EPA news release on Ward Transformer (Crabtree Creek/Neuse - Raleigh)

[Jeffonc]

(This comes from the EPA region 4 mailing list. Not sure if this is exactly what was posted earlier this week from the N&O announcement, but its probably the same.)

Subject: Public Meeting to be Held on EPA Proposed Cleanup Plan for
Areas Affected by the Ward Transformer Facility in Raleigh, North
Carolina

For Immediate Release: August 10, 2007
Contact: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(ATLANTA – August 10, 2007) EPA will hold a public meeting to present
the proposed plan for cleanup of Operable Unit 1 at the Ward Transformer
Superfund Site (the Site) in Raleigh, N.C. on Tuesday, August 14, 2007
at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton North Raleigh at 3415 Wake Forest Road.
Operable Unit 1 addresses areas downstream from the Ward Transformer
facility including tributaries to Little Brier Creek, Brier Creek
Reservoir, Brier Creek, Lake Crabtree, and Crabtree Creek. A separate
removal action is addressing the main source of contamination at the
Ward Transformer facility.

As part of the EPA Remedial Investigation, soil, sediment, surface
water, groundwater and fish samples were collected. Analytical results
indicate the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish and/or
sediment samples within the Operable Unit 1 areas. The Proposed Plan
for Operable Unit 1 includes:

Continue existing North Carolina fish consumption advisories and signs;
Conduct educational and community outreach programs;
Conduct pre-excavation sampling and endangered mussel study;
Excavate sediments with concentrations exceeding 1 mg/kg PCBs from the
tributaries to Little Brier Creek and Lower Brier Creek and transport
off-site for appropriate disposal;
Site and stream restoration; and
Monitored Natural Recovery, which is periodic monitoring of sediments
and aquatic biota at the Brier Creek Reservoir, Lake Crabtree, and
Crabtree Creek.

EPA is conducting a comment period from August 6, 2007 to October 4,
2007, to seek public input on this Proposed Plan.

The Ward Transformer Superfund Site was added to EPA’s Superfund
National Priorities List in April 2003. The Ward Transformer facility
is located near the Raleigh Durham International airport in a
predominantly industrial area of Raleigh. The major contaminants of
concern are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Copies of all removal
documents are available at the information repository for the Site
located in the North Regional library, 7009 Harps Mill Road, Raleigh,
N.C. 27605.