National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan; National Priorities List

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-6101-2]

National Oil and Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan; National

Priorities List

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of intent to delete Operable Units 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3

of the Hanford 100 Area Superfund Site from the National Priorities

List.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 announces

its intent to delete portions of the Hanford 100 Area NPL Superfund

Site. The portions proposed to be deleted are the 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3

Operable Units from the National Priories List. The 100-IU-1 and IU-3

Operable Units are part of the Hanford 100 Area NPL Site located at the

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, located in southeastern

Washington State. EPA is requesting comment on this action.

The NPL constitutes Appendix B to the National Oil and Hazardous

Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), 40 CFR Part 300, which EPA

promulgated pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This partial

deletion of the 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units is proposed in

accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e) and the Notice of Policy Change:

Partial Deletion of Sites Listed on the National Priorities List. 60 FR

55466 (Nov. 1995).

This proposal for partial deletion pertains to all known waste

areas located in the 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units. The waste

areas in 100-IU-3 were associated with former military sites used to

defend the Hanford Site during the Cold War. In addition, a 2-4,D

burial ground is located in the 100-IU-3 Operable Unit. The primary

waste areas in the 100-IU-1 Operable Unit were associated with

decontamination of rail cars at the Riverland Railroad Car Wash Pit, a

munitions cache, a pesticide container area, and a 2-4,D container

area.

DATES: EPA will accept comments concerning its proposal for partial

deletion for thirty (30) days after publication of this document in the

Federal Register and a newspaper of record.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to: Dennis Faulk, Superfund Site

Manager, USEPA, 712 Swift #5, Richland, Washington 99352; (509) 376-

8631.

Information Repositories: Information and the deletion docket is

available for review at the information repository listed below:

U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading Room, Washington State

University, Tri-Cities Consolidated Information Center, Room 101L, 2770

University Drive, Richland, Washington 99352.

In addition, the Notice of Intent to Delete can be reviewed at the

following information repositories: Portland State University, Branford

Price Millar Library, Science and Engineering Floor, 934 SW Harrison

and Park, Portland, Oregon; University of Washington, Suzzallo Library,

Government Publications Room, Seattle, Washington; Gonzaga University,

Foley Center, East 502 Boone, Spokane, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Faulk; (509)376-8631.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

III. Deletion Procedures

IV. Basis for Intended Partial Site Deletion

I. Introduction

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10

announces its intent to delete the 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units

from the National Priories List. The 100-IU-1 and IU-3 Operable Units

are part of the Hanford 100 Area NPL Site located at The U.S.

Department of Energy(DOE) Hanford Site, located in southeastern

Washington State. EPA is requesting comment on this action.

EPA proposes to delete the 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units

from the 100 Area NPL because all appropriate CERCLA response

activities have been completed. The waste areas in the 100-IU-1 and

100-IU-3 Operable Units were cleaned up by the DOE between 1992 and

1994 using expedited response actions (ERA). At the Hanford Site, the

term ERA is used to describe actions taken under CERCLA removal

authority as described in 40 CFR 300.415. In February 1996, a no

further action record of decision was signed documenting that previous

ERA's had removed all contaminants from the waste areas in the 100-IU-1

and 100-IU-3 Operable Units to below cleanup levels for residential use

established under the Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).

It should be noted, cleanup activities are continuing at other operable

units of the Hanford 100 Area NPL Site.

The NPL is a list maintained by EPA of sites that EPA has

determined present a significant risk to human health, welfare, or the

environment. Sites on the NPL may be the subject of remedial actions

financed by the Hazardous Substance Superfund (Fund). Pursuant to 40

CFR 300.425(e) of the NCP, any site or portion of a site deleted from

the NPL remains eligible for remedial actions if conditions at the site

warrant such action.

EPA will accept comments concerning its intent for partial deletion

for thirty (30) days after publication of this notice in the Federal

Register and a newspaper of record.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

The NCP establishes the criteria that EPA uses to delete sites from

the NPL. In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e), sites may be deleted

from the NPL where no further response is appropriate to protect human

health or the environment. In making such a determination pursuant to

Sec. 300.425(e), EPA will consider, in consultation with the State,

whether any of the following criteria have been met:

Section 300.425(e)(1)(I). Responsible parties or other persons have

implemented all appropriate response actions required; or

Section 300.425(e)(1)(ii). All appropriate response actions under

CERCLA have been implemented under DOE's removal authority, and no

further response action is deemed necessary; or

Section 300.425(e)(1)(iii). The remedial investigation has shown

that the release poses no significant threat to human health or the

environment and, therefore, taking of remedial measures is not

appropriate.

