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Airco
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Stormwater pumps at the Airco site
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: KYD041981010Location: Calvert City, Marshall County, KY
Lat/Long: 37.049600, -088.322500
Congressional District: 01
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final: 09/21/84
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Brad Jackson (jackson.brad@epa.gov)
Site Background
The 2.75-acre Airco site is a former industrial landfill that sits near the southern bank of the Tennessee River in Marshall County, Kentucky. It is located approximately 2 miles northeast of Calvert City.
From the mid-1950s until 1971, it is estimated that the landfill accepted 18,000 tons of caustics, acids, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), zinc, mercuric acetate, and mercuric chloride. From 1971 to 1980, an industrial lessee dumped 14,000 tons of metal-contaminated coal ash at the landfill, as well as polyvinyl chlorides, ferric hydroxide sludge, and construction wastes. The landfill was unregulated until 1968, when it received a permit under Kentucky's solid waste management program. The landfill was closed and capped in 1981.
Another NPL site, the BF Goodrich site, borders the Airco property. Because of their common history of use and proximity, these two sites have been studied together and have undergone a combined cleanup.
The BF Goodrich/Airco site is located within the industrialized area of Calvert City which includes several major chemical and industrial plants that were developed in the 1950s.
Threats and Contaminants
Ground water, sediments and soil are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and VOCs including benzene, toluene, and 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) from the former waste disposal practices.
Site Cleanup Plan
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was finalized in 1988. Major cleanup elements for the site included:
- Installing a leachate extraction system in the landfill area.
- Constructing a flood protection dike around the landfill.
- Upgrading the landfill clay cap.
- Pumping contaminated ground water and treating by air stripping.
- Ground water monitoring.
- Imposing deed restrictions preventing residential development and ground water use.
Cleanup Progress
Site cleanup activities were conducted in 1996 under a 1992 Consent Decree. Implementation of the recommended cleanup activities involved, construction of the flood protection dike, improving the existing landfill cap, installation of a leachate extraction system, ground water extraction system, consolidation of surface soil and drainage ditch sediment, installation of site fencing, imposing deed restrictions, and ground water monitoring.
The ground water portion of the cleanup plan has been operational since 1992. Five ground water extraction wells were installed to recover contaminated ground water from beneath the landfill in order to intercept the discharge of contaminants into the adjacent Tennessee River. These wells were installed at the BF Goodrich and Airco sites concurrently. Quarterly ground water monitoring is currently being performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.
Notice of deed restriction for the Airco site was certified by the Marshall County Clerk in 2000. The deed notice includes information stating that:
- The site contains hazardous substances as defined by CERCLA.
- The restrictions and covenants set forth above shall run with the land and shall be binding upon any and all persons, companies or entities and their successors and assigns who now or may hereafter acquire any title, ownership, leasehold, easement, or other interest in the site.
- The owner, its successors and assigns, and all future owners hereby covenant that the site will not be used in any manner that would disturb the integrity of the final cover, the integrity of the containment or treatment system, or the function of any monitoring system on the site, unless the EPA Regional Administrator determines that such disturbance is necessary to the proposed use of the Site and will not increase the potential hazard to human health or the environment . . .
Two Five-Year Reviews (FYRs) have been completed for the site - 2001 and 2006. The 2001 FYR documented the limited effectiveness of the ground water treatment system, leading to an expansion of the ground water extraction system. The 2006 FYR found that the site was currently protective of human health and the environment in the short term but that additional actions were needed to ensure that the remedy is protective in the long term. Identified issues included: revising deed restrictions to prevent ground water use; no further decrease of EDC levels in shallow ground water; limited effectiveness of the source area ground water extraction wells; and uncertainty regarding the extent of the principal source of EDC contamination.
The potentially responsible parties (PRPs) submitted a proposal in April 2009 designed to assess the effectiveness of the current cleanup approach. The investigation is also intended to assess whether the Airco Landfill is a significant contributor to ground water contamination that has been observed at the adjacent BF Goodrich site.
Site cleanup activities have been undertaken by EPA and PRPs, with oversight by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
In 1985, EPA, BF Goodrich, and Erin's Oxygen Company (BOC) Group, formerly Airco, entered into an Administrative Order on Consent. The order directed BF Goodrich and BOC Group to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the BF Goodrich/Airco site.
In 1992, EPA, BF Goodrich, and BOC entered into a Consent Decree for implementation of the prescribed remedial action at the site(s).
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Airco site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
Future Work
Field work to assess the cleanup approach is planned for late summer 2009. Data from this study will be used to evaluate whether modifications to the remedy are appropriate and if cleanup of the Airco site should continue in conjunction with cleanup of the BF Goodrich site, or if site conditions pose different environmental issues that must be addressed separately.
The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2011.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Barnwell County Public Library
2001 Hagood Ave.
Barnwell, KY 29812
Administrative Record Index
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.