BILL RICHARDSON

Governor

November 4, 2010

NEW MEXICO

ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

Office ofthe Secretary

Harold Runnels Building

1190 Saint Francis Drive (87505)

P.O. Box 5469, Santa Fe, NM 87502

Phone: (505) 827-2855 Fax: (505) 827-2836

www.nmenv.state.nm.us

RON CURRY

Secretary

SARAH COTIRELL

Deputy Secretary

Samuel Coleman,

Director

Superfund Division, EPA Region 6

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6

1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200

Dallas, Texas 75202-2733

RE: Partial Deletion of the AT&SF Albuquerque Superfund Site (EPA ill: NMD980622864), in

Bernalillo County, New Mexico, from the National Priorities List

Dear Mr. Coleman:

As requested in your letter dated September 10, 2010, this letter provides the New Mexico Environment

Department's (NMED) concurrence supporting the partial deletion of the AT&SF Superfund site (Site)

in Bernalillo County from the National Priorities List (NPL), comprising approximately 62 acres of the

northernmost area of the Site. The surface of this partial deletion area was historically used for drying

treated ties and for storage prior to use. Contaminant releases to this area were restricted primarily to

creosote drippings from treated products. Part of the deleted portion of the Site is being considered for

industrial redevelopment and is intended to contribute to the community's economic vitality and land

reuse.

NMED has reviewed all plans and reports for the Site and participated in oversight activities and

inspections throughout the implementation of the remedial investigations and activities. All soils that

were identified to contain contaminant concentrations above cleanup levels specified in the Record of

Decision (ROD) have been removed from the northern 62-acre parcel and managed within a soil

repository on the remaining southern portion of the Site as part of the soil remedy specified in the ROD.

The excavated areas were backfilled with soils from an offsite source that were tested to comply with all

cleanup levels established for the Site.

Two institutional controls have been implemented for the entire Site that restrict land and ground water

use for the protection of human health, the environment, and all remedial components located on the

Protecting our Environment, Preserving the Enchantment

001446
Sam Coleman

November 4,2010

Page 2 of2

Site. The Site is currently fenced, and will remain under restricted industrial-only land use in perpetuity,

due to the presence of hazardous substances in the soil repository that has been built on the southern

portion of the Site. Ground water use is restricted by a temporary moratorium issued by the New

Mexico Office of the State Engineer to restrict the permitting of new wells within the area surrounding

the contaminated ground water at the site in order to protect human health and prevent interference with

the ground water remediation that is ongoing on the southern 27-acre parcel. Site inspections for

adherence to these land and ground water use restrictions and for confirmation that the institutional

controls remain in place will be conducted at a minimum of once per year. The Site also is subject to

five-year reviews under the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Liability, and

Compensation Act (CERCLA) to ensure the continued protectiveness of the remedy.

NMED understands that partial deletion of the Site does not preclude eligibility for future response

actions under CERCLA, should future conditions warrant such actions. In addition, the deleted portion

of the Site may be returned to the NPL without rescoring under the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) if a

threat to human health or the environment is discovered at a later date.

NMED appreciates EPA's efforts at remediating this site, and looks forward to continuing to work

closely with EPA on this and other Superfund sites in New Mexico to ensure the continued protection of

human health and environment.

Cc: Katrina Higgins-Coltrain, Remedial Project Manager, S EPA Region 6

Dana Bahar, Manager, NMED Superfund Oversight Section

David L. Mayerson, NMED Superfund Oversight Section

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