Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY
GNADENHUTTEN

Congressional District # 18

ALSCO ANACONDA

EPA ID# OHD057243610
Last Updated: October, 2006

Site Description

The 4.8 acre Alsco Anaconda site, owned by the Atlantic Richfield Company, is located in the village of Gnadenhutten, approximately 50 miles south of Akron, Ohio. From 1965 to 1978, the site was used for the disposal of wastewater and wastewater treatment sludge that were generated by the production of aluminum products. The sludge was disposed of in two unlined lagoons and a sludge pit. From 1971 to 1978, the company disposed of approximately 18,000 drums of waste (about 4,800 tons of waste). The lagoons and sludge pit contained contaminants such as cyanide, chromium, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and zinc. A wooded low-lying area near the Tuscarawas River received overflow from the lagoons. The wastewater was discharged to the river. After 1978, sludge was disposed of in an offsite facility. Approximately 3,100 people live within three miles of the site. Drinking water supply for these residents are drawn from nearby groundwater aquifers. Contaminated groundwater from the site generally flows toward the Tuscarawas River and away from the drinking water supply wells.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

There are two operable units on this site: 1) Source Material Operable Unit (SMOU), covering the contaminated sludge, soil, and soil/waste mixtures and the 2) Groundwater Operable Unit (GWOU).  Contaminants of concern (COCs) at the SMOU included cyanide, metals, and PCBs.  For the GWOU, COCs included metals, chlorinated benzene compounds, semi-volatile organics, and cyanide.  Contaminated groundwater from the site flows to the Tuscarawas River, downgradient from nearby drinking water wells.  Cleanup at the SMOU was completed in 1995, reducing the concentrations of COCs to background levels.  For the GWOU, every COC has met cleanup levels with the exception of cyanide. 

Cleanup Progress

The site was divided into two cleanup projects, the source material and the groundwater. Record of Decisions (RODs) were issued for the projects on September 8, 1989, and September 28, 1992, respectively.  A Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) was issued for each operable unit.  The UAO for the source material was issued on December 28, 1989, while the UAO for the groundwater unit was issued June 23, 1993.  Construction of the source material project, which included excavation and offsite treatment of the sludge and soil at the site, was completed by the potenially responsible parties (PRPs) around September 1995. Construction activities for the groundwater cleanup (installing groundwater monitoring wells) were completed right after that. Groundwater monitoring will be done quarterly for two years and semi-annually thereafter until cleanup standards (risk-based) are met. A preliminary close out report (PCOR) was issued July 30, 1996. A five-year review was conducted on this site on June 23, 1997. Continued monitoring of groundwater quality was recommended in the report. All COCs, with the exception of cyanide, have met cleanup goals described in the Groundwater Operable Unit ROD.  The PCOR for this site was signed on July 05, 2001. The PRPs are in the process of putting this site into reuse; the NPL portion of the site is being converted to a wildlife observation area.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
david linnear (david.linnear@epa.gov)
(312) 886-1841

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
bri bill
(312) 353-6646

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.