EPA Helps Communities with Base Closings 

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released their list of proposed 2005 Base 

Realignments and Closures (BRAC). The report provides a list of facilities DoD is 

proposing to close or realign due to excess infrastructure and changing force needs. In 

some instances, the closure or realignment of a base will increase activities at another 

base. DoD selects bases for realignment and closure based on a set of established 

criteria, including the military value of the base. 

EPA's Superfund Federal Facilities Response Program, comprised of FFRRO and 

regional federal facility programs, assists in the transfer of BRAC facilities to the local 

communities. Some of the 2005 facilities listed for realignment or closure are also 

Superfund sites listed on the National Priorities List (NPL). If a federal facility is listed 

on the NPL, the Federal Facilities Program oversees the cleanup activities conducted by 

DoD at the installation. If a facility is listed as final on the BRAC 2005 list and is listed 

on the NPL list, the program also has additional statutory requirements to guarantee that 

the transfer of the property and future use of the site will be protective of human health 

and the environment. Some of the program's responsibilities include helping to identify 

parcels of a site that are uncontaminated, integrating reuse priorities into the cleanup 

action, concurring on the transfer of property prior to cleanup completion, arranging a 

cleanup agreement with the new property owner if they will be conducting cleanup 

activities on behalf of DoD, and ensuring that the remedies at each site are working 

properly. 

The 2005 BRAC list recommends closing 33 major bases (DoD defines “major” as a base 

with plant replacement value over $100 million), eight of which are on the NPL. In 

total, DoD is suggesting the closure of ten NPL facilities and the realignment of 27 NPL 

facilities. 

For additional information, contact Dianna Young, FFRRO, (703) 603-0045 or Tracey 

Seymour, FFRRO, (703) 603-8712. 

$75.9 Million in Brownfields Grants Awarded 

On May 10, EPA announced that it will distribute $75.9 million in brownfields grants to 

communities in 44 states. A total of 302 grants are being awarded to 218 applicants, 

including: 172 assessment grants, worth $33.6 million, to assess sites and plan for 

cleanup; 106 cleanup grants, worth $19.3 million, to perform cleanup; 13 revolving loan 

fund grants, worth $20.8 million, to provide financial assistance for cleanup activities; 

and 11 job-training grants, worth $2.2 million, to train local residents for jobs related to 

brownfields redevelopment. 

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Formed in 1995 and expanded by the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields 

Revitalization Act of 2002, EPA’s Brownfields Program has turned abandoned and 

contaminated sites into beneficial community spaces, including parks, recreational trails, 

and golf courses. The program aims not only to revitalize brownfields sites and make 

them available for community use, but also to increase local tax bases, foster job 

opportunities, and promote redevelopment as an alternative to using undeveloped land. 

To date, the program has provided over 1000 grants totaling more than $381 million. 

EPA’s brownfields efforts have spurred $7 billion in public and private investments and 

the creation of more than 31,000 jobs. 

Information on the grant recipients is available at: 

http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/archive/pilot_arch.htm. 

For additional information, contact Dale Kemery, Press Officer, OSWER/Homeland Security, 

(202) 564-4355. 

National Notable Achievement Award Winners 

Honored 

The 2005 National Notable Achievement Awards Ceremony was held in Arlington, 

Virginia on April 27, 2005. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, OSWER AA Tom 

Dunne, and over 200 EPA staff members, family, and friends were in attendance. The 

awards were first created in the late 1980s to acknowledge the efforts of on-scene 

coordinators, remedial project managers, and other Superfund personnel in the Regions. 

Recently, they have expanded to honor achievements in Brownfields, Emergency 

Management, Federal Facilities, Regional Science, RCRA Corrective Action, and 

Superfund Enforcement. New awards were added this year for Cross Program 

Revitalization, Environmental Justice, Homeland Security, and the Oil Program. A new 

LUST Compliance Award was also added by the Office of Underground Storage Tanks. 

A summary of the ceremony and details about the award recipients are available online 

at: http://www.cluin.org/awards_2005/default.cfm. Photos of the event are available at: 

http://www.cluin.org/awards_2005/2005pictures.cfm. Details about the Superfund 

enforcement award winners appeared in the Spring 2005 issue of CleanupNews, available 

online at: http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/resources/newsletters/cleanup/cleanup20.pdf. 

