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Site Number: |
01FQ |
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Contract Number: |
EP-W-08-062 |
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D.O. Number: |
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Action Memo Date: |
7/7/2010 |
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Response Authority: |
CERCLA |
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Response Type: |
Time-Critical |
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Response Lead: |
PRP |
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Incident Category: |
Removal Action |
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NPL Status: |
Non NPL |
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Operable Unit: |
N/A |
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Mobilization Date: |
4/27/2011 |
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Start Date: |
4/28/2011 |
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Demob Date: |
6/30/2011 |
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Completion Date: |
9/22/2011 |
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CERCLIS ID: |
MAD019426238 |
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RCRIS ID: |
MAD019426238 |
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ERNS No.: |
N/A |
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State Notification: |
3-18126 |
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FPN#: |
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Reimbursable Account #: |
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1.1.1 Incident Category
The “Site” consists of nine privately-owned residential properties (total of approximately 2 acres) and an abandoned former metal scrap recycling facility (14 acres) known as Tombarello and Sons. Operations had included magnetic separation of metals from soil and truck driving instruction, both of which generated dust for many years. The residential properties have reportedly been contaminated due to their proximity to the facility. They are all currently occupied, and their condition and features are consistent with well-maintained homes.
Tombarello had erected a fence between the homes and the facility in the mid-1960s, and later maintained it to help mitigate fugitive dust from entering the residential properties.
On April 2, 2008 the Site was referred by letter to EPA from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), who had already sampled the nine residential properties and the facility, as a potential removal action. On April 29, 2008, EPA performed a Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation (PA/SI) on the residential properties. The facility was not inspected at that time because of access issues.
1.1.2 Site Description
The Tombarello property is generally level, contains several buildings and building foundation pads, and is secured with chain-link fencing. Most of the equipment, metal and debris have been removed, but some, including one excavator, remains. The surface is a mostly bare soil/gravel mix with some sparse vegetation and some soil piles. A drainage ditch runs from the north to the southwest, adjacent to I-495. Sampling on the northern property boundary indicates contamination with PCBs and metals in surface soil.
The residential properties are well-maintained and contain homes, lawn, decorative shrubbery/ trees and a variety of outbuildings and patios. Elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals had been detected throughout the back yards.
A narrow strip of land in the back of some of the residential properties is legally part of the Tombarello & Sons property, but had been incorporated as an integral part of the resident’s back yards for years because the fence was placed inside the Tombarello & Sons property and a vegetative border evolved.
According to the Region ArcGIS mapping tool, within one mile of the Site there are:
- 8 public and private schools;
According to the EPA Region 1 Environmental Justice Mapping Tool, the Site is not in an environmental justice area.
1.1.2.1 Location
The impacted residential properties are located at 19-53 Hoffman Avenue in Lawrence, Essex County, Massachusetts (Map 33, Lots 14, 13, 12, 12a, 11, 10-1, 10-2, 9 and 8), north of the Tombarello property the address of which is 207 Marston Street (Map 33, Lot 17); (42 43’ 10.88 North latitude, 071 08’ 29.41 West longitude). This mixed industrial/ residential area is bounded on the east by I-495, on the west by Marston Street, on the north by the Hoffman Avenue, and on the south by industrial properties. A middle school is located across Marston Street from the Tombarello property.
1.1.2.2 Description of Threat
Analysis of 17 soil samples from the northern property line of the Tombarello & Sons property detected PCBs, lead, cadmium, chromium and barium in excess of MassDEP and/or EPA screening levels for unrestricted residential use.
Analysis of 129 soil samples from the residential properties detected PCBs, lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic in excess of MassDEP and/or EPA screening levels for unrestricted residential use.
The PA indicated that the pathway of the contaminants to the abutting yards was both by air via wind and dust and by surface water run-off. SI sampling supports these pathways by indicating that the contamination is on or near the ground surface. In the following table summarizing the data, highlighted entries indicate exceedences of allowable contaminant levels and associated properties.
The maximum concentration for lead (the driving contaminant) in the residents yards was 7000 mg/kg (ppm).
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