Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
GREENE COUNTY
BEAVERCREEK

Congressional District # 07

LAMMERS BARREL FACTORY

EPA ID# OHD981537582
Last Updated: November, 2006

Site Description

The Lammers Barrel property is now a vacant lot, approximately two acres in size, located in Beavercreek, Ohio. The property is bisected by Little Beaver Creek which flows west to east through the site. The property is bordered to the west and south by Grange Hall Road and East Patterson Road, respectively. An abandoned railroad right of way is located along the northern border. The facility experienced a fire in 1969 that completely destroyed the buildings. The only structures remaining are a concrete pad, a non-functional production well, and pipes that appear to run from the former facility to the creek.

Operations began at Lammers Barrel Factory in 1953 and continued until the fire in October 1969. According to former employees, the facility bought, sold and reclaimed all types of solvents. Any inventories of chemicals handled at the facility were reportedly destroyed in the fire. During operation, the facility had an above-ground storage capacity of over 500,000 gallons of chemical solvents such as trichloroethylene, methyl-ethyl ketone, tetrachloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, and alcohols. This consisted of eighteen vertical tanks, ranging in size from 2,500 to 25,000 gallons and approximately 6,000 55-gallon drums.

Site Responsibility

This site is being addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible party (PRP) actions. 

Threats and Contaminants

Contaminants of primary concern at this site are those that  exceed federal drinking water standards in residential wells.  These include several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride. Soil on-site is also contaminated with VOCs and heavy metals such as lead. 

Cleanup Progress

Sampling of residential wells began in the mid-1980s. In 1985, analyses of approximately 90 residential well samples throughout Beavercreek identified an area of ground water contamination along the northern end of the Valleywood subdivision, located southeast of the facility. Sampling revealed that the presence of vinyl chloride was above the federal maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water in some wells. Several wells contained other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as chloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethene, perchloroethylene, and trichloroethylene. As a result, the Ohio National Guard brought a 350-gallon mobile water tank as an emergency water supply to five homes along Patterson Road. Nine homes that exceeded removal action levels of VOCs in drinking water were subsequently connected to the county municipal water system.

Periodic ground water sampling has continued since 1985, resulting in the extension of the county water line or installation of filtration systems at several homes. Sampling efforts in 1988, 1991 and 1997 show that the contaminated ground water plume has advanced into the adjacent Valleywood subdivision.

In 1992, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency conducted a Site Inspection (SI) at the site. Six soil samples, four sediment and four surface water samples from Little Beaver Creek were collected along with additional residential well samples. The six soil samples from the site indicated high concentrations of VOCs, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Analysis of the creek sediment samples revealed the presence of xylenes and heavy metals.

An Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) was prepared for the U.S. EPA in 1997. Soil, sediment and ground water samples were collected in March, April, June and August of 1997. A total of 71 residential well samples were collected from 54 homes. VOCs were detected in wells serving 28 of the 54 homes. Most of the homes sampled had been sampled in previous investigations, and some had already been connected to the municipal water system. Soil contaminant concentrations indicate potential source areas for ground water contamination on each side of Little Beaver Creek. Both areas of subsurface soil contamination lie near the level of the water table. Similar VOCs were detected in on-site monitoring well samples and off-site residential well samples. Similar contaminants were also detected in on-site sediment samples, indicating that the site may be impacting Little Beaver Creek.

During 2000 and 2001, the Army Corps of Engineers conducted a Hydrogeologic Investigation to support a contaminant source removal at the site. Results from the Hydrogeologic Investigation have indicated that the extent of contamination still present at the site is more extensive than originally anticipated. Municipal water lines were extended to four additional homes in 2000.

In April 2002, U.S. EPA and the parties responsible for contamination at the site signed an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the site.

In September 2002, U.S. EPA proposed the Lammers Barrel Factory site for addition to the National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites.

The RI/FS Work Plan was approved in February 2003. Field investigation activities have been conducted from 2003 to the present.  The work included residential well sampling, on-site soil and groundwater sampling, surface water and sediment sampling in Little Beaver Creek, and installation and sampling of groundwater monitoring wells.

Groundwater data indicated, in 2006, that additional samples would be necessary to ensure that the extent of the plume has been defined.  This additional work was conducted in the summer of 2006.  Additional sampling locations have been deemed necessary and access agreements are being obtained to drill the necessary wells.  It is expected that all of the remaining field work, sampling and analysis, and submission of reports will be completed in 2007 and a record of decision to select a remedy for the entire site is expected by 2008. 

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
timothy fischer (fischer.timothy@epa.gov)
(312) 886-5787

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
virginia narsete
(312) 886-4359

Aliases

VALLEYWOOD SUBDIVISION
LAMMARS BARREL FACTORY
LAMMERS BARREL

 

Site Profile Information

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