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NPL Site Narrative for Pagano Salvage
PAGANO SALVAGE
Los Lunas, New Mexico
Federal Register Notice: October 4, 1989Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): The Pagano Salvage Site covers 1.25 acres at 102 Edeal Road approximately 1 mile southeast of Los Lunas, Valencia County, New Mexico, near the east bank of the Rio Grande. In 1983, Pagano Salvage purchased electric transformers/capacitors containing PCB-contaminated oil from Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pagano Salvage removed the oil, poured it over insulated wire, and burned off the insulation to recover the metal. The burning took place on unprotected ground at several locations. At present, 62 drums containing oil remain on-site.
On-site soil samples collected by EPA in March 1987 contain high concentrations of two PCBs: Aroclor 1254 at 1,400 parts per million (ppm), and Aroclor 1260 at 910 ppm. Pesticides were also detected: DDT at 40 parts per billion (ppb) and DDE at 17 ppb. Contaminants were detected to a depth of 4 feet. All of these contaminants were also detected in on-site soil collected in November 1985.
Ground water at the site is shallow (about 5 feet), and the soil consists of very permeable alluvial deposits. These conditions facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water. An estimated 11,900 people obtain drinking water from public and private wells within 3 miles of the site. Surface water near the site is used to irrigate food and forage crops.
Status (October 4, 1989): On June 8, 1989, EPA issued a CERCLA Section 106 Administrative Order requiring a number of parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site to conduct a removal action. The parties declined but proposed to fund the action, estimated to cost $1.5 million. Using CERCLA emergency funds, EPA has started a removal action at the site.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.