EPA RCRA ID: IDD070929518
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
The "FMC RCRA Ponds" were part of the former FMC Corporation Elemental Phosphorous Plant located within the boundaries of the Fort Hall Reservation, approximately 3 miles northwest of Pocatello in southeast Idaho.
The ponds are located within the Eastern Michaud Flats Superfund Site (EMF). They contain hazardous waste generated from past facility operations and were closed with the waste in place.
While the FMC RCRA Ponds share similar characteristics, there are also some differences in how they were constructed, operated, and closed that warrant different post-closure monitoring approaches.
An EPA enforcement action against FMC resulted in a judicial consent decree in 1999 requiring that the eight ponds be capped and closed under EPA-approved closure plans. Upon completion of closure between 1998 and 2005, the ponds became subject to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) post-closure requirements for long-term monitoring and maintenance.
In 2006, it was determined that the RCRA Ponds were releasing phosphine gas. Since that time, it has been necessary to extract and treat the gas because it was being generated at concentrations posing unacceptable risk to human health and the environment.
Management of phosphine gas at the RCRA Ponds is currently subject to the requirements of a 2010 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) for a Time Critical Removal Action (Docket No. CERCLA 10-2010-0170).
The UAO requires that FMC:
- Design, construct and operate a phosphine gas extraction and treatment system as necessary at the RCRA Ponds to protect human health and the environment.
- Develop and implement a plan approved by EPA to monitor the air for releases at the RCRA Ponds and at the facility boundary.
As required by the UAO, FMC constructed the phosphine gas collection and treatment system and is currently operating it.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
FMC used a series of ponds throughout the operating life of the facility to manage various waste streams generated during active operations. Eight of the ponds, which were used as surface impoundments to manage wastewater and solids containing elemental phosphorus and other contaminants, are now collectively referred to as “the RCRA Ponds.” They range in size from 3.2 to 12.9 acres and contain phosphorus-bearing waste material from FMC’s former manufacturing processes and equipment. The RCRA Ponds are located in the western portion of what was previously the elemental phosphorus plant.
While most of the facility has been demolished, the RCRA Ponds are capped and closed units with ignitable and reactive hazardous waste remaining in place. The phosphorus-bearing wastes generate phosphine gas which requires ongoing monitoring, extraction, and treatment in accordance with post-closure requirements.
Most of the former FMC facility is part of the Eastern Michaud Flats Superfund site undergoing remediation under CERCLA.
Contaminants at this Facility
Eight ponds contain elemental phosphorus and other hazardous waste. The phosphorus-bearing wastes in the ponds generate phosphine gas.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
|||
|
Governmental Controls (GC) |
||||
|
Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
||||
| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
|
Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
|||
|
Non-Groundwater |
||||
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Site Documents
Contacts for this Facility
Ron Leach (leach.ronald@epa.gov), 206-553-6907, EPA Project Manager