EPA Conveys Data about Naturally Occurring 

Asbestos to California Community 

On May 6, 2005, scientists and personnel from the EPA’s Pacific Southwest regional 

office spoke to the public in El Dorado Hills, California, about findings from asbestos 

testing performed in the area in October 2004. EPA revealed that amphibole asbestos 

was detected in nearly all of the over 450 samples taken from the air and the soil. 

Naturally occurring asbestos is known to exist in the El Dorado Hills soil. 

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EPA’s testing aimed to determine asbestos exposure levels, particularly to children, 

during activities that generate dust and possibly release the mineral to the air. EPA chose 

to focus on children because their regular activities put them at greater risk of exposure to 

asbestos-containing dust, and because their longer life expectancy increases the 

likelihood of asbestos-related diseases developing past the latency period, which typically 

lasts decades. Testing was performed at three local schools, a community park, and a 

nature trail, where EPA contractors—wearing air samplers at inhalation points for both 

children and adults—simulated sports and other recreational activities. The results 

indicated that such activities generally exposed participants to significantly higher levels 

of asbestos than would be encountered outside of the activity areas. As a result of the 

asbestos assessment findings, EPA will form an independent panel of experts to examine 

the data, conduct similar testing in other areas in California, working with state and 

county agencies to address asbestos exposures, and continue communication efforts with 

the El Dorado Hills community. 

Asbestos, a mineral created by normal geological processes in both rock and soil, is 

found in many parts of California, often near fault lines. Possible problems resulting 

from exposure to asbestos in the air include lung cancer; mesothelioma, a cancer of the 

chest cavity lining; and other non-cancer diseases. The risk of contracting such diseases 

through asbestos exposure is elevated by increased levels of airborne asbestos, more 

frequent exposure, longer periods of exposure, and longer periods of time elapsed since 

exposure. 

For more information on the assessment findings, go to: 

http://www.epa.gov/region09/toxic/noa/eldorado-asb-flyer-426-final.pdf. 

For additional information, contact Mark Merchant, Region 9 Office of Planning and 

Public Affairs, merchant.mark@epa.gov, or David Cooper, Region 9 Superfund 

Community Involvement Office, cooper.david@epa.gov. 

Ten Sites Added to NPL; Seven Sites Proposed 

On April 27, 2005, 10 sites were added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) 

while another seven sites were proposed. The NPL, which has been in existence since 

1983, identifies Superfund sites EPA has determined pose the greatest threat to human 

health and the environment. 

The new NPL sites are: Safety Light Corporation, Bloomsburg, PA; Hegeler Zinc, 

Danville, IL; Sigmon’s Septic Tank Service, Statesville, NC; Crown Vantage Landfill, 

Alexandria Township, NJ; Hopewell Precision Area, Hopewell Junction, NY; Copley 

Square Plaza, Copley, OH; Price Battery, Hamburg, PA; Brewer Gold Mine, Jefferson, 

SC; Smalley-Piper, Collierville, TN; and Commerce Street Plume, Williston, VT. The 

proposed NPL sites are: Standard Mine, Gunnison National Forest, CO; Peach Orchard 

Road, Augusta, GA; Garvey Elevator, Hastings, NE; Chlor-Alkali (Former), Berlin, NH; 

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Blue Ridge Plating Company, Arden, NC; Jackson Ceramix, Falls Creek, PA; and 

Pelican Bay, Azle, TX. 

One of the new NPL sites, Price Battery in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, includes a former 

smelter and lead battery processing and producing facility that operated from the 1940s 

until 1971, as well as several nearby residences. According to citizen complaints, smoke 

stacks on the site had long released lead-contaminated ash created by melting used 

batteries. Lead-contaminated battery waste had also been used as fill throughout 

Hamburg. Over 200 residential properties in the area have significant lead contamination 

in soil, with the soils closest to the Price Battery facility showing the highest levels. EPA 

is conducting ongoing soil removal activities on residential properties. 

The former Chlor-Alkali site in Berlin, New Hampshire is one of the seven proposed 

sites. Located on the bank of the Androscoggin River, the facility produced chlorine and 

other chemicals from the late 1800s until the 1960s. The chemicals were manufactured 

using electrolytic cells in “cell houses.” Chlorine production resulted in significant 

mercury, lead, and other contamination in ground water and soils on the property and in 

river sediments. The contamination poses a threat to seven rare bird species—including 

the bald eagle and peregrine falcon—that live or eat near the portion of the river close to 

the site. Also, the river is designated “catch-and-release” in the contaminated areas, but 

fishermen are at risk if they ignore the warning and eat fish from the area. Response 

activities to date include the demolition of on-site buildings and capping the property. 

