Reside-iffipsGriffith plant-on chemicals

.> AUG. *, ,•y PAULETTE HAODIX

Post-Tribune CorrespondentGRIFFITH —. Charges of

excessive chemicals fromAmerican Chemical Co. enteringthe town's sewer system weremade by southslde crusaderGeorge Milne at the Town Boardmeeting Tuesday night.

Also, he gave a verbal andpictorial description of a soil-erosion problem where hazardouswastes are buried at the chemicalplant on South Colfax Street

Milne's complaint of a stenchrising from water in drainageditches near the chemical solventrecycling company was confirmedby Town.Board member L. E.Owen.

"The fumes were strongyesterday," Owen said inreference to his inspection of thesite on Monday with director ofpublic works Glen V. Reyome.

During the inspection. Reyometook a sample of drainage ditchwater for chemical analysis. Hesaid the laboratory analysis withdetailed recommendations shouldbe ready within three weeks.

Reyome and Owea concurredthat the smell there was "oily anddifferent."

Citing statistics from twodifferent chemical analyses doneon water samples taken atAmerican Chemical. Milne saidthere is a problem with acidityand 17 "very, very toxicchemicals."

The laboratory report! aren'trecent, as one was on a sampletaken AUK 27-28 in 1978 and theother on . sample taken March.13, 1S81.

Milne noted the March 13sample had a pH of 3J. meaningit was highly acidic and outside of

.the «rv»pr«hl» pH Ff nj« gf 4J (0 -

•In" time! If we don't dosomething, our sewers will be

• eaten out,T< Milne stated, alluding| to his experience as a plumber.

While the pH on the Aug. 27-28,11979 sample was well within thelicceptable range, the amounts of|-;ils and greases and biochemicaloxygen demand were "way high,"^ilne added.

He urged the Tetn ftoard taImpose fines against AmericanI hemical whec chemical analysishdicates the firm is violatinghwn ordinances with excessiveItemicals.] A town ordinance calls for the

ompany to monitor its chemicalj.sposal itself and send monthlyieports to the town, Reyome'elated. Milne said he contacted

( the Environmental ProtectionI Agency and found out that in six110 12 months chemical companies(will also have to submit reports tolihe EPA.

The Hammond Sanitary District,''which treats Griffith's sewage,:reportedly tests the ef f luent ,contents for excessive chemicals. 'However, because the testing Is.-done where the Griffith sewers .end on the far northern and oftown and American Chemical isat the southern end, anychemicals it might be disposing of •In the sewer system would begreatly diluted by the time theyreached the sampling point,Reyome said. ~ '-.'

Regarding tke eresleD, Milne <said this chemical dumpsite wasto be covered with clay andplanted with grass. Rainfall haseroded a sloped area to the pointwhere there is a gaping hole,several feet deep and probablymeasuring about four feel Inwidth and depth. Milne related. •

He suggested this area at leastbe fenced for the safety of anychildren who might be playing tothe area.

Odor problems stemming fromthe chemical company amrt new.

In August 197S, stench thendescribed as "giant body odor"and "cat liner was found to becoming from two 100-by-200-footareas where American Chemicalwas reportedly dumping chemicalwaste.

The town filled in the area with•and, although one town trusteeurged that the material be dugout and hauled away so It couldn'tplague the town in the future.

In the wake of the 1975 odorproblem, American Chemicalagreed to dispose of barrels ofchemical waste through a privatescavenger.

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GriffithfirmfinedMust meetEPA termsThe Associated Pressand Post-Tribune

American Chemical Servicesof G r i f f i t h has been f i ned$116.300 and ordered to obtair.l i ab i l i ty insurance for it tocontinue to operate.

The U.S. E n v i r o n m e n t a lProtection Agency announcedthe fine and terms of a consentagreement with the chemicalcompany during the weekend.

The a g r e e m e n t cal ls forAmerican Chemical Servicesto show evidence of liabilitycoverage to the Indiana De-pa r tmen t of Envi ronmenta lManagement by Sept. 5, as re-quired under the Federal Re-source Conservation and Re-cover}' Act.

The liability coverage pro-tects against releases of haz-ardous waste into the environ-ment. If American ChemicalServices fails to secure suchcoverage, it has been orderedto stop accepting all hazardouswaste and to submit a closureplan.

The agreement resolves anAugust 1989 administrativecomplaint citing the companyfor violations.

American Chemical Serviceswas one of 10 Northweaana factories listed amongnation's 500 worst sources of'toxic pollution in 1987, accord-ing to a report by the NationalWildlife Federation.

The report showed AmericanChemical Services released 8.6million pounds of 15 differentchemicals and ranked 151st.

The list of Northwest Indi-ana industries included InlandSt-e l of £33; Chicago , USS

'

3y ROSEMARY OSMULSKI 'Times Correspondent

GRIFFITH — American ChemicalService Corpratlon Is .apparently Inviolation of FnYlrjTirmn'al Pr"'rr-tlon Agency hazardous waste reguia-tions. .

George Milne, a -'self-appointedGriffith watchdog, has presented the

. town board with copies of an EPAreport. Indicating the company hasviolated the EPA regulations sinceMay, 1980.

Violations had apparently not been*corrected by a subsequent Inspectionin December of that year.

The EPA cites the company (or notfencing the area of providing 24-hour

Violatedsurveillance, lack of a preparedevacuation plan. Improper record-keeping on handling, treatment,storage and disposal of waste and lackof cross-references of disposal.

Milne said the company has 25,000 to30,000 drums and a tanic burled at the(inn's site on south Coif ax Avenue.

Public works director GlennReyome said a report on water col-lected In a ditch on the site will beready lor the next board meeting.

Milne aald high actldlty dischargeInto the town's sewer In May violatestown ordinance and should require aline as stated In ordinance 78-11.

Trustees took the EPA and Milne'sreport under study.

