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NPL Site Narrative for Industrial Waste Processing
INDUSTRIAL WASTE PROCESSING
Fresno, California
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (October 26, 1989): Industrial Waste Processing (IWP) occupies approximately 0.5 acre at 7140 North Harrison Street in Fresno, Fresno County, California. The area is primarily residential, with some light industrial commercial operations. During 1957-81, IWP principally recycled solvents and lead solder. During 1977-83, IWP operated as a distributor for Ashland Oil. Since 1983, the site has been used solely for storage of chemicals and equipment.
During an inspection in June 1988, EPA observed piles of waste lead solder flux and leaking asbestos bags stored on bare ground, and glycols and chlorinated solvents stored in open and leaking drums. EPA analysis of on-site soil identified numerous compounds, including lead, trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), dichloroethylene (DCE), 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (PCA), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA).
EPA has designated Fresno County Aquifer, which underlies the Fresno area, a sole source aquifer under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Three municipal water systems have a total of 83 supply wells within 3 miles of IWP that draw from the Fresno County Aquifer. As of November 1988, at least 13 of these wells contained organic solvents, including TCE, PCE, and DCE, according to EPA tests. In May 1988, Pinedale County Water District Well #3 was closed due to contamination by organic solvents. The well, which is the closest municipal well to IWP (within 0.25 mile directly downgradient), had 390 parts per billion, the highest concentration of TCE detected to date. One active well within 2,000 feet of IWP supplies water to the Nelson Elementary School. Municipal supply wells within 3 miles of IWP are part of a distribution system that serves over 300,000 people in the Fresno area.
In August 1988, EPA used CERCLA emergency funds to remove all surface wastes at the site and the top 2 inches of soil. The materials were transported to a hazardous waste facility regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Status (August 30, 1990): The California Department of Health Services (DHS) has listed the site on the California State Bond Expenditure Plan. In May 1990, DHS completed a sampling plan calling for collecting on-site boring samples and installing three monitoring wells upgradient of the site and three downgradient. Work is scheduled to start in the fall of 1990.
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.