PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Disapproves Land Recycling Risk Assessment For Dozens Of Chemicals At American Refining Group Refinery In Bradford, McKean County

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the January 6 PA Bulletin announcing it has disapproved an Act 2 Land Recycling Risk Assessment December 21 on remediation of soil and groundwater contamination at the American Refining Group, Inc. Refinery in the City of Bradford, McKean County. (PA Bulletin, page 54)

DEP said the report did not demonstrate attainment of the Site-Specific Act 2 Land Recycling Standard, one of three cleanup standards in the Land Recycling Program.

Disapprovals of these technical documents are not all that common. The company will have an opportunity to address the deficiencies and resubmit the assessment.

Site-Specific Standard

Under the Site-Specific Standard, cleanup levels can be developed specifically for an individual site based on the contaminants, exposures, and conditions unique to that site.

For the Site-Specific Standard, the following considerations apply--

-- For carcinogens, the cleanup levels for soil and groundwater are established at levels that represent a cumulative excess cancer risk of between one in 10,000 to one in 1,000,000.

-- For toxic chemicals other than carcinogens, soil and groundwater must be cleaned up to a level that prevents deleterious effects to the exposed population.

-- Current and probable future uses of groundwater in aquifers must be identified and protected.

-- Concentrations of contaminants in soil must protect against carcinogenic and other toxic effects based on direct contact with the soil. Soil cleanup standards must also be protective of groundwater uses.

-- The cleanup standards may be attained through a combination of remediation activities that can include treatment, removal, engineering, or institutional controls and can include innovative or other demonstrated measures.

When remediating to the Site-Specific Standard, detailed documentation of compliance is demonstrated by one of the options--

-- Document pathway elimination.

-- Documenting risks are at acceptable levels.

-- Attainment of the site-specific numeric standards must be demonstrated by collection and analysis of samples from affected media, such as surface water, groundwater, and soil.

Click Here for a DEP fact sheet on the site-specific standard.

Chemical Contaminants

The disapproved Risk Assessment for the American Refining Group, Inc. Refinery covered these chemical contaminants--

-- Soil contamination included Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene, Xylenes (total), Cumene (Isopropylbenzene), Methyl tert-Butyl Ether, Naphthalene, Trimethyl benzene, 1,2,4-(Trimethyl benzene, 1,3,4-), Trimethyl benzene, 1,3,5-, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Pyrene, Chrysene, Benzo- (a)anthracene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(a)pyrene, and Benzo(g,h,i)perylene.

-- Groundwater contamination included Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene, Xylenes (total), Cumene (Isopropyl- benzene), Methyl tert-Butyl Ether, Naphthalene, Tri- methyl benzene, 1,2,4-(Trimethyl benzene, 1,3,4-), Trimethyl benzene, 1,3,5-, Phenanthrene, Pyrene, Chrysene for EU-1E.

Regional Contact

For more information on this action, contact the Environmental Cleanup & Brownfields Program, DEP Northwest Regional Office, 230 Chestnut Street, Meadville, PA 16335- 3481 by calling the general office number-- 814-332-6945 or “Bill” at 814-332-6671 [according to the PA Bulletin, page 54].

Visit DEP’s Land Recycling Program webpage to learn more about this program.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Report Emergencies, Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; visit DEP’s Blog, Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.