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1 ByFREDOTT "'•. • ' ' . 'Times Staff Writer '. •• • *'.i '-

' .HAMMOND — "Noise toy";,, toe..souped-up hot rods, vans, and"motorcycles that roar through;•• the.-streets of' some metropolitan, areasy''

•are something of a Region-problem;''too. • •-• . . . - .-• •;•-

. The Environmental Protection'

major entrances to the- atyslwwtog:the word "noise" with a. slash through ' ' ..

VBW a. sign-is Justa'sign," Strlbjack

jays that hot rodders top the.list of noise pollution complai"'* na-jtlonwlde: But ior Henald MosaicHammond's air pollution chief;- all

•vehicles, create the city's.No. 1.noiseproblem. . •

AndEammond is trying to do some-^"thing about 1L It Is one of 50 midwest'communities' cooperating wtth-. the;'EP.A In R-noisei control' program;

on. thfrprogram with the Indiana 'AssbdaHoir-

| o>_Ciaea and Towns.' —————Tor IMUt a year the dry-has been,

using a- decibel monitoring deviceborrowed from the EPA through- thet-assaclatton, and It has proved a sue- •

'• cess, Novak says.The city also has a model noise

• control ordinance, so good that it is. •serving as a model for other commu-'

• nicies in the state.Brad Carton, notse-coordinator for

the association, says, "Bammood hasprobably .the most comprehensivenoise control ordinance In the state. .We are going to incorporate parts of.ltInto our own pilot ordinance."

Ganon believes, however, that theRegion's major noise comes from,stationery things, varying, from go-cart tracks to barking dogs. - . . ' • • •

Where vehicle noise is troublesome,the association, aided by the EPA, has 'developed a program [or using decibelmeters mounted on police cars to"monitor-noise Irrels ei passing traffic. •

The device is used ID Hammondwben. manpower permits; Vacationsand other absences prevent Its use asregularly as would be desirable.

.••The unit Is good," Police LL 'Bernard Strtblack. say...'"It works;

_ We'Tt made, .numerous arrests with;•-

Crown Poles, has borrowed the- de-*'vice but only te*nnrtests,oira. go-cart'track that never opened: • .;• • . . .>.' Crowit Point Councllman-at-Large'.,'James Forsythe- agrees with Carton-:;

i thatvehiclesarenotthemajorsource- ' . .'• of noise,, at least not In his city. ' ;Barking, dogs acd Isui parties were- \ •more prevalent and noisier, he says.... : .

To, help-, combat the racket,:', i''Forsytbe "is drafting, a.'nolse control.' •• ordinance.' which.'he wants ,u> be as; ';";; comprehensive as Hammond's., . • :• .

• Barking dogs and raucus gatherings: :-rank., behind, vehicles- as- top : •

^jois«makarswJJK.Calumet City. The- : .'noise they, generate.Is so serious that;: H-,"We are going.to..go along with the! ::EPA on this thing.-" says. Cape John :Sullivan. ... • ' ; •

Calumet City police put1 a dedbci' -.monitoring- device-.Inta use. this: ;month. . . . " ' . I :

Other Region- law enforcement-" •'a gencles do not regard "noise toys" as " '. .';a major headache, • " •

"It doesn't even rank as » minor ' | •;problem," says Lanslng Police- Capt~ "• :Robert Wheaton. -:

• All eominvmltles have hot rods, be-_- •observes, but that It's not something' •Laasing police cannot easily handle, -j

Dolton Police. SgL Richard HalL . .agrees. • ' . 1

"We get some ciill.i about loud-- .. -^cars," he says. "But L don't feel lfs*-*''._,^__somethlngthatneedsspeclalacbon."-':''J':' . .•' South Holland has some areas where-'-''..-. _.there is new construction^ and dirt_'"'-*.;. jbikers use theroads there. . '' ^'.'-.^•• "•! •wtmldn't-iay we- have- a.'real..L.'. . ',ftproblem," 'Sgt. James Sanierortei-rr" "!-=says. . . . ' • • • - . • • ' - . . "T»xi - J' In South 'Holland, "-according to-'-:'. ;;^Santefone, railroads are- the worst/ •; . -^noise- polluters. .Trains • have- been •••».-"S^».i*.. , M*4*K *t/iiej» rf»»v1te3 but * ••'

.monitored- with, .noise . devices but.

ttreel elfl ^sAyi. -; ..'''''-; ^*^"^ ' . •- •_-V''^ ^•'-•»i>^'V^^-^K£j^-'i.'tTTI^::V,->'^*^'J'T :T.'"?* --'~.. •• ; T"»^^a^f^^^iiie^ 0

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THETWES Thursday. Junej. UP

DUMWN0 HAZARDOUS MAStli

N. Lake dump sites chosen-__i__~. . - . . . . ' . • . . . . . . A

ByPETRALUKETimes Staff Writer

CROWN POINT - Sites inGary, East Chicago andHammond are being consideredfor a "confined disposal facili-ty" for polluted material whichmay be dredged from IndianaHarbor.

The sites and estimated costs

• UARY: On the north side ofIndustrial Highway, east ofdine Avenue, S22.357,000;

• EAST CHICAGO: In LakeMichigan, opposite Jeorse Park,SO.614,000;

• HAMMOND: On HistStreet, between CalumetAvenue and IndianapolisBoulevard. $23.001,000; and in

(Continued Back Page) -

INDUSTRIAL WASTE CLEANUP

Super fund cash soughtBy The Timesand Times Wire Services

INDIANAPOLIS - American ChemicalServices in Griffith has been nominated by thestate as one of five sites needing cleanup withfederal Superfund money.

In an update of the iLfi-biUion fund's nationalpriority list, state health officials have requestedthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency m-dude the Gritfilli solvent recovery firm.

American Chemical Services is listed because of

past practice* of burying barrels of chemicals in alandfill in the rear of the company's property,according to the board of health.

