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CLARE COUNTY
CLARE
Congressional District # 04
CLARE WATER SUPPLY
EPA ID# MID980002273Last Updated: February, 2007
Site Description
The Clare Water Supply site covers most of downtown Clare, Michigan (population: 3300), and includes the city's Municipal Wellfield. Two of the four municipal wells are contaminated chronically with low levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethene and intermittently by hydrocarbons such as benzene. The aquifer serving the municipal wells became contaminated by multiple sources that came from an adjacent industrial park. The facilities in this area, located just northwest of the wellfield, released contaminants from leaking underground storage tanks, above ground waste piles, sludge lagoons that spilled over during rains to surface water that recharged the wellfield, and from vapor degreasers that leaked through floor drains inside of one of the facilities.
Site Responsibility
The various source areas in the wellfield have been subject to remediation by PRPs who signed a Consent Decree with the US Government in 1998, by the State of Michigan that remediated a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bulk storage facility, and is overseeing PRP cleanup of several BTEX source areas in the town including the currently operating Stanley Oil facility (MDEQ Saginaw District Office) and the former Standard Oil facility. In particulathe Stanley Oil Company operates above-ground storage tanks on their Site and they have a big plume of benzene migrating away from their property which is being addressed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The project manager at the state is Amanda Armbruster and she can be reached at 989-686-8025 (x8309).Threats and Contaminants
Groundwater and soil are contaminated with volatile organic compounds, including vinyl chloride, trichloroethone, dichlorethene, and dichloroethane and fuel related compounds such as benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene and MTBE. Potential health threats to people include ingesting or coming into direct contact with contaminated groundwater or contaminated soils if they were to disturb the contents of a soil treatment cell.
The oil plume associated with the Stanley Oil Company represents a potential for indoor vapor intrusion at the neighboring Shamrock Square apartments.
Cleanup Progress
On September 27, 1985, a Consent Order was signed, allowing four potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to complete a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) under the oversight of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the state. U.S. EPA prepared an Interim Action Record of Decision (ROD) in August 1990. This Interim Action ROD provided for wellhead treatment of the water supply until the RI/FS was completed and the overall site remedy was implemented. The ROD selected air stripping of the city water supply as the preferred remedy for the interim action. The air strippers were installed and began operating in March 1991 and are removing over 90 percent of the volatile contaminants from the city's water supply.A second ROD was signed on September 16, 1992. The ROD selected a combined remedy which called for use, deed and/or access restrictions as necessary; soil vapor extraction; and groundwater extraction and treatment, using ultraviolet photochemical oxidation. After negotiations for a Consent Decree were unsuccessful, on August 17, 1992, U.S. EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order which required the PRPs to complete the design and implement the cleanup action.
In April 1995, the PRP group submitted a petition, asking the agency to amend the 1992 ROD to change the remedy. On August 4, 1995, U.S. EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences which modified the remedy for the groundwater portion from ultraviolet photo-chemical oxidation to air stripping.
The PRPs commenced Phase I of the Remedial Action (RA) in July 1996 which was installation of the groundwater collection and treatment system. Phase II of the RA which involves contaminated soils at the site was constructed and began operating in March 1999. The soils are being treated in a treatment cell using dual-phase vacuum extraction.
This remedy will have to operate as a long-term RA for an indefinite number of years after fiscal year 1999, until the cleanup goals and performance standards at this multiple source contaminated aquifer are achieved.
Another source of chlorinated hydrocarbons was discovered to be present in groundwater at depths greater than 35 feet very near one of the municipal wells in fall 1997. This source has been treated by in-situ ozonation and contaminant levels have decreased. Additional hot spots have arisen in the groundwater near the same area, and the PRP has installed some additional ozone sparge wells in mid-May 2002. Statistical analysis of this plume shows that the ozone sparging has stopped the advance of the plume and caused it to retreat somewhat. However, the levels of TCE rise very quickly if the ozone sparge system is shut down so continued operation and monitoring of this plume is recommended.
In September 2004, U.S. EPA, after appropriate consultation with MDEQ has determined that an ESD is appropriate to explain and document modifications made to the 3 aspects of the remedy mentioned above. Modification of the remedy has been implemented to include a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) wall on the Mitchell facility that will intercept contaminated groundwater moving away from the Mitchell facility, replacement of municipal well #2 and adoption of new GSI criteria for ethylbenzene and toluene. The PRB was installed in December 2004 and the new municipal well was completed and turned on in September 2006.
In April 2005 a site meeting was held among all of the PRPs, MDEQ, U.S. EPA and the city of
The region, with the help of Headquarter's Re-use contractor, E-squared, completed a detailed Re-Use report for the Clare site and with the help of headquarters and the Army Corps of Engineers completed a Long Term Monitoring and Optimization (LTMO) analysis which included both temporal and spatial statistical analysis to determine the optimum sampling frequency and monitoring well locations. This is very key to implementing the recommendations of the September 2006 five year review which found the remedy to be protective but it identified areas of uncertainty that could be used to develop the sitewide O&M Plan.
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Success Story
The real success story at this Site was the installation of two 25 foot high air stripping towers in 1990 to protect the City's water supply while the remedial investigation and subsequent remedial actions could be undertaken. The air strippers have maintained a safe water supply since early 1991 and are continuing to treat the water supply prior to distribution.Community Involvement
The USEPA has regular meetings with the City of Clare, State, and PRPs and interested citizens. The City of Clare officials have asked the USEPA and the PRPs if anything can be done to unencumber the 2.86 acres of land that is restricted by fencing.
Property Reuse
The USEPA's has produced a Re-Use Planning Report for the Clare Site which addresses how the land area that is encumbered by access restrictions might be opened up for re-use. The land area that is encumbered is located at 519 W. Fifth Street and is 2.86 acres. Of this 2.86 acres, the PRPs have a soil treatment cell that takes up 0.62 acres in the middle of the parcel. The ROD called for Deed and or Access restrictions on the treatment cell itself to prevent exposure and to maintain the integrity of the remedy. The restrictions chosen by the PRPs were access restriction in the form of a fence which surrounds the entire 2.86 parcel, even though the restrictions are only required on .61 acres.
The Re-Use Planning report identified several potential redevelopment scenarios that included commercial developments on the 2.25 acres of unrestricted land and then a "Pocket Park" over the .61 acre treatment cell that would connect the two ends of the parcel via a landscaped walkway. This would bring welcomed redevelopment and beautification of nearly 3 acres to downtown Clare.
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPAnabil fayoumi (fayoumi.nabil@epa.gov)
(312) 886-6840
Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
bob paulson
(312) 886-0272
Aliases
CLARE MUNI WELL FIELD