NCD980602163_19950907_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Joint Working Group - PCB Landfill, Brief History-OCR

FROM NC DIU HAZEROUS WA STE 09.07.1995 08:2 5
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1J41y l 978, the st$.te rQceived the frrst report of a chemical spilt The spill ·'
nu~teri &;e identi~ed as PCBa on NC 58 in Warren County. PCBs are polychlorinated
l)ipllen 1 ,J • chemi~til \ha\ '.was widely used as a liquid insulation material in electrical
~'Vlafo erts. The c'einicala were banned in 1978. •
. ; ,ehtually, 2k l miles of l=>CB-contamina.ted roadside were identified in 14
co~nti ~· !An activaied charcoal solution and liquid asphalt were applied along the 241
~es o ()fth Caro~na highways where the shoulders had been contaminated with f9B. a t,cti.on \f· a taken to temporarily deactivate th~ PCB to prevent migration
an,'d re cp aey haJ d to the public.
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. n; Q~cember 1978, the state obtained an option on 142 acres of land in Warren
C unt tb; • ae as a ieposal site for the PCB-contaminated soil. North Carolina
co~t i ted soil • d debris, qut EPA denied the petition.
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: I. ; iith Caroli a and EPA officials signed a cooperative agreement in May 1982 •
th~t p yid~d $2.5 . illion in federal Superfund cleanup money to construct a PCB •
lati,dfil i /'o/atren iunty and clean up the contaminated roadsides. That eaine
t:'4Ge'!' l~:.•U•te de/ ded 120 acres surrounding the landfill alte to Warren County as a
. ; ~*&tructioiof the landfill began in June 1982. By the end of October, 7 /223
truckl ~'of PCB 4 ontaminated soil had been taken to the landfill. Capping of the '
lapdfil e~in No ember, but bad weather prevented the final soil layer and seeding
pf the aw. to be co~pleted. Hehvy raine in December caused soil erosion on the cap •
~db bbJ~s devel() ed in the exposed liner frotn gas in the landfi11 (caused by •
~~co ~~fon ofv getation mbte~ in soil). The problem& were corrected and landfill
cqmpl t~or was sc~eduled for eipnng.
L : arm con~bction resumed in May 1983 and was completed in July. .
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S ~ frpm t~b N.C. Diviaion of Solid Waste Management inspect the PCB landfill
~ob~ sure that it remains in good repair fNe ~eh1i e erthl1z rep art shD1t
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1 T ~:four mo itoring weUs at the site and the four surface water monitoring sites
:('9patr ;an~ do ; streain on, Richneck Creek and ~ unnamed tributary) are
:s,-inpl 1~ce year y. No PCB• havo ever been found m the samples. , I .
Ii May 1999, the grass and soil on the landfill cap were sampled. No PCBe were
detecte . the cap, samples. Only one sediment sample from the leachate pond
• show d a,ijet!!'cte.Q~ concentration of PCBe. PCBs were detected at a level of 0.27 ppm
:iq thi ;iJp1e, Wh -ch ia below:the 1.00 ppm cleanup level for PCBs in soil. State
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FROM NC DIU HAZEROUS WASTE
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09.07.1995 08 :26
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• • idue occun-ed ~hen the pumps in the leachate collection systerb
landfill was closed. .
•• 1[1~93, so~after his return to office, Governor Hunt was briefed by state
offlcial qi\ th~ eta s of the landfill. He was told that the contents of the landfill had
not bee,n[~pled rd ce it was oonstructed and that there was water in the landfill th~t
nebdedlt; be checkejd to find the source and remove it. In March 1993, at the directi<>n
of ~e o qmot, etatF officials 111,et with Warren County officials in a public meeting to
deter n :that to . o about the water. The intent of that meeting was to get
cotcur e ~ on ction of the water, but several citizens expressed an interest in
d.e oxif i the land 111. Local legislators also said they wanted to ensure the safety of
th tan 1). AB a r ult, the NC Department of Environment, Health, and Natural
Rd,sou s; •et up a 6-member working group composed of Warren County citizens
~d at t ~tncJals , make recommendations to the governor about the future .
~rag t6t of the CB landfiU. •
; ~q_tj yoint W ren County and State PCB Working Oroup, which met for the first tirp. e • ~..-ch 1994t hired Paulµie Ewald as a science advisor to work with the group.
'ttje gr ?: later approved a plan to sample the PCB landfill. •
lEidfil s plea we e taken by both the state and Ms. Ewald's company. ECO. No . P Bs ,oqnd o~tside of the landfill. However, the laboratory that analyzed the
~ te's s • lea det cted some ~oxine at the ppq (parts per quadrillion) level in three of
th1 mo ,t?fing well . Opinions varied ae to where the dioxins originated.
: ~ $~ptem~ 1994, the working group's membership waa increased to 22. .
; i the requelt of the working group and with its strong backing, Senator Frank
Bf).an e ~nlroducedi legislation during the 1995 session of the General Assembly to
P.ppro r~a~ $10 ~ lion for cleanup of the PCB landfill. Though this bill was not
t~acte , $enator B ance did get the General Assembly to appropriate $1 million from
~e Hi ~4Y ~nd or pilot projects to determine the most appropriate technology for
cl~an , of !the land ill. .
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. • (sclence dvisor to the working group recommended base catalyzed
d6clllo • ~tioo (BC ) as a detoxification method. The working group studied the BCD
p~oces : Lki sever . other possible technologies. The members felt that the BCD .
)l~0ce 1 ,as a sui • le technology and would be acceptable to the community becauj;le
~t jCOUl ~done onieite. The ~orking group is currently working with the state to :
~dlect ~qots artd et the pilot projects started. ' : ;
: l~ iwqtkin group is al&o seeking the services of a science advisor since the
:c4rttr "tJth'Ms. wald expired in June 1995.
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