In 1980, oil leaking from the site was found tocontain phenol — a known carcinogen. At the time,however, the EPA said the firm nad surroundedthe burial site with clay, preventing the leak from

About .2,000 drums were buried about IB yearsas> at the site near Colfax Avenue, although in

: (Continued Back Page This Section)

O O C I 7 2 90030

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Thursday. June 11983;

4 N. Lake hazardous dump sites ehoseu"From Pflae One; •:/:

Like Michigan, Just east of (he Ham-mood Filtration riant, |IS,5tt,000.

Lt Col. Christ* A. Dovas of the US.Army Corps of Engineers told the LakeCounty Solid Waste Disposal Committeeon Wednesday where the project stands.

It's been almost a year since heconvinced the committee the dredgingneeded to be done.

Lake County commissioners, whoformed the solid waste disposal com-mittee, agreed In July UK to ad at localsponsor for the protect.

If the harbor Isn't dredged, It even-tually wlU Till with silt and pollutedmaterials and will have to be closed,Dovas has said.

The harbor contains varying levels ofpolychlorinated biphenyb (PCBs), anIndustrial pollutant listed as a knowncarcinogen (cancer-causing) by the fed-eral Water Pollution Control Act of 1077.

Dovas said a 1980 test of the naroorshowed one area that had a hazardouslevel of PCBs. He said the corps will let acontract later this month for another teston the level of PCBs.

There are still several stumblingblocks which mutt be overcome beforedredging begins.

One is funding.If the project complies with a pollutant

control plan and is granted a waiver bythe U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, the federal government wouldpay for all construction costs. Otherwise,the local sponsor would nave to pay for ISpercent of the construction costs.

Dovas said that waiver can't begranted until the Hammond and EastChicago sanitary districts are in compli-ance with National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System permits.The solid waste disposal committee

will try to meet later this month withrepresentatives of the two sanitary dis-tricts to resolve the problem.

Costs to the local sponsor would be:• $473,000 with the waiver and

$5,944,000 without for the Gary site;• $58,000 with and $5,197,000 without

(or the East Chicago site;• $647,000 with and $6,236,000 without

for the Mist Street site in Hammond;• $iw,ouo with and $4,962,000 without

for the site next to the filtration plant.

J§tate seeks Superfund cash for Griffith firm1911 George Milne, a self appointed Grif-fith watchdog, claimed in a report to theEPA that 25,000 to 30,000 drums and atank were buried at the site.

Jacqueline Strecker, a Superfundraordinator for the stale, said the firm's

current operation complies with stateand federal waste handling laws.

James Tarpo. the firm's general man-ager, said a call by The Times today wasthe first he had heard of the matter.

Tarpo would not comment further.Also on the slate's list are ReiUv Tar

and Chemical Corp. in Indianapolis;NorthsMe Sanitary Landfill In BooneCounty; Bennett Stone Quarry In MonroeCounty; and the Norman Poer farm laHancock County.

The sites will be considered for a newSuperfund list scheduled to be published

In late July. The nominations are baseoon a tcorinc system devised by the EPA.

Each Indiana site was named becauseof the threat of contamination ofgroundwater, according to David D.Urnm. director of the land pollutioncontrol division of the health board.

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LOUISVILLECOURIER JOURNAL

D 226,742 S 333.011

SEP 11933 -

n J land-pollution dhisiqnneeds to double its budget by 198$

By JAN CARROLL .

INDIANAPOLIS — The state's di-vision of Una-pollution control willseed twice as much money by 1985to do a first-rate Job of policingdump sites, the ctlef of the Environ-mental Management Board said yes-terday.

"To what extent do we want toclean up the stale? That's the ques-tion that remains unanswered,"Ralph Pickard, the board's technicalsecretary, told a House committee."Closely allied to that question is,•re the people willing to pay (orthat cleanup? The state isn't tying•round with the money, and Indus-try tent tying around with a bag ofSQOoey."

The more than 400 Indiana wasteoperations that must be policed willlake 65 nan-years to inspect. Pick-ard said. The job is enormous, con-sidering the size of the land-pollu-tion division's staff, be said.

Fifty-seven people work in the di-vision at the State Board of Health,he said. Six more chemists are be-ins added because of an extraSI90.000 appropriated by the IM3General Assembly, he said.

The division has a budget of SI-7million, which comes from bothstate and federal funds.

Ideally, be said, the divisionwould have a staff of K and • $2.7million budget for 1984. and a staffof 123 and a S3.4 million budget for1985. The federal government wouldpick op some of that cost, be said.

Having a hazardous-waste dispos-al program will be essential to at-tract new industry to Indiana, he•aid.

"Somewhere along the way. If weare going to continue to talk to pro-spective industry, we are going tohave to be able to answer the ques-tion. If we come to this state, whatcan we do with the hazardous wastewhich we generate?'" he said.

Pickard also said that finding

sites for waste dumps is a problem."Nobody wants either a hazardous

or solid-waste operation on theirside of the county." Pickard said. "1w,ould suggest that everybody's go)to be somewhere and so do .solidwaste operations." ' •• .f

Committee chairman RicbartMangus, R-Lakevilic. said landfill!that pose no environmental threashould be placed near metropolltaiareas that generate the most waste

"It a landfill fe safe, why put It~miles oat in (be county next tidairy farm?" asked Mangus, • daff*fanner.

David D. Lamm, director of tarnpollution control for the Board cHealth, said there are five sta:members In the Inspection divtsioto keep tabs oa 125 landfills In Ind

The inspectors get to each landfionce every three to six weeks, tsaid, and that translates into abo2,000 inspections a year.

Sufiefcfuhdsite OKdBy LOR1OLSZEWSKITimes Staff Writer

American Chemical Services in Griffith Kon the nation's updated Superfund cleanuplist sources, have told The Times.

The U.S Environmental ProtectionAgency was to oiucially •uuuuutf laterlooSy-thai ACS and four other Indianahazardous waste kites were on the ypdaled-national priority list, sources laid The

Illinois didn't gel any additional «!«.•source in the Illinois tnvironroenUl Pro-tection Agency. said.

