatment Technology; VOCs; Wetlands

Abstract:

The 6.8-acre Cedartown Industries site is an inactive foundry located in Cedartown, Georgia. The site is bordered by Cedar Creek on the west, and a supply store and several wooded areas to the south. Land use in the area is predominantly agricultural and industrial. There are two distinct units within the underlying karst aquifer, which are hydraulically connected; the bedrock portion is used as a primary source of drinking water. From 1874, the site was initially operated as an iron foundry under the name of Cherokee Furnace, which processed approximately 100 tons of iron per day. The principal ore mineral was limonite along with hydroxides (goethite). In the 1930s, the site changed hands and was operated as the Cedartown foundry until 1976, supplying water pumps and plow blades; then subsequently was used as a machine shop. From 1978 to 1980, the site was used for lead smelting operations; however after site operations ceased, waste material remained onsite. Past industrial and waste disposal practices from onsite smelting operations have impacted the onsite soil and ground water. In 1986, State investigations identified approximately 5,000 yd[3] of slag material and 32,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater in the inactive impoundment, and elevated levels of lead and cadmium were detected in both the onsite waste piles and soil. In 1990, EPA conducted an interim removal action to transport 6,700 yd[3] of solid hazardous material, including soil, sediment, debris, and slag, to an offsite RCRA landfill, and to remove and reuse the small coke pile as fuel feed for the lead smelting process at an offsite facility. Additionally, 62,225 gallons of non-hazardous liquid waste was transported to an offsite lead wastewater treatment and recovery system. This ROD addresses onsite contamination in soil and the localized ground water as the first and final remedy for the site. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil, debris, and ground water are VOCs, including benzene; other organics, including PAHs; and metals, including arsenic, chromium, and lead. SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTION: The selected remedial action for this site includes removing and demolishing onsite structures, as necessary; excavating and treating onsite 19,280 yd[3] of soil and material exhibiting lead levels exceeding 500 mg/kg using ex-situ solidification/stabilization; backfilling the excavated areas with the solidified material; adding a cover of clean fill and restoring the excavations by regrading and repaving the area using asphalt or gravel and/or a vegetative cover; conducting bench-scale and pilot tests prior to the design of the treatment system; allowing ground water to naturally attenuate; monitoring soil, ground water, and air; and implementing institutional controls, including land and ground water use restrictions. In the event that monitoring data indicates that ground water has not reached MCLs within 2 years, a contingency remedy for pumping and treatment of ground water using granular activated carbon, with offsite discharge to the municipal sewer of to surface water will be implemented. The estimated present worth cost for this remedial action is $3,372,180, which includes an annual O&M cost of $32,000 for 30 years. The estimated present worth cost for the contingency remedy is $4,923,700, which includes an unspecified O&M cost for 30 years. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OR GOALS: Soil and ground water cleanup goals are-based on Federal MCLs and soil action levels, which were based on a 10[-6] risk level, health-based criteria or background levels. Chemical-specific soil cleanup goals include antimony 30 mg/kg; arsenic 80 mg/kg; beryllium 2 mg/kg; cadmium 40 mg/kg; and lead 500 mg/kg. The chemical-specific soil excavation goal is lead 500 mg/kg. Chemical-specific ground water cleanup goals include cadmium 0.005 mg/l. INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS: Institutional controls, including deed restrictions and record notices, will be implemented onsite to preclude usage of ground water and minimize land use.

Remedy:

This action is the first and final action planned for the Site. This alternative calls for the design and implementation of response measures, which will protect human health and the environment. The action addresses the principal threat at the Site, the contaminant sources in the soil, as well as the localized groundwater contamination at the Site. The major components of the selected remedy include: Excavation and Ex-situ solidification/stabilization of all soils exhibiting lead levels exceeding 500 ppm (500 mg/kg); long-term monitoring of all existing groundwater monitoring wells to determine if immobilization of the source contaminants provide natural attenuation of the contaminant levels in the shallow groundwater; if natural attenuation of the groundwater contamination is not effective, a pump and treat system shall be considered with EPA determining the requirement for system implementation; and institutional controls in the form of deed restrictions and record notices for land use and groundwater use restrictions shall be placed on the Site.