Running head: UNIT 6 ESSAY 1

Unit 6 Essay: National Priorities List

Jenniffer L. Zillmer

Columbia Southern University

MEE 5801 Industrial and Hazardous Waste Management

Doctor Cheryl Marcham

September 21, 2014

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Introduction

Living in the Midwest has many challenges and high industrial areas have contributed to

the contamination of many areas. The National Priorities List (NPL) for Wisconsin currently

identifies fifty-four areas that either need cleanup or are currently under cleanup due to

contamination of various substances (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).

Each site identified can be affected by the contamination substances, the probability of the

substance to affect groundwater or other health concerns, as well as potentially weighing the

risks of purchasing a home near one of the areas or working at a facility that may have

contributed to the contamination. Each home owner must determine the level of comfort of

purchasing a home in the area of one of these sites that depends on ground water as a primary

source of water and the possibility of connecting to municipal water as an alternative.

Alternatively, if working at a facility that has contributed to the contamination, many additional

steps need to be taken to remediate the situation and determine culpability of the company.

Sheboygan Harbor and River

One site, the Sheboygan Harbor and river area, identified a 14 miles stretch of river and

bank areas were high in “polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals, including arsenic,

chromium, copper, lead and zinc” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014, ¶1).

As this area has numerous commercial fishing businesses as well as recreational fishing, the

decision was made to clean the area for an approximate cost of $41 million dollars from the

responsible party Tecumseh Products company, as well as $50 million in federal funds, and the

dredging of 71,000 cubic yards of contaminated waste was collected and disposed of (United

States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). Unfortunately, the PCB levels are still

considered higher than the projected goal of 0.5ppm, but the Environmental Protection Agency
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believes the cleanup efforts are still on track to reach the goal in the planned thirty year goal

(Smathers, 2014).

Due to these still high levels of PCBs it is still advised not to eat the wildlife, including

fish, from the area surrounding the river. This could potentially affect the possibility of

purchasing a home, especially if the main source of water supply is from groundwater.

Fortunately, this area is supplied by municipal water and the safety of the water supply is not in

question which does help to alleviate some of the concerns of owning a home near the

contaminated site. Now that the cleanup has been completed, I would not hesitate to purchase a

home in this area if that was where I would choose to live.

WPSC Camp Marina MGP

The second site identified is the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPSC)

Campmarina Manufactured Gas Plant which was in operation from 1872 to 1929 (United States

Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). This area although, not on the NPL is being addressed

under the Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) to clean the area to remove soil and ground water

contaminants of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, more commonly known as BTX

(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). As well as removing naphthalene, total

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), cyanide, and metals from the area to lower the levels

of contaminants below hazardous levels (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014).

Initial assessment identified approximately three and a half acres of affected area, with

immediate access to the river and potential groundwater contamination, after remediation and

action was taken including an in place biosparge system to enhance the degradation of

contaminants, additional action is being reviewed before a final ruling is complete (United States

Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). This area was cleaned and contained in conjunction
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with the Sheboygan Harbor and River site, and is currently owned by the city and operates as a

green space park (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). This area has been

predominantly industrial for well over 100 hundred years and the area immediately adjacent to

this property is currently in the process of redevelopment of homes and apartments. Although the

Environmental Protection Agency is still conducting groundwater testing, and the units are

supplied with municipal water, I would not want to live in this newly developed area. Only the

area where the gas manufacturing plant was located was dredged and excavated, the remaining

area, even though close to the plant was not. The potential for additional contaminants and

leaching of substances into the soil would be too great for me to consider moving to these

properties.

Kohler Company Landfill

The third site identified in the area is a landfill that was used by the Kohler Company for

disposal of manufacturing waste including groundwater contaminating “volatile organic

compounds (VOCs), heavy metal, phenols, and PAHs” which affect the nearby river and houses

less than one-quarter of a mile away (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014, ¶3).