Deletion of a portion of a site from the NPL does not preclude

eligibility for subsequent remedial actions at the area deleted if

future site conditions warrant

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such actions. Section 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP provides that remedial

actions may be taken at sites that have been deleted from the NPL. A

partial deletion of a site from the NPL does not affect or impede EPA's

ability to conduct CERCLA response activities at areas not deleted and

remaining on the NPL. In addition, deletion of a portion of a site from

the NPL does not affect the liability of responsible parties or impede

agency efforts to recover costs associated with response efforts.

III. Deletion Procedures

Deletion of a portion of a site from the NPL does not itself

create, alter, or revoke any person's rights or obligations. The NPL is

designed primarily for information purposes and to assist Agency

management.

The following procedures were used for the proposed deletion of the

100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units:

(1) EPA Region 10 has recommended the partial deletion and has

prepared the relevant documents.

(2) The State of Washington, through the Washington Department of

Ecology, concurs with this proposed partial deletion.

(3) Concurrent with this national Notice of Intent for Partial

Deletion, a notice has been published in a newspaper of record and has

been distributed to appropriate federal, State, and local officials and

other interested parties. These notices announce a thirty (30) day

public comment period on the deletion package, which commences on the

date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register and

newspaper of record.

(4) EPA has made all relevant documents available at the

information repositories listed previously.

This Federal Register document, and a concurrent notice in a

newspaper of record, announce the initiation of a thirty (30) day

public comment period and the availability of the Notice of Intent of

Partial Deletion. The public is asked to comment on EPA's proposal to

delete the operable units from the NPL. All critical documents needed

to evaluate EPA's decision are included in the Deletion Docket and are

available for review at the information repository previously listed.

Upon completion of the thirty (30) day public comment period, EPA

will evaluate all comments received before issuing the final decision

on the partial deletion. EPA will prepare a Responsiveness Summary for

comments received during the public comment period and will address

concerns presented in the comments. The Responsiveness Summary will be

made available to the public at the information repository previously

listed. Members of the public are encouraged to contact EPA Region 10

to obtain a copy of the Responsiveness Summary. If, after review of all

public comments, EPA determines that the partial deletion from the NPL

is appropriate, EPA will publish a final notice of partial deletion in

the Federal Register. Deletion of the operable units does not actually

occur until the final Notice of Partial Deletion is published in the

Federal Register.

IV. Basis for Intended Partial Site Deletion

The following provides EPA's rationale for deletion of the 100-IU-1

and 100-IU-3 Operable Units of the Hanford 100 Area NPL Site and EPA's

finding that the criteria in 40 CFR 300.425(e) are satisfied.

Background

The Hanford 100 Area Site was added to the NPL in November 1989.

EPA Region 10 is proposing deletion of portions of the Hanford 100 Area

NPL Site. Specifically the 100-IU-1 Operable Unit and 100-IU-3 Operable

Unit. The 100-IU-1 Operable Unit is a 13 square mile area with

boundaries of Washington State Route 240 on the east, Washington State

Highway 24 on the south, Hanford Site boundary on the west, and the

Columbia River on the north. The 100-IU-3 Operable Unit is a 140 square

mile area located at the northern most extent of the Hanford 100 Area

NPL Site, north of the Columbia River.

100-IU-1 Operable Unit

Based on past disposal practices two waste areas; the Army

Munitions Burial Site (munitions cache) and the Riverland Railroad Car

Wash Pit were included as subunits in the 100-IU-1 Operable Unit. In

addition, during investigations a pesticide container disposal area and

a 2-4,D container area were also discovered and included as part of the

operable unit.

The Riverland Railroad Car Wash Pit operated from 1943 until 1956

and was used to decontaminate railcars. Radioactive decontamination was

required before railroad maintenance personnel could work on the

railcars and locomotives.

An operable unit visual inspection found one homestead area

containing a pile of empty pesticide containers. Characterization

activities identified aldrin and dieldrin as contaminants of concern in

the soil. Aldrin and dieldrin are carcinogenic and relatively immobile

in soils. The chemicals were produced for about 10 years, from the

early 1950s to early 1960s.

A 2-4,D container area was discovered in July 1994 during an

archaeological survey performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratories. Two

5-gallon containers were found on the surface among some sage brush. In

addition, nine 5-gallon containers, with just the pour spouts exposed,

were found buried among the sage brush. Partial container markings

indicated that the containers may have contained 2-4,D.

