ATLANTA - The E.P.A. has suggested a project to address contamination beneath the former plant at the CTS of Asheville Incorporated Superfund Location in Asheville, N.C. A key step in moving forward is receiving the public's feedback. E.P.A. will hold a public meeting to present the suggested project and answer questions on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at the T.C. Robertson High School, 250 Overlook Road in Asheville. Written comments will be accepted until Oct. 30, 2015.
Historical use of solvents in the manufacturing of electronic components at the CTS Location contaminated the soil and groundwater with trichloroethene (TCE) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). TCE has been linked to various illnesses in people, ranging from effects on the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and immune and endocrine systems to certain types of cancer.
E.P.A. suggests to treat the non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL), consisting of fuel oil comingled with TCE (about 40,500 cubic yards), in the one acre source area using electrical resistance heating (ERH), a technology that heats the material. ERH would vaporize contaminants so the contaminated vapor can be recovered using vents and treated above ground before being discharged to the air. Any NAPL that accumulates in the vents would be transported off-site for proper disposal. It is estimated that it would take 19 months to design, install and complete the cleanup at a cost of $4.15 million paid for by the responsible party or parties.
The technology is expected to reduce TCE concentrations in the source area by 95 percent. The final, site-wide remedy will address residual NAPL and TCE in the subsurface that is not treated by this interim action, as well as TCE in the deep (bedrock) aquifer.
To suggested project is accessible for review at the CTS Location information repository at the Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street in Asheville. The document is also accessible online at:
http://semspub.epa.gov/src/collection/04/AR63944
Written comments may be e-mailed to
[email protected] or mailed to: Craig Zeller, U.S. E.P.A. Region 4, Superfund Division - eleven
th Floor, 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA.
After considering all information received during the public review period, E.P.A. will consult with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to select the final remedy for this interim cleanup action. EPA's project will be documented in a Record of Decision document, which will also contain a detailed response to public comments.
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3 previous cleanup actions have been conducted at the Location under a 2004 Administrative Order on Consent between EPA, CTS and Mills Gap Road Associates. CTS installed a spring vapor removal system that has been operating since September 2014 to reduce TCE concentration in outdoor and indoor air on property immediately to the east of Site. From 2012 to 2014, CTS installed 101 water supply filtration systems in residences located within a one-mile radius of the Location and later connected 87 of these homes (whose owners elected to do so) to municipal water in 2015. From 2006-2010, an estimated 6,473 pounds of VOCs were removed from the subsurface using a soil vapor extraction system.
Numerous environmental investigations have been conducted at the CTS Location since the late 1980s. The Location was suggested to the National Priorities List in March 2011, and became final on the NPL in March 2012.
More information about the CTS Site:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/superfund/sites/npl/northcarolina/millsgapnc.html
Connect with E.P.A. Region four on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/eparegion4
And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast
