The Environmental Protection Agency Superfund project team reports that cleanup efforts are continuing at the former McLouth Steel site.
Community Involvement Plan to be launched in two weeks
By: SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON – The Environmental Protection Agency Superfund team at the former McLouth Steel site announced the launch of a Community Action Team in the next two weeks, along with waste disposal updates.
Community Involvement Coordinator Kirsten Kuenzi Safakas of the EPA announced Monday that Nabil Fayoumi has joined the team as the Superfund Remedial project manager, and will work closely with her and Brian Kelly of the EPA as part of the remedial investigation and feasibility study.
The 183-acre section of the southern portion of the site, purchased by Crown Enterprises from Wayne County following Detroit Steel Co’s. tax foreclosure, transferred the title to MSC Land Co., LLC, while DSC retains 14 acres of the site.
MSC has agreed to invest $20 million in two phases to demolish the McLouth structures and build an industrial development on the site, which specifically will not allow the presence petroleum coke.
MSC is in the process of removing asbestos, waste and PCBs from the 45 buildings it has agreed to demolish, in addition to removing water and sludge from 23 subsurface structures.
The work includes the investigation into five areas on the site where PCBs may have been released, as well as an assessment and report on options to prevent uncontrolled flow of storm water in the Detroit River.
In December, the EPA approved MSC’s plans for dust control, liquid and sludge removal, PCB investigation, site security, storm water management and traffic control, which includes materials clinging to the waste disposal vehicles leaving the site.
The site was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List May 13, with many of the highlighted hazards located in the southern section of the site. The cleanup work is expected to run through 2022, with the National Priorities List Superfund work expected to run through 2033.
Safakas reports that a berm has been installed along the riverfront to prevent surface water run-off into the river.
Cumulative disposal to date includes 2,180 yards, or 58 truckloads of friable asbestos-containing materials, and 900.7 tons of galbestos siding, a carbon sheet steel dipped in zinc, then coated with asbestos, then covered with asphalt or a hot-melt polymer coating.
An additional 7,715 tons of other demolition debris also has been removed from the site, along with 41 transformers, weighing 171.6 tons, and 540,053 gallons of liquid waste.
Sixty-four freon refrigerant units have been drained and recycled, Safakas noted in the report, as well as eight Vac/roll-off boxes of electric arc furnace dust hazardous waste, and 38,935 gallons of spent pickle liquor and 20 cubic yards of solid waste from the steel finishing process.
The interior of the pickle line vats have been neutralized for demolition, and the pickle line process piping and mixing tanks have been emptied, neutralized and taken off-site for disposal.
Remediation of jet piping from the pickle line to the acid neutralization plant has been completed, along with piping from the east side of the exterior of the mill building, along with abatement of interior fuel line piping and the cleaning of interior overhead fuel oil piping.
The acid dosing tanks had 3,000 gallons of liquid waste removed prior to cleaning, and 11,160 gallons of spent pickling liquor was removed from five above ground storage tanks.
Storm water catch basin filters have been replaced, and a transformer from the south motor room has been shipped to an off-site disposal location.
Air monitoring for asbestos and other dust continues, and the frequency of wetting and spraying during demolition was increased on May 30 for two weeks following May 29 dust level exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 2.5 parts per million, and road wetting and spraying of demolition materials has increased.
The EPA’s technical review workgroup for metals and asbestos has been on site to review Environmental Consulting and Technology’s plan for the proposed oven removal process.
On May 15, the state of Michigan’s Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy air quality division was onsite in its capacity.
DTE was on the site using ground-penetrating radar to find a leak in a 14-inch high density polyethylene pipeline that runs parallel to Jefferson Avenue through an easement on the site.
Upcoming work includes the abatement of asbestos pipe insulation, pit cleaning and backfill, additional galbestos abatement, the wash house demolition, and the lime storage building demolition. Two loads of transformers are also scheduled for removal from the site.
Detailed information is about the cleanup can be found at epa.gov/superfund/mclouth-steel.
(Sue Suchyta can be reached at [email protected])