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NPL Site Narrative for Petrochem Recycling Corp./Ekotek Plant
PETROCHEM RECYCLING CORP./EKOTEK, INC.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Federal Register Notice: October 14, 1992Conditions at Proposal (July 29, 1991): The Petrochem Recycling Corp./Ekotek, Inc., plant is located at 1628 North Chicago Street, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. The 6.6-acre property is bordered on the north by a junkyard, on the east and west by industrial and commercial properties, and on the south by a residential district with approximately 50 homes.
The facility has had many owners and operators. From 1953 to 1968, it was owned and operated as a refinery by O.C. Allen Oil Co. In 1968, Flinco, Inc., purchased the refinery and operated it until 1978. During that time, Flinco changed its name to Bonus International Corp. In 1978, Axel Johnson, Inc., acquired ownership and operated the site as a hazardous waste storage/treatment facility and as a petroleum recycling facility through its subsidiary, Ekotek, Inc., a Delaware-based corporation. In 1981, the facility changed ownership but retained the name Ekotek, Inc., based in Utah. Ekotek declared bankruptcy in November 1987. Petrochem Recycling Corp. leased the facility in 1987 from Ekotek and continued operations until February 1988. The Ekotek bankruptcy estate remains the current site owner.
In 1980, Ekotek filed a Part A of a permit application under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and received Interim Status. In 1987, Ekotek received a RCRA Part B permit. Operations stopped in 1988 after the Utah Bureau of Solid and Hazardous Waste and the Bureau of Air Quality issued Petrochem Recycling a Notice of Violation. Sources of contamination on the site have included approximately 60 tanks, 1,200 drums, 1,500 smaller containers, three surface impoundments, an underground drainfield, numerous piles and pits of waste material, underground tanks, incinerators, and contaminated soil. Contaminants associated with on-site sources include arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury, chlorinated solvents and other volatile organic compounds, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, pesticides, PCBs (Aroclor 1260), dioxin, and furans.
In January 1990, EPA detected 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride in shallow on-site monitoring wells. This unconfined aquifer is hydraulically connected to the underlying aquifers of the Salt Lake Valley, which provide drinking water to an estimated 27,900 people via public wells within 4 miles of the site. In addition, wells within 4 miles of the site are used by commercial food manufacturers.
In November 1990, EPA detected 2-methylnaphthalene in the atmosphere at the site, threatening the 11,400 people who live or work within 1 mile of the site. Wetlands and endangered species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) are within 3 miles of the site.
In November 1988, EPA began using CERCLA emergency funds for removal activities at the site, including stabilization and containment of the primary on-site contaminant sources. Contaminated soils and sediments as well as contaminants within the shallow aquifer remain at the site.
Status (October 1992): This site is being added to the NPL because it satisfies a component of EPA's NPL/RCRA policy: the owner has demonstrated inability to finance appropriate remedial action by invoking bankruptcy laws.
In February 1992, EPA identified 470 businesses and agencies as potentially responsible parties (PRPs) for the site. Through "Special Notice Letters," EPA initiated negotiations for the PRPs to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action. As of July 1992, 129 PRPs had agreed to perform the RI/FS in accordance with an Administrative Order on Consent signed by EPA and the PRPs.
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.