EPA has been performing an emergency removal action at this site which has primarily involved the stabilization, repackaging, transportation, and removal of hazardous magnesium materials and other hazardous wastes from the facility. EPA completed the activity of repackaging abandoned magnesium materials that have been stored in drums that have succumbed to varying degrees of corrosion. The repackaged materials are staged inside site buildings pending removal from the site. Areas of the site including open pad areas, low areas and drainage ways are being cleared of residual wastes that had spilled when the facility was operating. The contents of eight large above-ground lime vats, are being removed and stabilized for disposal. Drums of low-level radioactive solids have been weighed and staged pending disposal. Sixty-three of the remaining eighty-four low-level radioactive drums have been shipped off site for disposal. Recycling and disposal options continue to be investigated for the repackaged materials. PADEP is overseeing site activities for the state and providing support. EPA START contractor TechLaw is providing technical and administrative support to the EPA. EPA and PADEP officials continue to control access to the site as well as coordinate activities with the various generators and disposal contractors.
Personnel On-Scene:
09/29/08 EPA-1, START-1, ERRS-9, Other-1, Security-1 (24 hr)
09/30/08 START-1, ERRS-9, PADEP-1, Other-3, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/01/08 EPA-3, START-1, ERRS-9, PADEP-2, Other 1, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/02/08 START-1, ERRS-9, Other-2, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/03/08 START-1, ERRS-9, Security-1 (24 hr)
10/04/08 ERRS-9, Security-1 (24 hr)
Weather:
09/29/08 Low of 56° F, high of 72° F, partly cloudy, 0.00” precipitation, wind W 2-9 mph.
09/30/08 Low of 52° F, high of 68° F, mostly cloudy, 0.17” precipitation, wind W 4-13 mph
10/01/08 Low of 46° F, high of 57° F, mostly cloudy, 0.15” precipitation, wind W 2-13 mph
10/02/08 Low of 43° F, high of 52° F, partly cloudy, 0.01” precipitation, winds 7-14 mph
10/03/08 Low of 43° F, high of 59° F, mostly cloudy, 0.04”precipitation, winds 08-12 mph
10/04/08 Low of 38° F, high of 59° F, mostly cloudy, 0.09”precipitation, winds 2-7 mph
09/29/08
Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contractor Guardian Environmental Services, Inc. held its morning safety meeting and discussed the days planned activities. ERRS continued mixing material in the reaction pit. After the material was neutralized in the pit, it was placed in a pile near the pit to await disposal. ERRS weighed the low level radiation drums that are staged inside building 7 in preparation for shipment.
START mobilized to the site and provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, drum inspection, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.
09/30/08
ERRS continued hauling waste lime material to the reaction pit from the vat area on the west side of building 2, and mixing the material in the reaction pit. After the material was neutralized in the pit, it was placed in a pile near the pit to await disposal. Crew members also scraped the hardened lime off of the top of the vats, the grating, and railing of the platform. Work began on disassembling the troughs on the lime vat platform under the lime vats located on the south side of building 2. The vats can be emptied of their lime content once the obstacles below the vats have been removed.
START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.
PADEP Representative Mary Hoffman mobilized to site to assist with oversight.
10/01/08
ERRS continued disassembling of the troughs and other miscellaneous items on the platform under the vats located on the south side of building 2. Crew members continued mixing material in the reaction pit, the material was then removed from the pit and piled on the south side of the pit to dry in preparation for disposal.
ERRS rad disposal subcontractor, TGA representative Darin McEleney mobilized to site to survey and inspect the low level radiation drums located in building 7 in preparation for off site disposal. Eleven of the drums were found to be over the 140 micro R/hr limit that the waste facility (US Ecology) will except. The remainder of the drums were within acceptable limits. ERRS placed the drums on skids and banded them for shipment and placed them near the loading dock for the truck scheduled to arrive 10/02/08. Due to the truck’s weight restrictions all of the drums could not be sent with this shipment. An alternative waste disposal plan may have to be implemented for the 11 drums that were over the acceptable radiation limit.
PADEP Representatives Mary Hoffman and Chris Saver mobilized to site to assist with oversight. They replaced the TLD badges that are staged around the parameter of the Remacor property.
START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.
10/02/08
ERRS continued the disassembling of the troughs, and other miscellaneous items on the platform under the waste lime vats located on the south side of building 2. The hatches on all four of the vats were opened and the lime from the vats removed. Crew members continued mixing material in the reaction pit, and then removed the reacted material from the pit and piled it on the south side of the pit to dry in preparation for disposal.
Sixty-three low level radiation drums were shipped off site for disposal to US Ecology waste facility located in Grand View, Idaho. A radiation survey was conducted on the perimeter of the truck prior to the trucks’ departure by a TGA representative. Twenty-two 55-gallon low level radiation drums remain on site.
START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.
10/03/08
ERRS crew members scraped the hardened lime off of the top of the vats, the grading, and railing of the platform. Work continued on disassembling the troughs and miscellaneous items located on the lime vat platform under the lime vats on the south side of building 2.
The ERRS crew continued hauling the waste lime from the vat areas to the reaction pit where it was mixed with water until a heat reaction took place. It was then removed from the pit and placed beside the pit to dry to a mortar-like consistency. It was then placed in a pile to await disposal.
START provided the OSC with technical and administrative assistance, conducted contractor monitoring, disposal tracking and written and photographic documentation.
10/04/08
ERRS crew members completed the scraping and cleaning of the hardened lime off of the top of the vats, the grading, and railing of the platform under the vats on the south side of building 2. Work was completed disassembling the troughs and miscellaneous items located on this unit. All of the lime material from this unit was hauled to the reaction pit area. Mixing at the pit area is ongoing. The ERRS crew began framing over a large opening in the concrete block wall on the south side of building 2 in order seal and protect the stored magnesium drums from the weather.
ERRS will arrange for transportation of the drummed magnesium material to an off-site disposal or recycling facility. ERRS will also continue to arrange for off-site treatment and disposal of hazardous waste materials in building 9, and the low level rad drums that remain in building 7. ERRS will continue to remove spilled material from drainage ways, low areas and grounds areas. Disposal will be arranged for the remaining low level radioactive drums located in building 7. ERRS will continue mixing the lime in the reaction pit and then staging it for disposal.
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