The munitions cache received various military explosives in the

1970s. The explosives were remnants left from various military

exercises in the area. The area consisted of a wooden box placed in a

hole in the ground about 0.6 m by 0.9 m by 0.6 m (2 ft by 3 ft by 2 ft)

deep. On May 22, 1986, the box with contents went to the Yakima Firing

Range for destruction.

Characterization activities confirmed the presence of diesel fuel

contamination in the concrete and soil at the Riverland Railroad Car

Wash Pit and pesticide soil contamination at the pesticide container

area. Characterization of the 2-4,D container area did not find any

contaminated soil around or beneath the containers. Based on results of

sampling at the 2-4,D container area, the empty containers were

designated nonregulated. At the pesticide container area, sampling

indicated the primary hazardous constituents of concern were aldrin and

dieldrin contaminated soils. The munitions cache was sampled and no

contamination was present.

There is no known groundwater contamination associated with the

100-IU-1 Operable Unit. There are two shallow depth groundwater

monitoring wells within the Operable Unit. One well is located down

gradient of the Riverland Railroad Car Wash Pit and the second well is

located down gradient and to the northwest. Sample analysis data from

as far back as 1971 do not show groundwater contamination.

EPA and Ecology issued an action memorandum to DOE in June, 1993

requiring the removal of all pesticide contaminated soils, filling in

the munitions cache hole, performing an explosive ordnance survey, and

cleaning up the diesel contaminated concrete and soils at the Riverland

Railroad Car Wash Pit.

The munitions cache hole was filled in on July 27, 1993. The

Riverland Ordnance Survey was part of the Hanford Site-wide ordnance

and explosive waste (OEW) archive search conducted by the U. S. Army

Corps of Engineers. This search indicated that

[[Page 28319]]

the potential for ordnance in 100-IU-1 was minimal and, therefore, no

further action was required regarding ordnance.

The pesticide container area cleanup activities started on July 6,

1993. On-site immunoassay field screening was used to monitor cleanup

activity success. Drums containing crushed pesticide containers and

drums containing aldrin and dieldrin contaminated soils were sent to an

appropriate disposal facility located in the 200 Area of Hanford. The

pesticide area was backfilled on September 1, 1993 after laboratory

sample results confirmed that the soil contamination levels were below

2 parts per million (pmm) which is the cleanup level for aldrin and

dieldrin as specified by the MTCA.

The Riverland Railroad Wash Car Pit cleanup activities started on

July 12, 1993 when the soil covering the shop concrete pad was removed.

The entire cleanup action was monitored with immunoassay field

screening kits that detected diesel (TPH) concentrations at or above

200 ppm. Demolition of the concrete pad began on September 21, 1993 and

diesel contaminated soil removal started on September 27, 1993. The

contaminated material consisted of soils beneath the concrete pad, clay

drain pipes and associated soils, and drainage ditch soils. A total of

430 cubic yards of material were removed and hauled to a bioremediation

facility onsite. Bioremediation activities were completed in 1996.

Sample results indicated that all soils were below the MTCA cleanup

level of 200 ppm for TPH. All excavations were backfilled with clean

soil.

100-IU-3

In April of 1992, Ecology and the EPA recommended that the 100-IU-3

Operable Unit be investigated and remediated using a non-time critical

ERA. Results of field work which commenced in the summer of 1992

indicated that full scale hazard mitigation and the proper abandonment

of water wells needed to be performed. Field work also indicated

investigation and remediation of the 100-IU-3 military landfills was

warranted. The H-O6-L landfill, considered to be the largest and

suspected to contain the most hazardous waste, would be fully

characterized (i.e., anomalous areas identified within the landfill

boundaries would be fully excavated to undisturbed or natural horizons;

excavated materials would be field screened, sampled and analyzed if

necessary). Materials identified as hazardous or regulated would be

stockpiled for treatment or off-site disposal.

Additional characterization and remediation of the other landfills

would be dependent on the amounts and types of wastes found at the H-

O6-L landfill. It was reasoned that because the military areas were

under the same command, similar operating practices would be in place

for each. Therefore, using an analogous approach, environmental waste

found at the H-O6-L landfill would be expected to be present at the

other landfills. Similarly, if no environmental waste was discovered at

the H-O6-L landfill, the expectation was that the other landfills would

also be free of contamination.