More than 130 pounds of mercury and sediments containing mercury were excavated 

from the river between 1999 and 2004, however, mercury continues to migrate into the 

Androscoggin River. 

Additional information about the new and proposed sites is available through the 

Superfund Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm. 

Phytoremediation Part of Final Remedy for Del 

Monte Superfund Site 

EPA has approved a final remedy to address ground water and soil contamination at the 

Del Monte Corp. Superfund Site on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. The remedy includes 

using Koa Haole plants to treat shallow ground water. Since 1998, shallow ground water 

in the source area has been extracted and delivered to the root zone of the lined 

phytoremediation treatment cells via subsurface irrigation. The data thus far show that 

this remedy is effective for removing contaminants. 

In addition to continuing phytoremediation for the shallow ground water, contaminated 

soil will be cleaned through soil vapor extraction and the vapor filtered through a carbon 

filter to remove contaminants. The contaminated soil will be capped to help prevent the 

contaminants from seeping into deep ground water. Air stripping and carbon filters will 

be used to treat deep ground water in the source area. The downgradient plume will be 

monitored for three years to determine if monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is 

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effective at reducing contaminant concentrations. If MNA is not effective, then 

additional extraction wells will be added to insure the entire plume is captured and 

treated. 

In 1977, Del Monte Fresh Produce (Hawaii), Inc., which has grown pineapples on the site 

since the 1940s, spilled 450 gallons of pesticides near the Kunia Well, a drinking water 

source for 700 people. The first tests of the well, conducted immediately after the spill, 

showed no signs of contamination, but a test in 1980 revealed ethylene dibromide (EDB) 

and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). Del Monte immediately removed the well as 

a drinking water source. The spill, along with pesticide storing and mixing that occurred 

in the source area, caused soil and ground water contamination in addition to the 

contamination of the well water. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 

December 1994. 

For additional information, contact Dean Higuchi, Region 9 Press Officer, (808) 541-

2710 or higuchi.dean@epa.gov, or Janet Rosati, Remedial Project Manager, 

rosati.janet@epa.gov. 

EPA and Local Authorities Respond to Colorado 

Oil Spill 

On May 4, EPA and other federal, state, and local authorities responded to an oil spill 

that originated from the Fremont Paving & Redi-Mix site southeast of Canon City, 

Colorado. Fremont Paving also participated in the response. As of May 9, EPA 

estimated that response teams had cleaned up and disposed of over 50,000 gallons of oilwater mix, approximately 4,000 gallons of which was recovered oil. 

Fremont Paving, an asphalt-mixing company, reported that oil leaked from an oil tank’s 

drain plug into a stormwater drainage and then into a retention pond on-site. From there 

the spill flowed at least 13 miles downstream, affecting nearby irrigation ditches, water 

supply ditches, and creek drainages along the Arkansas River between Canon City and 

Florence. The responses teams determined that the impact to the Arkansas River was 

minimal. Ditches were shut off following the spill, and alternative water sources were 

used by impacted public water systems. All ditches have now been reopened. 

For additional information, contact Ted Linnert, Region 8 Public Information Officer, 

linnert.ted@epa.gov. 

Firestone Site Removed from Superfund List 

On April 21, 2005, EPA removed the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Superfund 

Site in Salinas, California from the National Priorities List (NPL). The deletion indicates 

that the cleanup has been completed. The 30-day comment period ended on March 16; 

no comments were received. 

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From 1963 to 1980, Firestone released chlorinated solvents and other chemicals into the 

soil and ground water through tire manufacturing. The ground water contamination was 

first investigated by Firestone in March 1983, and EPA added the Firestone site to the 

NPL in 1987. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) served as 

the lead oversight agency for cleanup and remediation activities. The final remedy 

proposed by the DTSC was approved by EPA in 1989, and by 1992, ground water 

cleanup levels were met. Firestone monitored ground water until 1998 to ensure the 

remedy was effective. The site has since been redeveloped into an industrial and 

warehouse park called the Firestone Business Park. 

For additional information, contact Patricia Bowlin, Remedial Project Manager, 

bowlin.patricia@epa.gov. 

