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Significant Developments and Activities Report
LAND AND CHEMICALS DIVISION
Weekly Significant Developments and Activities Report
April 24, 2009
Lead Safety During Renovations-IV
Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (WDHFS) Asbestos and Lead Section hosted the fourth meeting in a series providing information related to Lead Safety During Renovations at the Clarion Suites-Central Madison, Wisconsin . The April 16, 2009 session was oversubscribed. About 180 certified contractors reserved space and an additional 40 were turned away due to space limitations. Attendees were briefed on EPA's new Renovation Remodeling and Painting (RRP) Rule, as well as Wisconsin's plans for adopting and implementing the Rule. The presentation was well received. Many questions were asked about the certification process as well as certification as firms and renovators under the rule.
Contact: John Wsol, 312-353-5685, Chemicals Management Branch
EPA/HUD Environmental Revue Training
A session providing Community Block Grant Administrators and others information on new regulations adopted by EPA and HUD was held in the Lake Superior Room of the Metcalfe Building April 20-21, 2009. During the session, LCD's Lead Team made a presentation introducing the new Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule and identifying some of the differences between EPA's and HUD's provisions. The audience (about 25) was largely composed of administrators from HUD Region 5, but also included attendees from other Regions as well. The group was provided EPA produced disclosure materials and were provided copies of the EPA Region 5 produced "Work Lead Safe" CD.
Contact: John Wsol, 312-353-5685, Chemicals Management Branch
EPA Region 5 Participates in the Thrive Allergy Expo
On April 18-19 2009, Tonesia Rouse from the Chemicals Management Branch participated in the Thrive Allergy Expo at McCormick Place, Chicago. The American Lung Association, Illinois Association of Nurses, University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, American College of Allergy and Asthma Immunology and a host of other vendors from across the United States participated in the conference. The allergy expo gave parents and children an opportunity to learn how to prevent and/or reduce their exposures to allergens. EPA provided the attendees resources and information about indoor environmental triggers that contribute to asthma. In addition, EPA provided the children and young adults with Dusty Asthma Fun book, which brings awareness to the youth about their potential susceptibility.
Contact: Tonesia Rouse, 312-886-7098, Chemicals Management Branch
EPA Children’s Environmental Health Program Participates in the Week of the Young Child
The Week of the Young Child 2009: Bringing Communities Together for Children - Children Bringing Communities Together is April 19-25, 2009. This year’s focus is tools and information to help childcare professionals plan exciting events to celebrate children and raise awareness of their needs. Indiana's Fort Wayne Association Education of Young Children (IFWAEYC) hosted a dinner on April 21, 2009 in celebration of the Week of Young Child. EPA's Children’s Environmental Health, Indoor Air, Lead, and Pesticide programs, as well as the Indiana Department of Environment's (IDEM) Five Star program provided 250 resource packets to IFWAEYC .
The resource packets contained EPA publications that highlight lead, asthma, mold and moisture, mercury and fish consumption, ozone, indoor air quality, tips to protect Children from environmental risk, pest and pesticides, integrated pest management, radon, the Pediatric Environmental Specialty Health Unit (PESHU), and IDEM’s five star program (environmental stewardship voluntary program that offers childcare providers an opportunity to have their childcare centers evaluated for environmental quality, and receive a ranking). As part of the Fort Wayne initiative our goal is to increase awareness of children’s environmental health issues among childcare providers, increase their knowledge, and aide them in developing good environmental health practices.
Contact: Tonesia Rouse, 312-886-7098, Chemicals Management Branch
LCD Lunch & Learn Sessions
LCD Toxics Section held two "Lunch and Learn" sessions in the Lake Superior Room on April 21, 2009, discussing the new Lead-based paint Renovation, Repair and Painting ( RRP) Rule and how to use Lead Safe work Practices when doing painting or renovation work in a dwelling built before 1978. The sessions were intended to provide information to EPA employees who intended to perform renovations of their property themselves or, to hire a contractor to perform them. A Region 5 copy of a CD, "Don't Spread Lead" was shown, the proper use of respirators was demonstrated and, a display of tools and equipment was available for examination. Numerous questions were asked by the more than 30 EPA staff attending the sessions. The "Lunch and Learn" meetings were intended to be trials for similar sessions which are intended to held, in cooperation with state and municipal lead programs, for their constituencies.
