General Membership Meeting Minutes – September 16, 2020
The meeting recording is available at the following web link with the password below, with timestamps included in minutes:
Meeting Recording:https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/7D-alTEfGVadSF1Cv2s3wb4gndosREPe4OYvvXx7MAVciUipmtkyCeCfTFu_KQqY.YZ5-b-LfCvyrUHXX
Password: %m7LEz3d
The meeting began at 6:50 pm via Zoom with Secretary Brittany Fremion as host, with 18-20 participants.
Chairperson Jane Keon called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Minutes for July were approved with changes (Wayne/Gary).
Treasurer’s Report [00:00:20]: Report delivered by Gary Smith, Treasurer.
Gary reported that the General Fund Checking balance stands at $4,782.52 following payment to Technical Advisor (May invoice). The Money Market Account (Oxford Automotive settlement) has $65,037.37, TAG grant money available for the Former Plant Site (FPS) stands at $24,415.51. The Velsicol Burn Pit (VBS) has $48,744.28. Velsicol Burn Pit (VBP) Fund Checking $80.62. The complete reports will be attached to the permanent minutes.
EPA denied CAG objection to ruling about dispute over payment for technical advisor. Gary submitted a second letter with additional materials requested by EPA.
Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) money may not be used for Zoom meetings despite the need for virtual meetings to adhere to social distancing guidelines established by the state during the global pandemic, per CFR 200.6 and starting August 13, 2020. Tom Alcamo/Diane Russell (EPA) will look into other platforms that might be eligible.
TAG for Velsicol Burn Pit (VPB) extension application revisions needed. CAG will resubmit with greater detail for output and outcomes per EPA request.
Correspondence and Communication [00:12:30]: Report by Jane Keon, Chair.
Newsletter from Diane Russell with update on former plant site projects.
Chair received letter from oldest child of Donald Wilkinson, who started MCC with his brother and sister. Linda has read Jane’s book, Tombstone Town, and wanted to provide additional detail about her life and time in St. Louis.
Agenda lists
Press release to media on EPA picking the right spot (Area 2, Phase 1);
Press release on upcoming virtual PBB Community Meetings;
Newspaper and radio coverage on DNAPL quantity, thermal treatment, and slurry wall investigation.
EPA Report [00:19:25]: Report delivered by Tom Alcamo.
Improvements made to EPA Velsicol Chemical (and Velsicol Burn Pit) webpages, including public presentations since 2015. Diane Russell reports that programs and reports will be posted there, organized by topic.
Design for VBP has to be revised, in part because of new contracting system (every contract in Region 5 is ending so a new bid process will begin). CAG can expect new specifications to be prepared early next year. Budget for Superfund is extremely tight, but there is currently money for Velsicol sites.
Jason Cole and Scott Pratt delivered a program on diminishing returns translating information in EPA memo on Area 2, Phase 1 [00:28:30].
The site was just over an acre in size with 52 multi-phase extraction wells and heated with 242 thermal conduction heaters. The temperature was monitored at 16 locations across the treatment area with 13 pressure monitoring points. The system ran through Monday, September 14, for a total of 348 operation days. The system recovered around 182,998 pounds of contaminants via 12 megawatt hours and treated nearly 4.1 million gallons of extracted water, amounting to a “substantial undertaking.”
The system was determined to have reached its operational ending point via diminishing returns. According to the 2012 ROD, diminishing returns is defined as “the performance standard for operation of the ISTT systems” and “relies upon multiple lines of evidence to demonstrate that the physical capacity of the ISTT system to remove contaminants from the subsurface has been reached.” The evidence for Area 2, Phase 1 demonstrates such, and includes:
energy input—“treatment of the source area using ISTT has reached an asymptotic rate of COC recovery” (i.e. has contaminant recovery decreased with time);
Indeed, contaminant recovery decreased with time even though heating remained above 100 degrees Celsius.
There was a “pause” around day 100, but thereafter a peak in vapor phase concentration as temperatures reached 80 degrees Celsius. As time and temperature continued to increase, vapor concentrations dropped, but massive recovery of NAPL began. From day 175 forward, there was a corresponding increase in rate and cumulative recovery. Then it plateaued in the last month of system operation, with nearly 183,000 pounds of NAPL recovered.
temperature—“additional input of subsurface energy will not increase COC mass removal rate” (i.e. do we see a characteristic or demonstrable change in rate or mass of contamination removed with continued heating);
Energy input reached a point where it did not change mass removal rate.