In The Courts 

Consent Decree Proposed for Chicago 

Superfund Sites 

Kerr-McGee Chemical has agreed to conduct cleanup activities and restore natural 

resources at two Superfund sites in West Chicago and DuPage County, Illinois. The 

consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on 

April 20, addresses contamination at the Kress Creek/West Branch DuPage River site and 

the Sewage Treatment Plant site (river operable unit) and is valued at approximately $74 

million. Under the terms of the consent decree, Kerr-McGee will remove 77,000 cubic 

yards of soils and sediments contaminated with radioactive wastes from Kress Creek and 

the West Branch DuPage River and ship the soil to a licensed disposal facility. Since 

these cleanup activities will damage vegetation, riverbanks, and waterways, Kerr-McGee 

will be responsible for restoring these natural resources. In addition, Kerr-McGee will 

pay EPA $6 million for past response costs and up to $1.675 million for future EPA 

oversight. The company will also cover certain EPA future, non-oversight response costs 

and pay the State of Illinois and the Department of the Interior to oversee the natural 

resource restoration. 

Kerr-McGee and its predecessors operated the Rare Earths Facility in West Chicago from 

1932 to 1973. Radioactive mill tailings were generated during manufacturing processes 

at the site, and the tailings were blown onto other properties by the wind and distributed 

to the community for use as fill. The Kress Creek/West Branch DuPage River site and 

the Sewage Treatment Plant site are two of the Superfund sites that resulted from the 

spread of tailings from Rare Earths. Kerr-McGee has already spent $115 million 

cleaning up the Reed-Keppler Park site, the West Chicago Sewage Treatment Plant site 

(upland operable unit), and the Residential Areas site. 

The 30-day public comment period for the consent decree began May 12, 2005. 

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For additional information, contact Rebecca Frey, Remedial Project Manager, 

frey.rebecca@epa.gov, or Douglas Dixon, OSRE/RSD, dixon.douglas@epa.gov. 

Tennessee Products Superfund Site Consent 

Decree Entered 

On May 4, 2005, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Tennessee entered 

the consent decree between EPA and the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to the 

Tennessee Products Superfund site. The PRPs are MW Custom Papers, LLC; Reilly 

Industries, Inc.; Southern Wood Piedmont Company; and the U.S. General Services 

Administration (GSA). The private PRPs will implement the selected remedy— 

removing roughly 81,500 cubic yards of contaminated sediments—and pay EPA 

approximately $2.8 million for past costs. GSA, the federal PRP, will pay $17.4 million 

to cash out its liability and reimburse EPA’s past costs. The Region 4 team members 

who negotiated the consent decree were awarded the Office of Superfund Remediation 

and Technology Innovation’s 2005 National Notable Achievement Award for 

Enforcement Team of the Year for successfully negotiating this consent decree. 

The Tennessee Products site spans 2.5 miles along Chattanooga Creek in South 

Chattanooga where coal tar constituents and other wastes have been dumped since the 

early 1900s. The site, which was added to the National Priorities List in 1995, is 

contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that originated from a coke 

plant, a coal tar processing plant, a wood treating facility, and a chemical plant, among 

other industrial facilities. Each of the PRPs named in the consent decree was affiliated 

with one of these facilities. The Tennessee Products coke plant, for example, was 

operated by the U.S. government during World War II, during which time coke 

production at the plant doubled. EPA’s site activities to-date have included fencing the 

site in 1993, conducting a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study in 1994, and 

removing over 25,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment in 1998. 

For additional information, contact Stacey Haire, EPA Region 4, (404) 562-9676 or 

Remedial Project Managers Nestor Young, (404) 562-8812, or Loften Carr, (404) 562-

8804. 

Tidbits 

OSRE Issues Interim Protocol for Coordination 

of Bankruptcy Matters 

On May 10, 2005, the Office of Site Remediation Enforcement’s (“OSRE”) Director 

Susan E. Bromm issued a memorandum that sets forth the Interim Protocol for 

Coordination of Bankruptcy Matters (“Protocol”). The Protocol memorializes the United 

States Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) current bankruptcy practice at 

Headquarters and in the Regions. The Protocol is an interim document and may be 

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revised as EPA gains additional experience and expertise. Bankruptcy matters arising 

under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 

(“CERCLA”) are the primary focus of the Protocol; however, OSRE also believes that its 

applicability may extend to other environmental statutes as well. 

