Site Name: THERMO CHEM INC
EPA ID: MID044567162 EPA Region: 05 Metro Statistical Area: 5320
Street: 4331 EVANSTON AVE, MUSKEGON, MI 49443
Operable Unit:
ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R05-91/174 ROD Date: 09/30/91
Contaminant: VOCS; BENZENE; TOLUENE; XYLENES; OTHER ORGANICS; PAHS; PCBS; PESTICIDES; PHENOLS; METALS; ARSENIC; CHROMIUM; LEAD; INORGANICS
Keys: NONE
Abstract:
THE 9.5-ACRE THERMO CHEM SITE IS COMPRISED OF AN INACTIVE SOLVENT AND CHEMICAL WASTE REPROCESSING, REFINING, AND INCINERATION FACILITY, AND AN INACTIVE WASTE HAULING FACILITY IN EGELSTON TOWNSHIP, MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICHIGAN. THE AREA SURROUNDING THE SITE CONSISTS OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS, LIGHT MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, AND UNDEVELOPED WOODLANDS. THE SITE IS ADJACENT TO TWO OTHER SUPERFUND SITES: THE SCA INDEPENDENT LANDFILL SITE, AND THE BOFORS NOBEL SITE, WHICH ARE LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1,800 FEET SOUTH AND 1.25 MILES EAST OF THE SITE, RESPECTIVELY. SITE FEATURES INCLUDE A WAREHOUSE, AN INCINERATOR, ABOVE-GROUND STORAGE TANKS, A LABORATORY, AND PROCESS BUILDINGS AND ASSOCIATED LAGOONS. A TROUT STREAM, BLACK CREEK, IS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1,500 FEET SOUTH OF THE SITE AND FORMS A BROAD AND FLAT WETLAND. FROM 1969 TO 1980, THERMO CHEM RECEIVED, DISTILLED, AND REGENERATED SOLVENTS, PAINT WASTES, AND ANTIFREEZE INTO USABLE SOLVENTS. UNRECOVERABLE MATERIALS AND BY-PRODUCTS INCLUDING SLUDGE AND RESIDUES WERE INCINERATED ONSITE. THE THOMAS SOLVENT COMPANY, WHICH LIES ADJACENT TO, AND IS OWNED BY THERMO CHEM, HAS BEEN INCLUDED AS PART OF THE SITE BECAUSE IT IS SUSPECTED TO BE A SOURCE OF GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION. THE THOMAS SOLVENT COMPANY WAS OPERATED AS A HAZARDOUS WASTE HAULING FACILITY FOR THERMO CHEM AND COLLECTED WASTE FOR RECYCLING AND RETURNED THE MATERIAL TO CUSTOMERS. WASTEWATER GENERATED FROM THE DISTILLATION AND EQUIPMENT-CLEANING PROCESS AT THERMO-CHEM WAS DISCHARGED ONSITE INTO A SERIES OF THREE INTERCONNECTED LAGOONS. IN ADDITION, APPROXIMATELY 3,500 DRUMS CONTAINING RAW AND RECYCLED MATERIALS WERE STORED IN AN ONSITE UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK FARM AREA DURING THE YEARS OF OPERATION. FORMER ONSITE PERSONNEL INDICATED THAT SLUDGE WAS OCCASIONALLY BURIED ONSITE, AND THAT ONSITE CHEMICAL SPILLS FREQUENTLY OCCURRED. IN RESPONSE TO INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES DURING 1988 AND 1991, EPA CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY REMOVAL OF DRUMS AND MATERIALS CONTAINING HAZARDOUS WASTE. FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS IN 1990 INDICATED THAT CONTAMINANT RELEASES WERE ONE SOURCE OF GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION.
THIS RECORD OF DECISION (ROD) ADDRESSES THE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION BY REMEDIATION OF SOIL, SLUDGE, DEBRIS, AND GROUND WATER UP TO THE POINT WHERE GROUND WATER DISCHARGES INTO BLACK CREEK AS OPERABLE UNIT 1 (OU1). A FUTURE ROD WILL ADDRESS OU2, THE CONTAMINATION PROBLEMS WITHIN BLACK CREEK AND GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION SOUTH OF BLACK CREEK. THE PRIMARY CONTAMINANTS OF CONCERN AFFECTING THE SOIL, SLUDGE, AND GROUND WATER ARE VOCS INCLUDING BENZENE, TOLUENE, AND XYLENES; OTHER ORGANICS INCLUDING PAHS, PCBS, AND PESTICIDES; METALS INCLUDING ARSENIC, CHROMIUM, AND LEAD; AND OTHER INORGANICS.
