Clean-Up Complete at International Paper in Franklin, Va.

PHILADELPHIA (June 19, 2008) -- The E.P.A. announced today that the cleanup at International Paper's Franklin, Va. facility, has been completed. International Paper completed the cleanup through EPA's Facility Lead Program.

EPA's June nine Final Decision states that E.P.A. has determined the work at the location resulted in a significant reduction in risk to human health and the environment. The clean-up, completed on the 3,660-acre site, will continue to be monitored by International Paper under the supervision of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

EPA's final decision prohibits any residential use of the site; prohibits the use of groundwater from the upper level aquifer. It also requires International Paper to implement a water monitoring plan and conduct regular inspection and maintenance at the location which has been covered with an impermeable cap.

International Paper, formerly known as Union Camp Corporation, has operated a paper mill on the location since 1937. The company currently produces materials used for book covers, envelopes, office and forms paper. The location is located on the Blackwater River in Isle of Wight County, 8 miles from the North Carolina state line.

The corrective action was undertaken pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. However instead of issuing a corrective action permit requiring work to be done under a highly restrictive legally mandated structure, E.P.A. invited International Paper to join and perform the clean-up under EPA's Facility Lead Plan (FLP). This Plan invites businesses like International Paper, which meet certain requirements of environmental citizenship, cooperation and technical ability to complete the required clean-up on a more self-directed track, while still under the supervision of EPA.

As part of the corrective action clean-up, International Paper conducted a location characterization which included; surface and subsurface soil sampling; sediment and surface water sampling; and groundwater sampling. Those samples were submitted for chemical analysis for all target compounds including, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), cyanide and metals.

Prior to, and following the samplings, International Paper completed work involving the removal of waste materials from several on-site solid waste management units, including: the removal of 37,422 tons of lime mud and soil; and 9,519 tons of tall oil and solids. A hazardous waste storage building was "clean closed" with the approval of VADEQ. Sediments were removed from the main mill sewer canal, and the highground landfill was covered with an impermeable cap.

In addition to membership in the FLP, International Paper's Franklin, Va., facility is also a member of E.P.A. voluntary programs such as Performance Track and received in 2005 and 2007 the E.P.A. Countrywide Environmental Performance Track Outreach Award, one of only 5 such winners nationally. The facility has also been named as one of eleven sites by VADEQ as an Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise Location and received the Virginia Governor's Environmental Excellence Award in 2006 and 2007.

For more information on EPA's Facility Lead Plan go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/ca/fl_faq.htm

For more EPA's Countrywide Environmental Performance Track Plan go to: http://www.epa.gov/performancetrack/about.htm

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.