Inclusion on the list doesn't guarantee aSuperfund cleanup of the site, but il

••ubstantiaDy increases the dances itguv qualify (or the money.

IJ.S. EPA, seeking to improve itsbattered reputation for cleaning op tone

• waste, expanded the list of the country'sworst hazardous waste sites by a third.

ACS in Griffith was among five Indi-

HAMMONDTIMES

0 R3B S. 7I2E3

ana sites the stale Board of Healthturjmiq*d «s candidates lor the updatedbst

A imk«pMB for Sen. Richard Lngar,R-Ind, saidaD Indiana sites made thebst ACS was the only site submittedfrom me Calumet Region.

Tbf other Indiana sites included: the. Northsde Landfill in Boooe County;

Henry Tar and Chemical Company inMarion County; Bennett Stone Quarry inMonroe County; and the Norman Poer

"The Indiana sites are among 133 sites

•tte EPA added to the national priorityKst today, making the dumps eligible tocompete for $1.6 billion from theSuperfund. - ^

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GARYPOST TRIBUNE

0. 78.241 S. 80.230

SEP 2 1903

, ; :^ i *••• •• • - : . . - : . • • . ' '• < . v • • •

'"~J ^* ';f '' t*'* V "I Tfr."""^nJ-": "*——"^"—-|m.-r~4 -.-"I*,!—i r.-- ..J -it" .1 - — *-,jr

f ///„-ru'i,;!!.* ^W- v= t *kt7 / '•- -~- V . ~~V-ij rtijiE i I . - -;. ••«V$4ap. iJK-u;'•*^r'w'"' '£.•••!' • • • " v • • - ; ' * " • > . ' •

This is the exterior of the American Chemical Service Co. at Griffith.

Don't panic on cleanupBy Sharon EmanuelsonPoki-Tribune Correspondent

GRIFFITH — Officials hereare pleased to learn AmericanChemical Service Co. has beenput on the EnvironmentalProtection Agency's superfundcleanup list, but cautionedagainst panic.

The site was named by theU-S^F-nvironmental ProtectionAuf ncy as one of 133 sites acrossthe nation targeted for cleanup.

Sherry Evans-Carmichael.planner for solid wastemanagement for the IndianaBoard of Health, said~~lhat

upper water table but not in thelower water table from wheremost of the residents in the areaget their water.

The last test conducted by theCPA was in May. and there wasno evidence (hen that thecontamination had progressedbeyond (he American Chemicalgrounds, she said.

GnllJtli Public Works Director£len_VL_Reyorpe also saidrepealed teats at the town'ssanitary landfill site, which isadjacent to one of the chemicaljjjrial sites, have been negative,

tv Jrst thing the superfund

Ihe full extent of thecontamination. From thoseresults a remedial actionfeasibility master plan will bedeveloped and it will be decidedwhecher total excavation ormerely removal of (he buriedmaterial is necessary, Mrs.Evans-Carmichae! said.

She said the announcement thatAmerican Chemical had beenadded to the list of dump sites inthe nation that pose healththreats will understandably causepanic among ihe residents butshe asked for caution andpatiencft'"v

"The', V )just too many..~,,ohi^ii^ih. ran affect the

of a natural clay layer in theground that can absorb thecontaminated material undprevent Us spread," she said.

Reyome said there are about80 wells in the am* that willneed testing.

The contamination stems fromdisposal of chemical waste drums;ind slug that was buried on ihesite from 1958 to 1U75. Thecompany voluntarily stoppeddumping in 11*75.

Reyome said."We've beenworking with American Chemicalfor Ihe last 10 to 15 years andthey (the company) have reallystraightened out. They have <complied with everything the

d tx •/j

EPA seeks private funds for cleanupThe funding for Superfund is in a sham-bles. The bill authorizing the programexpired last September. On Apr. 1, Con-gress authorized $150 million in interimfunding, but it stipulated that the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) can-not spend any portion of that moneyafter May 31. Meanwhile, Congress hasnot ironed out differences among vari-ous versions of a new bill, and it doesnot seem likely that the lawmakers willreauthorize the Superfund program bythe May 31 deadline.

Despite that, EPA's regional officialssay that they are proceeding apace withsite cleanups. Since Superfund formallyexpired, explains Morris Kny, EPA Re-gion 7 administrator (St Louis), "we arecontinuing to obtain cleanups" from po-

Some regional EPA agenciesare asking individual firms tohelp clean up Superfund sitestenlially responsible parties (PRPs) inthe private sector.

Typical of the offices trying to forgeahead with PRP-financed cleanups isEPA Region 5 (Chicago). Officials therehave called on some 800 PRPs to helpthe agency pay up to $1 million for thefirst step toward cleaning up a NationalPriority List (KPL) land-disposal site,which is owned by American ChemicalService, at Griffith, Ind. The NPL site isa landfill that the company says itclosed after operating it between 1955and 1975. However, other waste dispos-al units at American Chemical Service'sGriffith facility are still operating.

Cleanup options. EPA wants thePRPs to foot the bill for a remedial in-vestigation and feasibility study (R1FS)op the landfill. The study would identifyJiydrogeological characteristics; definethe nature and extent of soil-, water-and air-contamination at the site,- andexplore remedial cleanup options.

Industry representatives have seriousquestions about the agency's approach."Why drag in several hundred genera-tors that paid to have their waste dis-posed of there?" asks Thomas Reid,vice-president of the Illinois Manufac-turers Assn. (IMA). After all, he pointsout, the American Chemical Servicefacility is still a hazardous waste stor-age and treatment business, regulatedunder the Resource Conservation andRecovery Act (RCRA). Superfund, henotes, is designed for cleanup of aban-

4* Oemcal Week/May 21. 1986

doned sites. Reid argues that EPAshould compel American Chemical Ser-vice to clean up its old land-disposalunit—the NPL site—under RCRA, be-cause that would involve direct talkswith only one business. "It just seems,"concludes Reid, that "the government isoverlooking a quicker, more efficientway to resolve this problem."

EPA does not buy that argument Da-vid M. Taliaferro, an EPA Region 6attorney, says, "We believe it would ac-tually be slower" to switch cleanup ef-forts at the facility to RCRA oversightDoing so, he says, would "ignore theseveral years of Superfund work that'salready been done" on the site. Henotes that the agency has carefullyevaluated the site and is now ready todecide whether there should bea publicly or privately fundedR1FS.

Voluntary. For now, Taliaferrosays, EPA is interested only inthose PRPs that used the Ameri-can Chemical Service disposalservice between 1955 and 1975.Financial support, he adds, isvoluntary. Taliaferro stresses,however, that those PRPs thatused the company's services atthe site for the first time after1975 may be hit for costs, de-pending on the outcome of fur-ther EPA investigations. Forthose covered by the 20-year pe-riod, "the decision to participateis up to them," Taliaferro pointsout, adding, "We certainly hopethe appropriate people" willparticipate.

If EPA decides on public fund-ing for the cleanup, the Super-fund law would allow the agen-

began using the service well after thattime say they learned of their exclusiononly after they flew to Chicago for themeeting.

'AB the way.' One man who is irateabout that point is Archie L. Simmons.safety and environmental affairs director of Whittaker (Los Angeles), a spe-cialty chemical and equipment producer.Simmons says he will take his complaint"all the way to the White House." Heexplains that Whittaker's lawyers hadwritten to the agency well in advance «fthe meeting to inquire whether Whitia-ker should be on the PRP list and-ifSimmons needed to attend. Whittakerdid not start using American Chvini-'alService until 1979. However, Simmoju^says EPA failed to inform him that f K

Rcid: Serious questions about EPA's approach.

cy to seek out, later, all the facility'sdocumented PRPs and make them liablefor all removal or remedial action costs.The PRPs have until August to decidewhether they will volunteer assistancein the R1FS.

The way that EPA is handling thecase seems to be discouraging at least afew PRPs from volunteering their help.The agency's alleged lack of coopera-tion in determining a period of liabilityis one example. It was not until a May 5meeting in Chicago between EPA andall the PRPs that the agency finally an-nounced that companies that dealt withAmerican Chemical Service after the1975 cutoff time would not be involvedin the cleanup study. Many PRPs who

presence was not required until he ar-rived at the Chicago session from thecompany's corporate office in Dallas.

3M had a similar experience, saysLowel) Ludford, a 3M environmentalspecialist An attorney from his com-pany went to Chicago on Mar. 17 foranother meeting about the AmericanChemical Service site, only to find thatthe conference had been canceled with-out notice. The 3M corporate lawyerthen visited Region 5 headquarterswhere, Ludford insists, he met with anofficial "who had no good informationand did not know much about the site."3M says it should not have been askedto volunteer because it became anAmerican Chemical Service customer in

, six years after the cutoff year.r American Chemical Service, which de-

felines to comment on the case, wrote ai letter to its clients on Feb. 24, express-

similar concerns. In the letter, its that "EPA incorrectly identified

many recipients of the letter" that itsent to PRPs soliciting voluntary contri-butions for the RIFS. The letter notesthat "for reasons unknown to the com-pany" EPA did not use data on some200 companies offered by AmericanChemical Service to the agency, to showwhich clients used the landfill beforethe unit was taken out of service in1975. Instead, the company says, EPAprepared a list based on the company's1982 and 1983 waste generator reports.

OU records. Another PRP complaintcenters on EPA's requests for recordsthat are more than three decades old insome cases. Says IMA's Reid: "Nineteen. \~>five was 31 years ago." He ques-•iia how many companies have records•">ing back that far. "A company may

e shipped one drum to AmericanChemical Service 81 years ago," he..ays. Their being drawn into the casenow he calls a "fiasco."

EPA admits that its handling of theaffair has caused some problems. Talia-

Disagreement surrounds EPA5's request that companiesvolunteer to help with an RIFS

ferro says that EPA "regrets verymuch" the frustration of many of the1'RI's, particularly those that sent repre-•entatives to the May 5 conference inChicago, only to discover they were no

>er part of the case. He notes thatS~°ragency is removing companies that

•«?d American Chemical Service after5 from its PRP list, but he says, too,

Tfiat some additions are being made toihe list. Taliaferro asks that the compa-nies help EPA to avoid more difficultiesby forming "a responsible generators''/roup for better communication."

Industry says that it is making pro-gress on that score. "There's already a

ucleus for a generators' committee,"ays Keid, who reports that )MA has

uflered logistical support by, among(itKIT things, sponsoring meetings U>•ic'p affected firms improve coordina-• iun and communication among them-.-,f Ives. "There are certain waste genera-ors that know they've dowsed of

'.vaste dur ing the affected target peri-•d." he says, adding, "There's actually

.in informal group." DJEf'FHEY TREH'HITT and Clinslina

i/m'A'i//:M m Ctncnyij, tfilh Ltiunr A. Rir-h

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Spain merges four firmsto compete in EuropeIndustrialists in Spain are aware thattheir country's new status as a memberof the European Community (EC) willhave some drawbacks. Among otherchanges triggered by its admission tothe EC, Spain roust dismantle its highlyprotectionist taxation and trading sys-tem, including custom* duties and im-port quotas, and introduce a value-add-ed tax (VAT), part of which is usedto finance the EC budget. However,because much of Spain's industry isweaker than that of its new partners, atransition period of seven years hasbeen established by the EC to give thebusiness community time to adapt tothe new wave of competition that mem-bership will ultimately bring.

Given that respite, Spanish industrial-ists are restructuring their holdings.Last year, reforms designed to pareSpain's fertilizer industry were set inmotion (CW, Feb. 13, 1985, p. 44). Nowstate oil company Empresa National delPetroleo (EMP) is attempting to whipthe petrochemical sector into shape, forits upcoming matches with EC oppo-nents, by consolidating four of its joint-venture petrochemical companies—Al-cudia, Paular, Calatrava and Montoro—into one major petrochemical entity (ta-ble, p. 57). The merger, says EMP Presi-dent Juan Sancho Rof, will put theSpanish petrochemicals industry "in abetter position to face the competition."