THE SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTION FOR THIS SITE INCLUDES EXCAVATING, REMOVING, AND INCINERATING OFFSITE APPROXIMATELY 2,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SOIL AND SLUDGE; TREATING AND DISPOSING OFFSITE ANY ASH OR RESIDUALS PRODUCED FROM OFFSITE INCINERATION; INSTALLING AN IN-SITU VAPOR EXTRACTION (ISVE) SYSTEM AND TREATING ONSITE APPROXIMATELY 9.5 ACRES OF REMAINING CONTAMINATED SOIL; CONDUCTING A TREATABILITY STUDY TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF ENHANCING THE NATURAL BIODEGRADATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN THE SOIL UNDERGOING ISVE TREATMENT; TREATING GASES EMITTED FROM THE EXTRACTION WELLS USING A FUME-RICH INCINERATOR; TREATING LIQUID FROM THE VAPOR EXTRACTION PROCESS ONSITE; COVERING THE SITE WITH CLEAN SOIL AND VEGETATION, IF NECESSARY; DECONTAMINATING, DEMOLISHING, AND DISPOSING OFFSITE ALL ONSITE BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES; ONSITE PUMPING AND TREATMENT OF GROUND WATER USING FILTRATION, AIR STRIPPING, METAL PRECIPITATION, AND PH ADJUSTMENT, FOLLOWED BY TREATING OFF-GASES USING CARBON ADSORPTION AND ONSITE DISCHARGE OF THE TREATED GROUND WATER TO BLACK CREEK; TREATING AND DISPOSING ALL RESIDUE, SLUDGE, SPENT CARBON, OR SPENT COAGULANTS AND FLOCCULENT AT AN OFFSITE LANDFILL; CONDUCTING ADDITIONAL TREATABILITY AND LEACHABILITY TESTS TO DETERMINE THE NEED FOR FURTHER EXCAVATION AND/OR TREATMENT; AND IMPLEMENTING INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS INCLUDING LAND USE RESTRICTIONS. THE ESTIMATED PRESENT WORTH COST FOR THIS REMEDIAL ACTION IS $24,300,000, WHICH INCLUDES AN ANNUAL O&M COST OF $1,091,000 FOR 30 YEARS.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OR GOALS; SOIL CLEANUP STANDARDS ARE BASED ON STATE STANDARDS AND A CARCINOGENIC RISK LEVEL OF (10-6). GROUND WATER CLEANUP STANDARDS ARE BASED ON STATE STANDARDS. CHEMICAL-SPECIFIC GOALS FOR SOIL INCLUDE BENZENE 10 MG/KG, TOLUENE 2 MG/KG, XYLENES 1 MG/KG, PAHS 0.2 MG/KG TO 0.6 MG/KG, PCBS 1 MG/KG, PESTICIDES 0.0000006 TO 0.00005 MG/KG, ARSENIC 0.0004 MG/KG, CHROMIUM 0.04 MG/KG, LEAD 9 MG/KG, AND INORGANICS OTHER THAN METALS 0.08 MG/KG. CHEMICAL-SPECIFIC GOALS FOR GROUND WATER INCLUDE BENZENE 1 UG/L, TOLUENE 100 UG/L, XYLENES 59 UG/L, PAHS 10 UG/1 TO 29 UG/L, ARSENIC 0.02 UG/L, AND INORGANICS OTHER THAN METALS 4 UG/L.
Remedy:
THIS OPERABLE UNIT IS THE FIRST OF TWO OPERABLE UNITS FOR THE SITE. THE SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTION FOR OPERABLE UNIT I ADDRESSES THE SOURCE OF CONTAMINATION BY REMEDIATION OF SOIL, SLUDGE AND GROUNDWATER UP TO THE BLACK CREEK.
THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE SELECTED REMEDY INCLUDE:
* DECONTAMINATION, DEMOLITION, AND OFF-SITE DISPOSAL OF ALL ON-SITE STRUCTURES;
* EXCAVATION AND OFF-SITE INCINERATION OF GROUP 1 AND 2 SOILS;
* IN-SITU VAPOR EXTRACTION FOR ALL SITE SOILS;
* OFF-GAS TREATMENT THROUGH A FUME-RICH INCINERATOR;
* EXTRACTION AND TREATMENT OF THE GROUNDWATER WITH SUBSEQUENT DISCHARGE TO BLACK CREEK;
* INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF A FENCE AROUND THE SITE DURING REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES; AND
* IMPLEMENTATION OF ZONING AND LAND USE RESTRICTIONS DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REMEDY.
THE FOLLOWING COMPONENT OF THE SELECTED REMEDY WILL BE EVALUATED DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IN-SITU VAPOR EXTRACTION:
DETERMINATION OF THE OPTIMUM AMOUNT OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS (E.G., MOISTURE, NITROGEN, OXYGEN, AND PHOSPHATE) TO BE ADDED TO THE UNSATURATED SITE SOILS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE NATURAL MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES, WITHOUT DECREASING THE MASS REMOVAL OF THE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS THROUGH IN-SITU VAPOR EXTRACTION. IF DETERMINED TO BE FEASIBLE, THIS TREATMENT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF THE REMEDY.