From 1950 to the mid 1970’s, the area was used by the Kohler Co. to dispose of hydraulic oil,

solvents, paint waste, enamel powders and plating sludge and in 1984 was added to the NPL to

investigate the reach of the contaminants(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014).

The landfill was capped and collection of groundwater and leachate was completed, forcing

collection of waste to the local municipal water treatment system for disposal, numerous five

year studies have been completed since the remediation and monitoring appears to show the

system is working properly and there is no longer a threat to groundwater or surface water

(United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). The immediate area has been developed
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into a world renowned golf course and is expected to remain green space without the opportunity

for residential use in the immediate future. The areas adjacent to the landfill are both agricultural

and residential, and are supplied with groundwater wells, without proper testing and treatment I

would not opt to purchase land in this area. Although beautiful, the potential for contamination

into the ground water system is still there and a failure of the leachate collection system could

contaminate the water supplies of the homes. If the systems were all changed to municipal water

and there was no chance of contamination into the water supply, I would consider purchasing a

property. I would not purchase any agricultural land in the area, again due to the potential of

leakage.

Company Liability

Companies have many liabilities from manufacturing, handling and transportation of

waste and dramatic changes since the development of Environmental Protection Agency in the

1970’s to present. Starting with the First Earth Day in 1970 to recently finalizing the new

requirement for fuel efficiency standards (United States Environmental Protection Agency,

2013). A company’s response to an environmental incident and responsibility has also changed

dramatically. Once a notification of violation has been received, due to disposal of waste at a

NPL landfill, the company has many steps that must be considered prior to assuming

responsibility and determining action plans. Management must first determine from shipping

manifests and review of liability from disposal contracts if the company is responsible for the

contamination listed on the notification. If a company is listed as a contributor, but not the

responsible party, a decision on liability can be given with funding to responsible party and

enable the company to transfer liability or negotiate associated costs (United States

Environmental Protection Agency, 2011).

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If the company is determined to be the PRP, then additional steps of a remedial

investigation and feasibility study will be conducted with EPA oversight to determine necessary

cleanup or containment actions (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2011). The

price negotiations, production and waste documentation can help to determine the PRP and

through those negotiations, the company will then accept responsibility to conduct a cleanup of

the site through court proceedings and potentially federal funded actions. Once the cleanup has

been completed, most site will then have monitoring to assure the area remains safe for humans,

wildlife and the rest of the environment.

Conclusion

Whether you are a homeowner or a company representative, Superfund sites can lead you

down paths that are unintended. Research and remedial actions on the identified site can have

both beneficial and negative varying consequences (United States Environmental Protection

Agency, 2014). As each site is unique and remedial action vary greatly, the decision of an

individual to own property in a NPL area is a personal decision based on the reports issued by

the EPA and local municipality’s options on use of the “cleaned” property. Just as a PRP business

has some choices, although limited, in remedial actions on a NPL site, the ethical options and

opportunities to create a better environment are there.

References

United States Department of Energy. (n.d.). The Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Retrieved from

https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Emergency_Services/MEE/

MEE5801/12E/UnitVI_CERLA.pdf
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United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2011). CERCLA overview. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/cercla.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Cleaning up the Nation’s hazardous

waste sites. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). EPA milestones. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/40th/timeline.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Region 5 Superfund: Sheboygan

Harbor & River. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/region5/superfund/npl/wisconsin/WID980996367.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Region 5 Superfund: Kohler Co.

Landfill. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/region5/superfund/npl/wisconsin/WID006073225.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Region 5 Superfund: WPSC Camp

Marina MGP. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/region5/superfund/npl/wisconsin/WIN000510058.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). What does the evidence say about NPL

listing and home prices? Retrieved from

http://epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/effects/property.html

Kutz, M. (2009). Environmentally conscious materials handling. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &

Sons, Inc.

Smathers, J. (2014). Study: Sheboygan River PCB levels remain high. Retrieved from

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/local/2014/09/21/study-sheboygan-river-pcb

-levels-remain-high/16023301/
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