Contacts: Howard Zar, 312-886-6795; David Turpin, 312-886-7836; Jim Nash, 312-886-0745; John Wsol, 312-353-5685, Chemicals Management Branch
Earth Day Event at Fullersburg Woods, Oak Brook, IL
Materials Management Branch staff teamed up with Superfund and Water Division to staff a booth at the "Go Green: A Celebration in Conservation" Earth Day event at Fullersburg Woods, DuPage County on April 19, 2009. EPA talked with children and parents about reduce, reuse and recycle and handed out Earth Day activity and coloring books. EPA also shared the materials with teachers interested in the using them in their classes. Questions regarding potential careers in the environmental field were also answered by EPA representatives.
Contacts: Briana Bill, 312-353-6646; Donna Twickler, 312-886-6184, Materials Management Branch
Jesse Brown Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital Earth Day Celebration, Chicago, Illinois
On Friday, April 17, 2009 representatives from the LCD had an exhibit at the Jesse Brown Veterans Administration Hospital where the “Recycle Loop” was presented to about 750 visitors as part of Earth Day celebrations. These visitors included VA nurses, doctors, and patients. Many of the 25 other exhibitors stopped by EPA's exhibit, including the Army Corp of Engineers and environmental companies. The “Recycle Loop” demonstrated how materials are recycled and manufactured as new products. Examples included glass tile, plastic lumber and carpet made from bottles and tile made from paper. LCD distributed pesticide and environmental outreach materials as well as pencils made from recycled money. Through EPA's exhibit and outreach materials, many attendees were educated on how humans impact the environment and what can be done to protect the environment and improve public health.
Contacts: Bob Harris; 312-886-7577, Program Services Branch; Steven Morgan, 312-353-1524, Chemicals Management Branch
Meeting with General Electric Aircraft Engines on IRM Work Plan
On April 21, 2009, Daniel Patulski met with representatives of GE and the USGS to discuss comments submitted by USEPA and USGS to GE on the Interim Remedial Measures (IRM) Work Plan that will be used to remediate contaminated groundwater at the site. A presentation was also made by GE on all of the data used to develop the IRM, including EVS 3-D animation on the stratigraphy and contaminate mass distribution within the study area. The IRM is designed to treat contaminated groundwater within 3 aquifers using a pump and treat system and monitor the effectiveness of the system as well as assess source area contribution and any impacts of the system on vertical migration of contaminants within the aquifers. Once off-site access agreements are acquired, monitoring and extraction well installation will begin, followed by construction of the treatment system.
Contact: Daniel Patulski, (312) 886-0656, Remediation and Reuse Branch
Laufen Proposed Remedy Available for Public Comment
The EPA proposed remedy for cleanup of the Laufen International facility located in East Sparta, Ohio was public noticed on the radio and in the Canton Repository newspaper on April 21. The public comment period runs to June 1.
The $7 million remedy is necessary to address lead and zinc contamination on 15.4 acres where waste tile and wastewater sludge was historically managed by the former owner, U.S Ceramic Tile Co. The remedy consists of soil and sediment removal with offsite disposal, and protective covers to eliminate exposure pathways. The metals contamination has impacted soil, surface water, and sediment. Ponds and drainageways on Laufen property are part of the cleanup. EPA will work with the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Ohio EPA to ensure the necessary permits are obtained and compensatory wetlands constructed as part of the remedial work.