Need to export EMP has been work-ing on the merger since 1979. Prior tothat year, Spain's domestic market wasable to absorb all of the country's petro-chemical production, explains Javier dela Pena, who became vice-president re-sponsible for petrochemicals at EMP al-most a year ago. In 1979, domestic con-sumption dropped, de la Pena says, and"the need to export became apparent"

At that point, he notes, "differencesof opinion over export policies" devel-oped between EM1' and its joint-venturepartners in the four companies. Th* de-cision was made to buy out the part-ners, which included companies such asPhillips Petroleum, Britain's ImperialChemical Industries (1CI) and Italy'sMonledison. And when, in the early1980s, the need to cut European petro-chemical capacity became obvious, EMPfelt that "the logical thing to do wasconsolidate," according to Sancho Rof.

That was also the conclusion drawn

De la Pena: A fighting chance in the EC.

by de la Pena, who is likely to serveas president of the new petrochemicalgroup. De la Pefla was brought in lastJune to participate in EMP's strategicalstudy of its petrochemical assets, evalu-ating the strengths and weaknesses ofeach subsidiary. "All the units were inpretty good shape," he observes, butsince EMP had the ethylene plants thatsupplied the four subsidiaries, "we wereobviously better off merging the fourderivative units into one."

Strategic location. By last year, EMPhad attained 100% ownership of Alcu-dia, Paular and Calatrava, but negotia-tions to purchase Arco Chemical Iberi-ca's 50% stake in Montoro werefruitless. "It was clearly in our interestto include Montoro within the group,"de la PeHa says, "because of its strate-gic location at Puertollano," a townnear Madrid, where Alcudia and Cala-trava have plants With a $5 millioncash flow in 1985, EMP also considersMontoro the most financially sound ofthe four companies.

Nevertheless, de la Pefta says, "wedecided to go ahead with the merger ofthe three and [figure out] how to inte-grate Montoro later." Last September,EMl' received government authorizationto merge the three companies. How-ever, prior to completion of that effort,Arco indicated that it was willing to sell

May 21. 1986/Chemcal Wee* 53

f)

THE TIMES Tuesday, April 29,1986

jState delays action pnlirkey Creek dredging

jEyliARYSVEPEKNTitties Cm i upundent

CROWS POINT - A Lake Countyto «kedge Turkey Creek is on

the stole reaolves potation

George. The drainage boardbudgeted 120,000 for the project this

The BPA «D driDtes! wefls at Aetoriy deaiHB site **"* p"TirA*r todetermine the extent of aff-site con-

ic Tar ladtaaa Department «f Natu-qsal Raaourees win atudy whether, creek aedbnents have 'been poflotedt%y toxins'seeping from a chemicaldump site about a half anOe north of

5«* creek.£ The American Chemical ServiceBfroperty at CnUax Avenue tat Grif-tatb and the adjacent Griffith landfill•- comprise a toxic dump site to beclean«J under Federal Environmen-tal Protection Agency's SuperfundProg. am.

1 Until pollution questions are'answered, the slate is delaying ac-' tion oc a permit for Turkey Creek• dredging.

Deputy County Surveyor WilliamHendersor discussed the delay Won-dsy at the Lake County Drair^gcBoard Achisory Committee meeting

The drainage board had appliedstate and federal permits to

\ remove sediment from TurkeyCreek from Cline Avenue to Lake

DNE «01 be talemtted inIPA reautts, <ud Victor Weaning,J>NB Wkter IMvinoD assisUtA direc-tor. Weening said the DIfR studywould be completed "** aoon as wecan" but had DO specific time table.

The Natural Resources Commfe-•ioa, «B Advisacy Ageocy1 te.lheDNR, requested the study testThursday.

The U.'S Fish and Wildlife Serviceis one agency protesting work onTurkey Creek, not only because ofpotential pollution problems, butaJso because the excavation projectwould damage wet lands, taidwildlife biologist Jean Cochrane.

Hendenon called the state action"unfair." He said the state shouldhave granted tht permit request OBcondition of approval from a new In-diana Environmental ManagementBoard.

The Turkey Creek matter surfacedwhen Barb Baumann tf the Lake

Dalecarlia Property OwnersAssociation raised a question onpollution in feneraL

Baumann art art the DrainageBoard Advisory Comtnte** whetherany rthfi poOuted drains

. Ditch are being matntaafd byLake County Foas Dfcch feeds tatoUkeDalecarba. - .

Drainage Beard Adviaorv Com-and "certainly.*' Henderson said,there are some ethers that I'drather not mention poblkry." fiesaid lae drainage beard is a* re-quired to address pollution ques-tions

"That's volunteering informationthat we're not required to volun-teer ."be said.

iffCX

J / _/ ——

Waste chance delays stream clearing•y JoMph Conn<M MM RMt-TribMM; CROWN POINT — The possi-

bility of contamination bom atoxic landfill in Griffith hai de-layed plant to clear atretchei ofTurkey Creek thi* summer.{ Assistant Lake County Survey-or William Hendenon, who coor-dinate* planning and project su-pervision for the Lake CountyDrainage Board, told the boardTuesday that the county's appli-cation to a itate agency for a per-mit to begin work has been

delayed.Hendenon said the delay came

during a review of permits for theproject by the Indiana Depart-ment of Natural Resource's Bu-reau of Water and MineralsCouncil.

Hendenon identified the prob-lem site as a landfill believed tobe owned by a chemical compa-ny near Colfax Street in Griffithalmost a mile north of TurkeyCreek.

"We have two concerns." saidLisa Kobe, director of external af-

fairs for the new Indiana Depart-ment of Environmental Manage-ment. "The impact on wetlands,which is always a matter of con-cern, and the potential of con-taminated sediments has beenraised."