For almost half the project duration, the subsurface temperature was greater than 100 degrees Celsius, a substantial amount of time and temperature, or energy input, reaching about 40,000 kW per day. Around day 250 the system recovered nearly 22,000 pounds of NAPL in a single day, which wouldn’t have been recovered without prolonged heating.
and contaminant recovery—“extended operation of the ISTT system offers no further reduction in DNAPL mobility and migration from shallow outwash” (i.e. if we continue to operate system, can we remove any more NAPL which is potentially mobile from the subsurface).
No further reduction of NAPL mobility and migration with extended operation of system. The recovery rate analysis indicates that the contaminant reservoir is depleted.
Continued operation would not alter ultimate end point.
Energy input at Area 2, Phase 1 site exceeds industry practice—and was almost double that of Area 1, which also exceeded the standard.
Treatment ended Monday, September 14, 2020.
Per CAG request, six post-treatment borings 2-5 feet into till demonstrated that contaminants and mobile NAPL removed. Samples taken from areas where NAPL would be most likely to be located. While not required line of evidence, conducted to reassure CAG and community.
Next Steps:
ISTT heater removal and equipment redeployment commissioned for 9/2020 to 12/2020;
Complete construction of Area 2, Phase 2 between 10/2020 and 3/2021;
And Area 2, Phase 2 operations projected for 4/2021 to 11/2021.
Program discussion [00:53:55] included questions about DBCP presence and other chlorinated and brominated compounds recovered by system, which were confirmed present in very substantial concentrations, as well as some unidentified compounds, in the NAPL. Project team also explained that NAPL from this site was different in appearance and weight than that recovered in Area 1. Conversation closed with consideration of how these contaminants migrated in the environment and consequences of human exposures, especially in 1960s and 1970s.
Tom Alcamo [01:17:27] reports on slurry wall investigation and reveals that there’s a 50 foot gap near Watson Street that has likely been there since Velsical installed it. Evaluation of groundwater between 2015 and February 2020 does not show changes in concentrations, but EPA will need to determine if groundwater could get through the gap. EPA is planning a webinar and collaboration with Alma College faculty and students, which could help with monitoring.
The carbon amendment pilot study is complete [01:21:17] and report done. There were 50 10×10 grids and used about 8,000 pounds of carbon. The study began in August 2019 with samples taken in November 2019 and May 2020. Quick results: 66-79% reduction in DDT levels in worms. Dr. Amanda Harwood will give a webinar. EPA hopes to move into next phase of study in spring 2021.
Video of DNAPL sent to lab for evaluation shared with CAG from Area 2, Phase 1 [01:27:25]—it was really dense, almost 17 pounds per gallon (note: a gallon of water is 8.34 pounds).
EGLE Report [01.31:48]: Report delivered by Erik Martison.
Bird study still on hold because Dr. Matt Zwiernik is out of the country with uncertainty about his ability to complete follow-up study. There remains an intention to complete the study, but at this time there are budgetary issues preventing EGLE from getting to it before the end of 2021 (i.e. planning).
Railroad spur investigation is moving ahead. EGLE has access to three of four properties—the final property owned by Mid-Michigan Railroad. Once access to parcel is granted, EGLE hopes to start drilling (end of October). Some questions about scope of work and map denoting borings.
Old Business [01:40:30]
Virtual PBB Community Meeting dates and format announced, with CAG members participating in community panel (J.Keon and Lorenz).
Progress on website improvements reported by Vice Chair, Ed Lorenz.
Follow-up discussion by Vice Chair, Ed Lorenz, about EGLE webinar on PFAS and concerns about possible contamination connected to Lobdell, which had twice as many employees than Wolverine and Total, so it was a larger operation, but is not yet listed as probable PFAS site.
New Business [01:49:19]
Presentation by JoAnne Scalf on the Pine River Superfund Voluntary Health Map, which documents health issues among St. Louis residents via a voluntary health questionnaire. She argued that the data for the community is skewed by the prison population, but when removing the 3,500 incarcerated individuals in the community, the incidence of cancers, for instance, is above national averages. In addition to collecting information on specific health outcomes, the comment section of the questionnaire has garnered additional information, such as the unexpected number of women under 40 who have had hysterectomies.
JoAnne presented her work on the Voluntary Health Map at the From PBB to PFAS Symposium at the University of Michigan in February 2020, with the hope that she would connect with researchers who could help monitor and evaluate resident health, which might be replicated in other communities.
The Map includes three generations of residents with more than 600 data points.
An epidemiologist at the University of Michigan is interested in working with JoAnne to grow the project and identify correlations with the PBB community. She will keep the CAG updated on their work.
JoAnne’s work underscores the significance of community knowledge and represents a tremendous effort to document health outcomes.
Meeting adjourned at 9:06 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Brittany Fremion, Secretary