Transcript Wildwood Conservation Corporation

“A Civil Action”
WELLS G AND H
WOBURN, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Information System (CERCLIS) No. MAD980732168
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/classes/geol351/woburn.htm
Five sources of TCE :
• New England Plastics
• Wildwood
Conservation Trust
(Riley Tannery/Beatrice
Foods)
• Olympia Nominee
Trust (Hemingway
Trucking)
• UniFirst
• W.R. Grace (Cryovac)
Woburn Site
TCE in 1985
Aberjona River
W.R.
Grace
•
Municipal
Wells G & H
Geology:
buried river valley
of glacial outwash and
ice contact deposits
overlying
fractured bedrock
Wells G&H operated from
October 1964- May 1979
The trial took place in
1986.
Beatrice
Foods
0
Did TCE reach the wells
before May 1979?
1000 feet
Concentration of TCE in micrograms per liter
10
100
1000
Common organic contaminants
Source: EPA circular
UniFirst Corportation
• Formerly a dry cleaning facility - Interstate
Uniform Service Corporation (IUSC) (19661983).
• From 1977-1982, a 5,000-gallon above-ground
tank was used to store the dry-cleaning agent
tetrachloroethylene.
• In 1988 Ebasco Services Inc. reported the
recovery of less a liquid contained 19,000,000
ug/l of tetrachloroethylene.
Cryovac Division of W.R. Grace
and Co.
• A food wrapping manufacturer since 1961. W.R. Grace
and Co. utilized degreasing agents such as
trichloroethylene at its facility. W.R. Grace and Co. made
use of a pit behind the plant for waste disposal, and
discharged waste into the city's sewer system. In
accordance with an EPA Administrative Order, the pit was
excavated and six 55-gallon drums of liquid waste and
contaminated soil were removed to a Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA)approved disposal facility in June, 1983.
New England Plastics
Corporation
• A manufacturer of solid vinyl siding and various
other plastic products.
• Prospect Tool and Die Company is also located
within the same building.
• In December 1986, water from an industrial well
which tapped the bedrock aquifer was found to be
contaminated with various volatile organic
compounds (PCE & TCE).
• In 1988, effluent from the New England Plastics
Corporation was found to enter the Aberjona River
via a drainage ditch.
Olympia Nominee Trust Corp.
• 1970 - 200 to 500 five-gallon containers of arsenic
trioxide were discovered on the property.
• The Hemingway Transport Co., which owned the
property since 1980, had four underground storage
tanks at the trucking terminal facility.
• In May 1983, a 6,280-gallon gasoline tank was
found to be leaking, and was removed in July 1983.
It is unknown when the tanks were installed and
when the gasoline tank began leaking.
Wildwood Conservation
Corporation
• John J. Riley sold the land to Beatrice Foods, Inc., in 1978, then
repurchased the property in 1983.
• Established the property as the Wildwood Conservation Corporation
in 1985. Various trails leading from two neighboring facilities,
Whitney Barrel Company and Murphy Waste Oil Company, to the
property existed during the period 1966-1983.
• On the property, extensive contamination consisting of sludge,
discolored soils, trash, 55-gallon drums, paint cans and debris piles
has been documented. John J. Riley Tannery has an industrial water
supply well on the property.
Introduction to
Environmental Geology
Fundamental Concepts of
Environmental Geology
•
•
•
•
•
Population growth
Sustainability
The earth system
Uniformitarianism
Hazardous earth
processes
•
Geology as a basic
environmental
science
Fundamental ConceptsPopulation Growth
•
Population Growth is the #1
environmental problem
•
•
Why?
www.prb.org
Fundamental ConceptsPopulation Growth
•
It is impossible to support exponential
population growth with a finite resource
base
1)
Primary goal of environmental work is to
defuse the population bomb
1)
2)
Pessimistic: the earth will take care of itself through
disease and catastrophes
Optimistic: find better ways to control population
growth within the limits of our available resources
Fundamental ConceptsSustainability
•
Sustainability is the environmental objective


We are currently using most living environmental
resources faster than they can be naturally replenished
What would we need for a sustainable global
economy?
•
•
•
•
Populations of humans in natural harmony with air, water,
and land
Energy policies that do not pollute or cause climatic
perturbations
Utilization plans for renewable resources (Recycling)
Utilization plans for nonrenewable resources
How do we predict the
consequences of earth system
changes?
Understand the nature of the
system
Understand rates of change
Conduct input-output analysis
Fundamental Concepts-The
earth system
The earth system

•
•
Understanding the earth’s systems and
their changes is critical to solving
environmental problems.
The earth itself is


an open system with respect to energy
a closed system with respect to material
Fundamental Concepts-The
earth system
•
Feedback
•
A system response where: System
output (something happening) is a
new system input
•
Positive and negative feedback
•
Input-output analysis
Fundamental Concepts-The
earth system
1. Positive feedback-- "vicious cycle"
a. one action intensifies the next (example: erosion)
2. Negative feedback-- "self-regulating"
enables the system to reach a steady state or
equilibrium (example: stream morphology).
3. Threshold events -- No apparent changes
until threshold levels are reached (Lake
Turnover).
Fundamental Concepts-The
earth system
 Negative

