[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 67362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33735]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5941-1]


Technical Workshop on Drake Site Incinerator Risk Issues

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a workshop convened by Eastern Research 
Group, Inc., an EPA contractor, for scientific peer review of the EPA 
draft risk assessment for the Drake Chemical Superfund Site Incinerator 
full-scale operation in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The workshop will be 
held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and will be open to members of the 
public as observers. The peer review, to be conducted by scientists 
from outside EPA, is being organized to assist in completing the risk 
assessment.

DATES: The workshop will begin on Thursday, January 15, 1998 at 12 Noon 
and end on Friday, January 16, 1998 at 12:30 p.m. Members of the public 
may attend as observers.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Genetti Hotel & Conference 
Center, 200 West 4th Street, Williamsport, Pennsylvania 17701. Since 
seating capacity is limited, please contact Eastern Research Group, 
Inc., Tel.: (781) 674-7374, by January 9, 1998 to attend the workshop 
as an observer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical inquires, contact Mr. 
Gregg Crystall, U.S. EPA Region III, 841 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 
PA 19107. Tel.: (215) 566-3207. Copies of the draft risk assessment 
will be available for inspection in the EPA Region III Library, 
Philadelphia, PA, and the EPA Headquarters Information Resources 
Center, Washington DC. In addition, the draft risk assessment will be 
available for inspection in: the Ross Public Library, West Main Street, 
Lock Haven, PA, 17745; the Stevenson Library, Lock Haven University, 
Lock Haven PA, 17745; and the Lock Haven City Hall, 20 East Church 
Street, Lock Haven, PA, 17745. Inquiries concerning additional 
opportunities for document review should be directed to Mr. Crystall.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: While operational, the Drake Chemical 
Company in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania was sited numerous times by State 
and Federal agencies for violating environmental and health and safety 
regulations. In 1982 as a response to the Company's noncompliance with 
environmental regulations, EPA Region III undertook emergency removal 
actions. These actions included removal and disposal of surface drums, 
surface sludges, and liquids contained in process and storage tanks, 
and placement of fences around the property. Additional remediation 
actions have been conducted in several phases since then. Phase I 
remedial activities included the remediation of a leachate stream 
draining into Bald Eagle Creek. Phase II included drainage and removal 
of materials from two lined Lagoons, and demolition and removal of the 
on-site buildings. Subsequent studies conducted at the site indicated 
that the remaining contamination in soils presented a serious threat to 
the environment and human health. The 1988 Record of Decision concluded 
that the remaining site wastes, approximately 200,000 cubic yards of 
contaminated site soils, sediments, and sludges from the on-site 
lagoons, should be excavated and treated on-site in a high temperature 
incinerator. The excavated soils would be stockpiled temporarily, 
remediated in an on-site rotary kiln incinerator, then returned to the 
site. After all the contaminated soil had been remediated, the 
incinerator would be dismantled and removed from the site.
    Prior to full-scale operation, a trial burn process was conducted 
to ensure incinerator equipment functioned according to operational and 
safety specifications. Prior to conducting this evaluation, EPA Region 
III prepared a trial burn process risk assessment (June, 1996). The 
trial burn process risk assessment was developed using approximated 
data drawn from site soil samples, anticipated soil feed rates, 
incinerator design parameters, and emissions data from other 
incinerators. Results of the trial burn risk assessment were presented 
during a public meeting held in September 1996. The trial burn process 
was conducted in January and February 1997.
    Most recently, EPA Region III developed a full-scale operation risk 
assessment by utilizing actual data collected during the trial burn 
process. The resulting Draft Drake Chemical Site Incinerator Full-Scale 
Operation Risk Assessment (November 1997) is the subject of the current 
peer review.
    For the current review, EPA is inviting a panel of 14 independent 
scientists from the fields of toxicology, environmental fate and 
transport, combustion engineering, atmospheric modeling, exposure 
assessment, and ecological assessment. These scientists will focus on 
the scientific data, methods, and analyses, along with the assumptions 
and uncertainties that are associated with full-scale operation risk 
estimates. Following the workshop, EPA will consider the scientist's 
individual recommendations in completing the risk assessment. The risk 
assessment documents undergoing review relate only to scientific 
issues. Although the completed risk assessment will be one of the 
factors considered in making future decisions for the Drake Chemical 
site, these decisions and other risk management issues will not be a 
part of the peer review process.

    Dated: December 19, 1997.
William H. Farland,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 97-33735 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 6560-50-P