CLEAN UP ORDERED AT PIONEER METAL
Published in Print Edition of The Sentinel of Gloucester County Newspaper Week of 10/18/2018
Documents and files were released last week from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Emergency Removal Action at the Pioneer Metal Finishing Site located at 2034 Coles Mill Road in Franklin Township, Gloucester County where hundreds of hazardous drums and containers were stored. Pioneer Metal operated a chrome plating operation for many years and ceased operation around 2005. Fred Trotz is the property owner.
On June 27th, 2018, two NJDEP inspectors initiated an inspection at the location and encountered minor skin irritation and were forced to conclude their inspection early. On July 5th, an inspection was made by several individuals including the Franklin Twp Fire Marshall’s office, Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management and the NJDEP-Bureau of Emergency Response. During that inspection, NJDEP representatives observed approximately (150) 55 gallon drums containing chrome plating bath solution, wastewater from the chrome plating process and chrome plating residues. Smaller containers were also found scattered throughout the facility and two of the containers are believed to contain Sodium Cyanide. The roof was collapsing where the drums and containers were stored.
According to a letter to the EPA from Michael Hastry, NJDEP Director of the Division of Waste Enforcement, Pesticides and Release Prevention, the majority of the containers stored on-site are unlabeled and in poor condition (disintegrated, rusted, saturated with rainwater, leaking, etc). Additionally, several hundred containers of miscellaneous laboratory reagents and chemicals (corrosives, oxidizers, etc) were discovered within a small laboratory which has not been operational since 2002.
NJDEP inspectors noted that the building has significant roof damage, poor lighting, housekeeping and inadequate aisle space and the situation presents a serious and uncontrolled safety and environmental risk.
The NJDEP issued a formal order to initiate corrective action/cleanup that is estimated to cost $1,749,480. According to the report, NJDEP officials believe that the property owner does not have the financial means to quickly and adequately address all the hazards present at the 19-acre site. The EPA contractors felt there was a threat of fire or explosion and identified sodium hydrosulfite, a spontaneously combustible compound present in a deteriorated drum. If the contents of the drum were to ignite, the fire with hazardous substances would expose both emergency responders and the community to the contaminants.
Pioneer metal Fishing Co conducted electroplating at this site from 1956 to 2005. The facility has been under numerous corrective action orders from the NJDEP and Franklinville Fire Department for waste handling and storage over the years. The site was the subject of an investigation in the mid 1980’s due to historic discharges of plating wastes from the facility. Photographs show forested wetland areas of the property with sparse and dead vegetation.
According to a removal assessment report in August 2018, the facility used three different plating solutions: alkaline cyanide-copper, acidic nickel and trivalent chromium. From 1956-1975, processed sludge, rinse water, cleaning solutions and plating wastes were discharged from the facility into an unlined trench leading to the adjacent forested wetlands. In 1981, a closed loop treatment system was installed. In 1983, Pioneer was directed by the NJDEP to convert to abandoned production wells to groundwater monitoring wells for the purpose of conducting quarterly groundwater sampling. In addition, Pioneer was directed by the NJDEP to collect and analyze soil and sediment samples. Results of the soil, sediment and groundwater samples, revealed contamination of soil, sediment and groundwater with chromium, nickel, copper (in soil and sediment), zinc (in soil), lead (in soil and groundwater), and cyanide (in groundwater). In 1993, the NJDEP issued an administrative consent order to Pioneer, which required Pioneer to conduct a remedial investigation and cleanup of the soil, sediment and groundwater contamination.
Containers observed in the storage area included several drums with ammonium hydroxide and corrosive hazard labels that were staged near the entrance and numerous containers were double stacked. Concerns of structural hazards were also seen in the roof area and most of the containers were in poor condition. A drainage pipe that extended about 60 feet from the former wastewater treatment room to an area of sand and gravel was observed. Several drums had corrosive hazard labels on them. Samples were collected by the EPA. Final results indicated that containers have hazardous substances, including flammables, acids and corrosive materials.
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