The Protocol focuses on how EPA handles bankruptcy notices and cases. With regard to 

notices, the Protocol sets forth that each Region will designate its Regional Office’s 

address as the address to receive notices. Currently, the practice has been for 

Headquarters to receive all notices and distribute them, except for those emanating from 

Delaware and the Southern District of New York, to the appropriate Regions. However, 

Rule 5003 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedures were amended to allow EPA to 

make this change. More importantly, the Protocol memorializes for the first time the 

procedures that have been followed for determining whether an environmental matter or 

issue of interest to EPA is involved in the notice. 

With regard to cases, the Protocol sets forth how EPA will handle cases involving only 

one Region, as well as cases involving more than one Region, i.e., multi-regional cases. 

If a case involves only one Region, the Protocol specifies that the affected Region will 

work with the Department of Justice to handle the matter. Headquarters will generally 

not be involved. For multi-regional cases, coordination among the Regions, Department 

of Justice, and Headquarters is required. Headquarters remains the presumptive lead in 

handling the case; however, the Protocol articulates several instances where a Region 

may be better suited to handle the case. 

For additional information, please contact Theodore J. Kim , Office of Site Remediation 

Enforcement, kim.theodore@epa.gov 

Community Involvement Conference 

Registration Opens 

Registration for EPA’s 2005 Community Involvement and Training Conference held July 

12 -15 in Buffalo, NY is now open at http://www.epancic.org/2005! This annual 

conference is a unique opportunity for a wide array of stakeholders to come together to 

share how EPA and its partners are involving communities in the protection of our air, 

water and land. We are looking forward to an excellent array of learning and training 

opportunities at the conference, and the hospitality of EPA Region 2. 

Registration to attend the conference, field trips, optional training, keynote lunch, and 

group social activity are required. The draft agenda, hotel, poster session, and registration 

information are available at the conference Web site at: http://www.epancic.org/2005/. 

Please contact Lisa Gebler, Conference Coordinator, at (301) 589-5318 with any 

questions. We are very excited about the conference and hope to see you there! 

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Calendar 

June 6-9, 2005 

In-situ and On-site Bioremediation Symposium 

http://www.battelle.org/environment/er/conferences/biosymp/default.stm 

Baltimore, MD 

June 21-24, 2005 

A&WMA’s 98th Annual Conference and Convention 

http://www.awma.org/ACE2005/ 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

July 12-15, 2005 

2005 Community Involvement Conference and Training 

http://www.epancic.org/2005/overview.cfm 

Buffalo, NY 

July 25-29, 2005 

The 21st Annual National Environmental Monitoring Conference 

http://nemc.us/ 

Washington, DC 

August 7-10, 2005 

College & University Hazardous Waste Conference 

http://www.cuhwc.org/ 

Portland, Oregon 

Glossary 

BRAC Base Realignment and Closure 

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability 

Act 

DBCP 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane 

DoD Department of Defense 

DTSC California Department of Toxic Substances Control 

EDB Ethylene dibromide 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

FFRRO Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office 

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JIC Joint Information Center 

LUST Leaking Underground Storage Tank 

MNA Monitored natural attenuation 

NPL National Priorities List 

OECA Office of Enforcement Compliance and Assurance 

OSRE Office of Site Remediation Enforcement 

OSWER Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response 

PAHs Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 

PRP Potentially responsible party 

RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 

Subscription Information 

Richard W. Popino, PhD REM, editor-in-chief 

EPA Review Board: Diane Bartosh, Sandra Connors, Karen Ellenberger, Elliott Gilberg, 

Jeff Heimerman, Kenneth Patterson, Neilima Senjalia, Suzanne Wells 

Jami Weisbender, Christine Rueter, DPRA, Inc., writers 

Mary Spencer, DPRA, Inc., designer 

To comment on the newsletter, contact Richard W. Popino, PhD REM, at email: 

popino.rick@epa.gov. 

CleanupNews is a publication of EPA’s Office of Site Remediation Enforcement, in 

cooperation with the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, 

Office of Underground Storage Tanks, and Office of Emergency Prevention, 

Preparedness and Response. Past issues can be found at: 

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/newsletters/cleanup/cleanupnews.html 

To be added to or deleted from the hardcopy list, contact Christine Rueter 

at christine.rueter@dpra.com. 

To receive CleanupNews by email, join the listserv at 

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/listserv/cleanup.html. 

We have developed an electronic supplement to the CleanupNews print edition called 

CleanupNews II. The print issue will still be available four times a year, and the 

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newsletter will be delivered electronically nine times a year (four issues consisting of the 

print edition text and five issues consisting of supplemental news). 

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