The environmental manage-ment department will probablybe assigned to check whetherrunoff from the landfill is con-taminating the stream.• Waters from Turkey Creekflow east across much of LakeCounty, feed Lake George in Ho-

bart, Deep River, Burns Ditchand. eventually, enter Lake Mich-igan. Several reaches of thestream, including the area nearLake George, include wetlandsprotected by the state Depart-ment of Natural Resources.

"It's a Superfund site," Kobesaid of the Griffith landfill "Itprobably has numerous types ofIndustrial wastes."

The Superfund is a program ofthe U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency to pay for the clean-up of the nation s most notorious-

ly contaminated waste disposalsites.

The Griffith site is now beingevaluated for remedial action,Kobe said.

The site has been on the feder-al cleanup list for about twoyean, she said.

The county has budgeted$20.000 for work on Turkey Creekthis year. Part of the county mas-ter plan includes s series of checkdams and traps thai would lessensedimentation in Lake George

Henderoon said that "go to 70

percent of the channel has al-ready been snagged and most ofthat has been dredged" over the

East few years and no problemsave arisen over previous permit

applications.No evidence has been submit-

ted that any contamination ofTurkey Creek has or could occurfrom trie dump, but the delay wassuggested to provide time for fur-ther investigation, he said.

"They suggested that we mayhave an obligation to take sam-ples," Henderson said.

Turkey Creek to be testedpByDEBRAGRUSZECKITimes Staff Writer

CROWN POINT - Tests are expected to determine ifTurkey Creek has been contaminated by a toxic wastedump site, the Lake County Drainage Advisory Committeelearned. '

The county's request for a permit to reconstruct thechannel on Turkey Creek wetlands near Hobart was defer-red this spring due to its closeness to a federal Superfundsite: American Chemical Services in Griffith.

The chemical company site, located about one-half milenorth of Turkey Creek, was listed in 1983 as one of fivesites that needed to be cleaned up with federal Superfundmoney.

Jean Cochran, of the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, saidthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began workingit ihc «iti> <" *""' '** r~*"-" <•?•!* FPA tests showed

groundwater around the site was contaminated, and mayhave traveled off-site and into the nearby creek

Deputy Lake County Surveyor William Hendenon saidthe permit was denied because creek sediment could stirup contaminants - if they exist - and could cause toxicmaterials to move downstream to further aggravate thesituation.

Drainage Board President and Commissioner EVnestNiemeyer, R-Lowell, said be was advised ground boringsmay be taken to see If the creek is contaminated before theEPA checks it out. To wait for the EPA to do its testing, besaid, could take one year or more.

The committee was told toxicity tests could cost about16,000. No action was taken.

Committee member Gene Krasocka said he wanted thedrainage board's attorney to draft a letter to the mayor ofHobart explaining the delay in the project

American dstmlcal Services was put'on the Superfundlist because of put practices of burying barrels of chemi-cals in a landfill behind company property, according tothe stale board of health

In 1MO, ail leaking from the site was found to containphenol - a known carcinogen. At the time, however, theEPA said the firm had surrounded the burial site withclay, preventing the leak from spreading.

The EPA has Mid iboul 2.DUO drums were buried about11 years ago at the me near Colfax Avenue, but a localresident claimed ta a report to the EPA in 1981 that 2S.OOOto 30,000 drums and a lank were buried at the site.

EPA officials aiutntd to the project would not commenton current activity* si the site Cochran said the EPA metin May with as many as SOD company representatives ortheir attorneys »bo were identified as potential toxicchemical dumpUm

Town haltsits pumpingof waterinto ditchBy Jim ProcterStaff writer

GRIFFITH — Griffith has stopped pump-ing water from its landfill into a drainageditch that is believed to empty into TurkeyCreek amid concerns the water may be con-taminated by an adjacent toxic wastedump.

Robert Swale of the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) said Griffith offi-cials told him Wednesday the pumpingfrom a clay pit at the landfill would stopuntil EPA technicians can inspect the sitethis morning.

"We intend to take water and soil sam-ples," Swale said. "The flow of ground wa-ter concerns us along with their diggingdown into the clay."

Swale said Griffith officials have alsopromised to stop removing sand in the pitarea that also may be contaminated. Thelandfill will be allowed to continue pump-ing leachate — water that drains from gar-bage and debris — to the Hammond Sani-tary District, Swale said. He added,however, that federal regulators want to de-termine the level, if any, of pre-treatment ofthe leachate.

-Swale is project manager for the Ameri-can Chemical Services Inc., Superfund siteat 420 S. Colfax St. The site includes aninactive portion of the Griffith landfill onwhich wastes from the chemical dump weredisposed. As many as 30,000 drums of chem-ical waste are believed buried on the site,authorities have said.

At.a meeting in Griffith last week, EPAand Indiana Department of EnvironmentalManagement officials told residents prelimi-nary tests show contamination of the Calu-met aquifer beneath the Superfund site. Thedeeper Valparaiso aquifer is not believed tobe contaminated.

Water flows from the Calumet aquifer ina northwesterly direction, or toward the ac-tive portion of the landfill, EPA tests show.Thus, the EPA wants to determine if pollut-ed water is contaminating the water beingpumped into the drainage ditch as well asthe clay and sand.. Another EPA concern is that digging ofthe clay pit "could put the Valparaiso aqui-fer in danger," Swale said.

The clay is used as cover for the landfill,said John Bach, Griffith's public works di-rector. He said water is pumped on an "asneeded" basis from the pit. Bach disputedcharges from neighbors and environmental-ists that the clay pit has been dug in the lastfew days. He also questioned whether thedrainage ditch actually empties into TurkeyCreek.

"My understanding is it has been blockedfor years and drains into a swamp," saidBach. The ditch flows in a southerly direc-tion on the west side of the landfill.

Terry McCloskey, president of the Indi-ana division of the Izaak Walton League,said the ditch does flow into Turkey Creek,which in turn empties into Lake George inHobart.