The Action Memorandum also required that DOE investigate the

possible presence of ordnance in the 100-IU-3 Operable Unit. Ordnance,

if found, was to be handled and disposed of in accordance with current

U.S. Army regulations. An ordnance and explosive waste (OEW) record

search was initiated in November of 1993. The search consisted of a

records review and site visit, ordnance and explosive waste

contamination analysis, and an archives search. The search concluded

that there is a very small potential for the presence of OEW. Given the

expanse of the 100-IU-3 Operable Unit, the likelihood of finding any

ordnance through a field search would be minimal, and the costs would

be great. Therefore, no further action was recommended.

Decommissioning of water wells began in June 1994 and was concluded

in October 1994. In all, 9 water supply wells and one monitoring well

were decommissioned in accordance with requirements set forth by the

Washington State Department of Ecology. Localized contamination was

discovered in three 100-IU-3 Operable Unit water supply wells. The

contamination appeared to have been a result of vandals dumping oil and

other debris down the well casing. In each case the contamination was

contained within the casing. The oil and contaminated water were

successfully purged from each well and the casings were steamed

cleaned. Follow up water sampling and testing was conducted to confirm

cleanup.

Full characterization and remediation at the H-06-L landfill began

on April 19, 1994. Activities conducted consisted of geophysical

investigations, excavation and field screening of buried wastes,

sampling and analysis of suspect wastes, and segregation of confirmed

hazardous or contaminated materials. Geophysical investigations

employed electromagnetic profiling and magnetic techniques to locate

buried metallic and non-metallic waste materials. Areas exhibiting

anomalous geophysical response were marked in the field for subsequent

excavation.

Excavated wastes were field screened using several criteria

including visual observation, direct-reading instruments, and analyte-

specific field analytical kits. Suspect wastes were sampled for

characterization by an off-site laboratory under a quick turn-around

schedule. Materials confirmed as hazardous were segregated pending

determination of proper waste designation and disposition. Excavations

were backfilled with clean material and graded to original conditions.

Approximately 600 cubic yards of DDT contaminated soil were

discovered at the H-O6-L landfill. This material was disposed of at an

off-site permitted landfill. Also, 200 cubic yards of petroleum

contaminated soil was found and disposed of at an approved off-site

facility. Six drums of soil contaminated with metals and soil from

beneath several pesticide cans were disposed at an off-site facility.

No ordnance or explosive waste was discovered.

The remaining 100-IU-3 military landfills received limited

characterization and remediation that required excavation at each

identified geophysical anomaly. Full excavations would only be required

when field screening indicated the possible presence of contaminants.

Characterization and remediation of 100-IU-3 landfills concluded on

August 11, 1994.

In July of 1994, four exploratory holes were drilled under the

buried tanks at the 2,4-D burial ground. The tanks were first located

using a magnetometer. The holes were drilled at an incline in order to

obtain samples from directly beneath the tanks. Eighteen samples were

taken and no samples detected 2,4-D. In 1997, new information led to a

re-investigation of the 2,4-D burial ground. Laboratory data showed

elevated levels of 2,4-D and dioxin. The site was excavated and soils

containing 2, 4-D and dioxin were shipped off-site for disposal. A

portion of the soil was contaminated with 2,4-D only and was

bioremediated onsite.

Community Involvement

Public participation activities for the cleanup of the 100-IU-1 and

100-IU-3 Operable Units were conducted as required under CERCLA Section

113(k), 42 U.S.C. 9613(k) and Section 117, 42 U.S.C. 9617. Public

review included the following activities:

Public comment on the removal cleanup plan for 100-IU-1 from May 3

through June 9, 1993.

Public comment was accepted from November 8, 1993 through January

8,

[[Page 28320]]

1994 for the 100-IU-3 removal cleanup plan. A public meeting was held

in Mattawa, Washington on December 14, 1993 for the 100-IU-3 Operable

Unit.

Public comment was held from June 25 through August 9, 1995

regarding the proposed plan for 100-IU-1 and 100-IU-3 Operable Units.

Current Status

In February 1996, a no further action record of decision was signed

documenting that previous removal actions done in 1993 and 1994 removed

all contaminants to below the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), WAC

173-340 Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) and that these

areas do not pose a threat to human health or the environment.

The State of Washington, through the Department of Ecology, concurs

with EPA's final determination regarding this proposed partial

deletion.

Dated: May 15, 1998.

Charles E. Findley,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 10, Environmental Protection

Agency.

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

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Appendix--Map of USDOE Hanford 100 Area

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP22MY98.000

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[FR Doc. 98-13602 Filed 5-21-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-C