B.F. Goodrich

• Site Profile
• Administrative Record Index: OU1 (PDF, 57 pp., 1.5M)
• Additional Site Documents including Five Year Reviews, Records of Decisions (ROD) and Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD).
• For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office (http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/submit.htm).

Site Background:
The B.F. Goodrich (BFG) site is a 2-acre industrial landfill, located approximately 2 miles northeast of Calvert City, and lies on the southern bank of the Tennessee River. The B.F. Goodrich Company (BFGC) disposed of wastes on the site from 1969 to 1972 and engineered a former creek channel for landfilling. Workers disposed of 54,000 tons of construction waste and plant trash, buried 370 cubic yards of salt-brine sludge, and burned over 2 million gallons of liquid chlorinated organics in several burn pits at the site. From 1973 to 1980, the only waste disposed of at the site was excavation dirt. In 1980, an inspection by the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (KDNREP) disclosed a leaching problem along the river side of the landfill. The landfill was closed under a State- approved closure plan in 1980. Groundwater, soil and sediments are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene and toluene from the former waste disposal activities.

Another Superfund site, the AIRCO Site, borders the BFG property on the east. Because of their proximity and common history of use, these two sites were studied together and have undergone a combined cleanup.

Cleanup Progress: Construction Completed
Site remediation was conducted from 7/96 to 12/96 under a 6/92 Consent Decree (Decree) with the remedy based on a 1988 ROD. The Decree was entered into by the B.F. Goodrich Company and the BOC Group, Inc.

Site construction activities associated with the soils remediation were conducted from 7/96 to 12/96 and primarily consisted of the following: (1) upgrade of the vegetative cap over the entire B.F. Goodrich and the AIRCO landfills; (2) construction of a dike along the river that abuts the landfills in order to protect the landfill caps from seasonal flooding: (3) excavation of PAH-contaminated surface soils and drainage ditch sediments for placement within the Burn Pit Area (under a RCRA cap); and (4) installation of a leachate extraction system to collect pooled leachate from beneath the landfills and the Burn Pit Area. The extracted leachate is then piped to the B.F. Goodrich groundwater treatment plant, where recovered, contaminated site groundwater is also treated via steam stripping.

Approximately 1,225 cubic yards of surficial soil and 25 cubic years of ditch sediment were excavated and transferred to the burn Pit Area for burial. Construction was completed September 27, 1997.

The ground-water portion of the Selected Remedy has been operational since 1/92. Five (5) groundwater extraction wells were installed to recover contaminated groundwater from beneath the landfill in order to intercept the discharge of contaminants into the adjacent Tennessee River. These wells were installed at the B.F. Goodrich/AIRCO site concurrently with other wells constructed within the RCRA-regulated portion of the B.F. Goodrich plant site. Quarterly ground-water monitoring is currently being performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the system. During the 1999 season, the PRPs estimated that an more than 920 pounds of VOC contaminants were removed.

A five-year review of the remedy was conducted in 2001 and concluded that the remedy had been implemented in accordance with the ROD and Consent Decree and that the remedy was protective of human health and the environment.  The first five year review change the ARARs for EDC, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, and trichloroethane.  The review also documented the limited effectiveness of the groundwater treatment system.  As a result, the SVE system was expanded in the burn pit area.  Ten new dual phase wells were installed along with the installation of sipper tubes in wells in the burn pit area.

The second five year review was conducted in 2006 and concluded that the remedy was protective in the short-term, but that additional actions were needed to ensure that the remedy is protective in the long-term.  Deficiencies identified include deed restrictions to prevent residential use and the installation of private wells; groundwater cleanup goals have not been achieved in the estimated timeframe; no further decrease of EDC levels in the shallow plume; limited effectiveness of the source area groundwater extraction wells; and uncertainty regarding the extent of the principal source of EDC contamination.  The PRPs were  notified of the deficiencies. 

EPA entered into an agreement with BF Goodrich and PolyOne Corporation in August 2008 to conduct a focused RI/FS to investigate the nature and extent of non-aqueous phase liquids believe to be impacting the groundwater at the site and the effectiveness of the groundwater cleanup system.  A focused RI/FS is underway.  Field work began in November 2008 and a draft RI Report is planned for December 2009.