Contacts: Ken Bardo, 312-886-7566, Remediation and Reuse Branch; Terri Rancher, 312-886-4188
Wisconsin Authorization - Federal Register Notices Published
On April 14, 2009 and April 17, 2009, USEPA published a Final Federal Register Notice authorizing Wisconsin for additional regulations under RCRA. The rules covered in this authorization include, but are not limited to, Subpart CC Organic Air Emission Standards, Burning of Hazardous Waste in Boilers and Industrial Furnaces, LDR Phase III and IV, Hazardous Waste Combustors Revised Standards, Post Closure Rule, HWIR-Media Rule, Universal Waste Rule, MACT Rule, LDR Wood Preserving Wastes, CAMU Amendments, Zinc Fertilizer Rule, and Manifest Rule correction. The first Federal Register authorized the renumbering and revision of Wisconsin’s previously authorized regulations and the second notice authorized Wisconsin for new regulations which they have not been previously authorized for. With this final authorization, Wisconsin’s program will cover 85 to 90 percent of the Federal program.
Contact: Jean Gromnicki, (312) 886-6162, RCRA Branch
RCRA/ARD Meeting with ESSROC - Test Burn and Risk Assessment
On April 14, 2009, LCD's Jae Lee, Chris Lambesis, Mary Setnicar, and Todd Ramaly met with ARD's Charlie Hall, representatives of ESSROC, their consultants as well as representatives of both IDEM's RCRA and Air programs. LCD facilitated the meeting to cover overlap between air and RCRA permit needs during upcoming stack testing. LCD recommended updates to RCRA risk assessment emphasizing mercury emissions including the possibility of additional test parameters during the stack test. LCD will continue to coordinate with ESSROC, ARD, and IDEM for completion of stack testing and risk assessment.
Contact: Jae Lee, 312- 886-3781, RCRA Branch
Review of Vertellus Trial Burn Plan and Risk Assessment
RCRA staff reviewed a Comprehensive Performance Test Plan (CPTP) and 2001 Risk Assessment Report (RA) from Vertellus Agriculture & Nutrition Specialties, LLC, Indianapolis, IN. Vertellus burns their hazardous waste in three industrial boilers. The review offers guidance to Vertellus if they choose to use test burn data for their 2011 RCRA permit application. Todd Ramaly reviewed the facilities air modeling report and Christopher Lambesis reviewed the proposed stack test plan and 2001 risk assessment. A report was provided to Jae Lee, RCRA Section Permit Writer, to help plan for the facilities trial burn to be used in their 2011 RCRA permit application.
Contact: Christopher Lambesis, 312- 886-3583, RCRA Branch
LCD Participates in Great Lakes Water Quality Monitoring Meetings
On April 15, 2009, Sue Rodenbck Brauer of LCD participated in a meeting of USGS Water Science Center Directors Charlie Peters and Jim Nicholas (of Wisconsin and Michigan WSCs, respectively) with Liz LaPlante and Judy Beck, the Great Lakes National Program Office's Lake Team Managers (for Superior and Michigan, respectively). Charlie and Jim had attended the Binational Executive Committee meeting regarding the Great Lakes and wanted to discuss coordination with EPA staff in Region 5. Recently, the USGS Water Science Centers and GLNPO Team Managers (Sediment, Monitoring, Pollution Prevention/BTS, Habitat, and Lakewide Management Plan) have been busy with budget exercises in case work is funded under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Attendees discussed: the appropriate scale for Interagency Agreements (i.e., one per State vs. one per the USGS Midwest Area); periodic web meetings for scientific and programmatic information exchange; and, the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative for the Binational Great Lakes.
On April 20, 2009, Sue participated in the second Nearshore Monitoring (NEMO) Workgroup of the Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordination Council (LMMCC). NEMO was created to optimize cross-program sampling during the 2010 National Coastal Assessment pursuant to Section 104 of the Clean Water Act with Lake Michigan sampling every five years under the CSMI (in Lake Michigan, primarily by GLNPO). Government Agencies and university researchers participate in NEMO. USGS's role in NEMO is coordinating sampling at gauging stations on Lake Michigan Tributaries. GLNPO's Lake Guardian will perform traditional limnological water quality testing. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin conduct nearshore sampling to varying degrees. Sue summarized water quality monitoring efforts on a Lake Michigan-wide scale for the Lake Michigan Pilot in 2007-2008. More information about LMMCC is available at http://wi.water.usgs.gov/lmmcc/.
Contact: Sue Rodenbeck Brauer, (312) 353-6134, RCRA Branch