United States Environmental Protection Agency 

• SDMS DocID 525199 

Superfund Records Center 

BREAK: *§sSJ&=f

 : 

OTHER: 

Proposed Amendment to the Clean-up Plan 

for the 

F. O'Connor Superfund Site 

Augusta, Maine 

Terrence Connelly, RPM 

Public Meeting 

July 9, 2002 

American Legion Hall 

4 00 Eastern Avenue 

Augusta, Maine 

Don Thompson & Associates 

Court Reporters 

ORIGINAL 
Page 1 

1 (Whereupon, the meeting commenced at 7:23 p.m.) 

2 **** * 

3 MS. O'DONNELL: I'd like to welcome you to tonight's 

4 meeting on the O'Connor Superfund Site. 

5 My name is Mary Jane O'Donnell; I'm located in 

6 Boston. This is a public hearing, as I said, for the O'Connor 

7 site. 

8 Seeing that there are no members of the general 

9 public here that could possibly introduce comments into the 

10 record, the State wants to introduce some comments into the 

11 record. 

12 I would turn things over to them and present the 

13 opportunity to introduce their comments. 

14 MR. HARPER: My name is Wilkes Harper, and I'm the 

15 Maine Department of Environmental Protection project manager 

16 for the O'Connor Junkyard Superfund Site in Augusta, Maine. 

17 I will be presenting testimony on behalf of Martha. 

18 Kilpatrick, Commissioner of the Maine Department of 

19 Environmental Protection, regarding the US Environmental 

20 Protection Agency's proposal to amend the 1989 Record of 

21 Decision for this Site. 

22 Transformer oil containing polychlorinated biphenyls 

23 (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and lead from 

24 transformer recycling operations were released to the site 

25 soils from transformer salvage operations performed there from 
Page 2 

1 the 1950s through the 1970s. The lead accumulated in the 

2 surficial soils while the PCBs and VOCs migrated down into the 

3 subsurface clay and bedrock fractures. 

4 The 1989 site clean-up plan included a requirement 

5 for the removal of the more heavily impacted soils and 

6 restoration of the groundwater to drinking water standards. 

7 Source control remedial actions have now removed all 

8 site soils known to contain greater than 10 ppm PCBs and 

9 248 ppm of lead. However, MEDEP -- or Maine Department of 

10 Environmental Protection -- understands there remains on site 

11 a Designated Area containing no greater than 10 ppm PCBs and 

12 248 ppm lead, and that this area was covered with at least 12 

13 inches of clean fill. 

14 Elsewhere on site outside of this Designated Area 

15 soils are believed to contain no greater than 1 ppm PCBs and 

16 248 ppm of lead. 

17 Further, the utilization of a vacuum enhanced 

18 recovery system has, to date, removed approximately. 56 gallons 

19 of PCB oil from the groundwater. 

20 The Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

21 understands that naturally occurring physical forces act to 

22 hold the residual PCBs in these subsurface fractures thereby 

23 significantly restricting their movement. Even though 

24 continued use of the vacuum enhanced recovery system is 

25 expected to further reduce the amount of residual PCB oil on 
Page 3 

1 site,' the Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

2 realizes that a certain amount will likely remain trapped in 

3 the fractures for a very long time, possibly hundreds of 

4 years. 

5 The United States Environmental Protection Agency 

6 now proposes to amend the groundwater component of the 1989 

7 clean-up plan by waiving the groundwater clean-up standards 

8 for a portion of the site surrounding the TWA II area. 

9 The United States Environmental Protection Agency is 

10 proposing the following measures in the amendment to the site 

11 clean-up plan: 

12 Rely on land use restrictions that were 

13 established in 1994 by, and are enforceable by, the Maine 

14 Department of Environmental Protection to prevent exposure 

15 to the contaminated groundwater; 

16 Continue to remove oil from the groundwater using 

17 both passive and active recovery systems. The clean-up plan 

18 as proposed currently requires the continued use of the 

19 vacuum enhanced recovery system only if significant 

20 quantities of oil are being recovered. The Maine Department 

21 of Environmental Protection is concerned that this current 

22 language is too subjective. The United States Environmental 

23 Protection Agency must better identify and define the 

24 criteria for discontinuing use of the vacuum enhanced 

25 recovery system; 
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1 Continue to monitor the groundwater on site to 

2 demonstrate that the contaminate plume is not expanding; 

3 Continue to monitor the sediments of, and the 

4 organisms dwelling in, Riggs Brook to demonstrate that the 

5 contaminant levels are not increasing and remain below the 

6 trigger level for remedial action; 

7 Evaluate the clean-up approach to confirm that it 

8 is protective of human health and the environment. 

9 The Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

10 concurs that the proposed changes are protective of the public 

11 health and the environment if, and only if, the following 

12 conditions are met: 

13 All site work will be performed in compliance 

r14 with the revised clean-up plan and all applicable standard 

15 operating procedures, laws, and regulations; 

16 The Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

17 will be given at least two weeks' prior notice to each 

18 sampling event; 

19 Central Maine Power will maintain and periodically 

2 0 demonstrate to the Maine Department of Environmental 

21 Protection's satisfaction the continuous existence of 12 

22 inches of clean soil. The details of such demonstration 

23 will be established prior to the finalization of the Record 

24 of Decision; 

25 Clarify, by incorporation into the Record of 

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Page 5 

1 Decision Amendment, that the clean-up goal for PCBs in 

2 sediment is actually 1 ppm, not 5 ppm. However, the Maine 

3 Department of Environmental Protection agrees that the 5 ppm 

4 trigger level for remedial action is acceptable; 

5 All significant erosion occurring in the 

6 Designated Area on site will be addressed in a timely manner 

7 to prevent exposure to levels of PCB above 1 ppm and lead 

8 above 248 ppm. 

9 The Maine Department of Environmental Protection's 

10 concurrence with the proposal to Amend the Record of Decision 

11 is contingent on these criteria. 

12 Thank you very much. 

13 MS. O'DONNELL: Seeing that there are no other 

14 comments, the meeting is now closed. 

15 **** * 

16 (Whereupon, the meeting was concluded at 7:29 p.m.) 

17 

18 

19 , 

2 0 

21 • 

22 

23 

24 

25 
CERTIFICATE . 

I, Lisa Fitzgerald, a Notary Public in and for the State 

of Maine, hereby certify that on July 9, 2002, a public 

meeting was held at the American Legion Hall, 4 00 Eastern 

Avenue, Augusta, Maine, regarding the Proposed Amendment to 

the Clean-up Plan for the F. O'Connor Superfund Site, Augusta, 

Maine. 

This meeting was stenographically reported by me and 

later reduced to typewritten form with the aid of 

computer-aided transcription; and the foregoing is a full and 

true record of the statements given. 

I further certify that I am a disinterested person in the 

event or outcome of the above-named meeting. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I subscribe my hand and affix my seal 

this July 12, 2002. 

LISA 

Court RepV 

My commission.expires: May 10, 2004 

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