Feedback
Stream
 A. Increase gradient
 B. Increases the river's velocity, which
 C. Increases the rate of erosion, which
 D. Widens and deepens channel, which
 E. Slows rivers velocity
 F. promotes deposition
 G. reduces gradient
Fundamental Concepts-The
earth system
 Example
 Lake
of threshold event
turnover
Fundamental ConceptsUniformitarianism

James Hutton, 1785

“the present is the key to the past”

Geologic processes modifying our landscape
have operated in the past
 Human activity is a new geological force


Affects the magnitude and frequency of geologic
processes
“the present is the key to the future”
Fundamental Concepts-
Hazardous Earth Processes

Some geologic hazards are inevitable
 Planning is important
 The impacts of hazardous earth processes
are enhanced by spatial concentration of
population and resources
 Should be considered in cost-benefit analysis
Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a
basic environmental science
 Geology
is a factor in every person’s
life:
 “Civilization exists by geological
consent…subject to change without
notice”--Will Durant
Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a
basic environmental science

Branches of Environmental Geology:






Geomorphology (Geologic Landforms and
Processes)
Hydrogeology (Water and soil / rock interactions)
Pedology (Soils)
Economic geology
Engineering geology
Classical geology
Fundamental Concepts-Geology as a
basic environmental science

Environmental problems are interdisciplinary

Physical
Geography, geologic processes, hydrology, rock types, soil
types, climate

Biological


Plants, animals, biologic conditions, spatial analysis of
biologic information
Human interest/use
Land use, economics, aesthetics, environmental law,
hazards, historical/archaeological value
Environmental Geology and LandUse Planning
There is a limited supply of land
We strive to plan so that suitable land is
available for specific uses for this generation
and those that follow
Comprehensive plan – designed for long-range
local development based on and environmental
inventory of resources and hazards
Landscape Evaluation
 Environmental geologists provide geologic information
and analysis to assist in planning, design, and
construction
Former and Present land use
Physical and chemical properties of earth materials
– Pollutants
– Engineering Properties of soil and rock
Natural Hazards
Groundwater Characteristics
Site Selection
 Cost-Benefits Analysis – Assumes all relevant costs
and benefits can be determined
Examples: Building a shopping mall in a flood zone; Drilling
oil wells in National Parks?
 Physiographic Determination-Applying ecological
principals to planning
Considers physical, social, and aesthetic data
Let natural characteristics determine the choice of a site
Environmental Impact Analysis
 1969- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
All major federal actions which could affect the quality of the
human environment must be preceded by an evaluation of the
project and the potential impact to the environment
Environmental Impact Statements
– Discussion of the environmental consequences of the proposed project
and of the alternatives
 State Environmental Impact Legislation
State Environmental Policy Acts (SEPAs)
– California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
What do Environmental
Geologists do?
Mostly Site Assessments (ESAs) and
BrownFields Studies
What are ESAs?

Identify/evaluate:
–
–
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–
–
environmental concerns
Magnitude and extent of contamination
Cleanup goals
Remediation options
Future land use
Phase I ESA

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Identify potential environmental concerns
All Appropriate Inquiry
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–
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Involves
Records review
Site reconnaissance
Interviews
Report
Phase II ESA
Evaluates potential concerns from Phase I
 Tailored to site-specific needs
Increasing Costs

Limited sampling/analysis
» Confirm/rule out concerns
Expanded sampling/analysis
» Amount and extent of contamination
Recommended cleanup goals/options
Phase III ESA

Corrective actions for
environmental
concerns
Environmental Concerns
at Brownfields


Impaired soil, water,
or air conditions
from historical use
Land uses:
– Waste storage/
disposal
– Manufacturing/
industrial
– Transportation/
rail
– Petroleum
– Mining
– Agribusiness

Buildings and
Improvements
– Underground/
aboveground
storage tanks
– Process areas/
machinery
– Asbestos
– Lead-based paint
– Polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs)
– Fill materials
What are ESAs? – Summary
Focus on:
Land Uses
Site Improvements
Past, Present & Future
Contaminants & Related Risk
Sampling/Analysis –
Sampling Methods

Conventional
– borings/excavation
– groundwater monitoring
wells
– decontamination/
plugging/abandonment/
waste disposal
– crude field-screening
– off-site analysis

Accelerated
–
–
–
–
geophysical surveys
direct-push probes
field labs/test kits
off-site analytical
confirmation
– electronic data
archiving/interpretation
Sampling/Analysis –
Sampling Methods

Conventional drilling/sampling technology
Sampling/Analysis –
Sampling Methods

Screening/field-based methods
- Direct-push methods
Sampling/Analysis –
Sampling Methods

Geophysical Methods
Electromagnetic Conductivity
& Magnetic Surveys
Ground-Penetrating Radar