See Griffith, Page B4

Griffith.1.. from Page B1

"The town of Griffith has con-taminated Turkey Creek and,Lake George," McCloskeycharged. "This is one of the mostflagrant violations I've seen."

Bach said the leachate from thelandfill is not treated before be-ing received by the HammondSanitary District. He said Ham-mond officials visited the landfillWednesday to take samples.

EPA starts talkon cleanup ofSuperfund siteByDEBUAGKUSZECKITimes Staff Writer

GIUFFITH - The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency confirmed Tuesday it has begun negotiations withalleged toxic waste handlers to clean up a federal Super-fund site here.

Art Gasior. community relations coordinator of theEPA, said the Superfund site involves:n The American Chemical Services, a solvent reclama-tion and chemical manufacturing firm on Colfax Street,one-half mile north of Turkey Creek.D KAPICA Drum Inc., a former drum reconditioning fa"cility that was adjacent to the ACS site.

See EPA,. Back Page This Section

[""from Page One Ja A Griffith sanitary landfill located southof the chemical company. The town boughtland from ACS for ti.. l-wifill in 19/MO.

Gasior said :Lj EPA contacted as manyas 800 alleged handlers this spring to getthem to pay for cleanup costs. The list hasbeen pared down since, be said. The townof Griffith remains on the contact list.

The Superfund site has had a long andcomplicated history, Gusior said.

From 1955 to 1972, Gasior said ACSdisposed of waste from its operation in anopen landfill on their property. From 1908to 1970, it allegedly dumped incinerationash in the containment area and up to30,000 drums and general refuse ofunreclaimed waste. The EPA also believesa lank trunk futiially filled with slou^emay be buried in the urea.

Gasior said Indiana's Board of Healthbecame aware of the situation in 11/72. EPArecords show oil leaking from the site in1980 was found to contain a carc.iio^cn.Runoff from the drum reconditioning facil-ity was detected in 1SKJ3.

Gasior said the Griffith landfill is includ-ed in the Superfund site because it issuspected waste from the two companieswas disposed in the land prior to litxt.

The EPA beg.m developing a workplanin August 1095 for the Superfund site,Gasior said, but remedial investigation hasbeen delayed, itu said the EPA ^ waitingto hear bow mudi Superfund money will bereauthorized for the Griffith project

uior aaid no public L..4... ., .^.: ; . . , v w ^..;;siiuu. Until rclTv ' ;> V J O I A ;;!••,',!«->.•--<,GiUtlor said in; dixii uut w.int *.-:> r,-.;;»e diechemlctolu ua the bite, lie :>..Ui J»c a;., j t>*.,,not know If conluir.iiuU-s iu-vu l^Ki-xi .niothe water iubiti,

"To say anything rlaJii >.u-# \ •••'•A . . ;i aPandora's box," GcMor ,<;!d, "li'j A o^deitualion we hope to cor r. et. ' ;

Gabior aald u ixti»xud i:ivc./. g.iUou iolearn CA. I'y wJi.il L.. cm hiU- t/;li>ui li LU lamonths. Us b^iu \...i^.i ^aj;*:^ / j i t . _.>cliedcc4 to see If the <:\<.i.^l. i^,vt L-flthe site and cnlcrc '. *v!L, iKufl/y crcx^.or streanu or the gi-i/u^c w .-, r .

Earlier this wecx, U.c l^ke CountyDrainage Boaid tiucu^cd uiu!..c. or uotit would test Turkey Creek to ice i( -.0,1-taininules have irJilirfited I! c w^ter. Thrirwetland ck^hup project was i'«»:ii.u i , the

UiU -i.J"ii!U oUc- io ^.,..-;..:j.. U.- j <•< -a-

I;

(ho

Griffi th TruiU.e K.:i?^ru, itiiid Uto totvil I^..blctn exists at tiit"Everyone is tip-tocisi;? yruusaid.

Ilanratk s;«i>J she duc.i r.ot Svdicmical co... •!.*..> fw i-o ;x..^. ^1as little was ki.j ,,i :ibo.,i t» .ic ci

were itw c.iv/i

But Hanr^i; iuiJ iivii vvoii't !.i,jk:: U^:Silt go a v;ay. "W«! Jwve a ^ x-'-'i:!^ !u>- I J-.^to be cleaneil up," K;.,"I>-^L!J «;iJ, "A. j Itshould luivc beta clfcu».i:i: uy >u,i.. nUy, cr

Post-Tribune

Region | state

on test resultsGRIFFITH — Water will not be pui .ped

from a clay pit at the town landfill here untilresults of water and soil tests are reviewed bythe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,an EPA official said Monday. _ "

The heavy rain'of last Thursday probably'did not dilute the ground water and soil sam-ples obtained by EPA technicians, said Rob-ert Swale, project manager for the EPA Su-perfund clean-up site at American ChemicalSerVices Inc., adjacent to the landfill.

"I feel the samples are valid," Swale said,"If anything is there, we'll find out."

Concern about seepage of contaminantsfrom the Superfund site at 420 S. Colfax St.into the active portion of the town landfill.where the clay pit is periodically drainedbrought the EPA's Tactical Assistance Team

-to the site Thursday. The clay is used to.coyer the landfill and is found about 12 to 1+,feet beneath a top layer of sand, said Swale.

Water from the clay pit is pumped into adrainage ditch that may empty into Turkey

' Creek. Swale said the EPA wants to deter-'' mine if the water has been polluted by the

movement of contaminated ground water

from the ACS dump. The sand cover mayalso have been contaminated, he said.

. Swale,said some of the sand has been soldand removed, but added the EPA will waitfor the test results before investigatingfurther. .'

EPA technicians also took samples ofleachate — water that drains from the gar-bage and debris in the landfill — that is sentby Griffith to the Hammond Sanitary Districtfor treatment. Swale said'pumping of theleachate to Hammond, which was suspendedpending the EPA tests, has been resumed.