Fort Hartford Coal Company

• Site Profile
• Administrative Record Index (All PDF): OU1 (14 pp., 535K), ESD (1 pp., 25K)
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• 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 Fort Hartford Coal Co. Stone Quarry is 645 acres in size and includes an additional 120 acres of underground tunnels. The site originally was mined for railway ballasts and road bases from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. In 1981, Barmet Aluminum Corporation contracted with the Fort Hartford Coal Company to store salt cake fines, a by-product of Barmet's aluminum recycling operation, in the underground portion of the site. Salt cake fines are a dust-like material containing various contaminants that react with water to form several gases, including ammonia, acetylene, methane, hydrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. Salt cake fines were delivered to the site from a Barmet plant in Livia, Kentucky at a rate of approximately 500 tons per day from July 1981 to June 1991. Barmet closed the Livia plant in June 1991. An estimated .5 million tons of salt cake fines have been placed at the site. The mine is in a rural area; approximately 15 people live within .5 miles of the site, and the nearest residence is 1,000 feet away. Roughly 1,400 people live within 4 miles of the site. The forested portion of the site's 120 acres not affected by mining operations. Portions of the property have been logged, and several of the logging roads remain above the mine. A few pieces of land beyond the Rough River and Caney Creek, both of which borders on the site, are used for agriculture. Many residents near the site rely on groundwater for their drinking water supplies. Approximately 25 private wells are located within 1.5 miles of the property, and about 700 people obtain drinking water from wells and springs within 3 miles of the site. The Rough River, about 30 miles downstream of the site, is the water source for the Town of Hartford and also is used for fishing and other recreation.

Cleanup Progress: Second Five Year Review
Barmet Aluminum Corporation, working under an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA, identified areas where water was entering the mine and then isolated waste in these areas to prevent contact. These activities included an investigation to trace the flow of groundwater, an inventory of salt cakes fines stored in the mine, closure of collapsed areas and sinkholes to prevent water from entering the mine, diversion of surface water runoff to prevent entry into the mine, removal of water within the mine by pumping, discharge of this water to the Rough River, and storage of the salt cake fines in the dry areas of the mine.

Barmet Aluminum Corporation began a study in 1991 to determine the type and extent of contamination at the Site, and to identify alternative technologies for the cleanup. The Site Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study was completed in the fall of 1994. EPA selected a final cleanup remedy in the spring of 1995 that included institutional controls, continued diversion of intruding mine water away from salt cake fines, deed restrictions, containment of night air emissions, air monitoring program, and forced ventilation of mine air. EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) to the PRP, Barmet in September 1995. The Remedial Design for the Site was approved in March 1997. The Final Construction Inspection was conducted by EPA on August 18, 1999. The Final Construction Inspection consisted of a walk-through of the entire Site. EPA and the State determined that the RA activities were completed according to design specifications.  The first Five-Year Review was completed in August 2002.  The second Five-Year review was completed August 2007. Operation and maintenance (O&M) activities continue at the site.  The next Five Year Review is schedule for August 2012.