Scope and Background
The industriplex Project is the third design project in 1.012. It is, similarly to the Charles River Project, a large scale planning project. However, there are some important differences:
- Rather than hypothetical development in a real setting as was the Charles River Project, this is real development in a real setting.
- You will go through two stages and end up selecting an alternative.
- The project will be revisited in some of the follow-up design projects. In particular, you will do detailed planning and design in the capping subject 1.013.
Design Exercise
Industriplex is a 244 acres (987,430 m2) site located near the intersection of Interstates I-93 and I-95 (Route 128) in Woburn, MA (Figures 1 and 2a). Woburn is a city of 35000 inhabitants in the middle and lower middle income range with significant industrial and commercial facilities. The Aberjona river, which runs North to South through Woburn and eventually flows into the Mystic Lakes also runs through Industriplex site.
Figure 1:
Figure 2a:
Figure 2b:
The Industriplex site and the Wells G + H site located just south of Rt. 128 (Figure 1 or 2a) are federal Superfund sites. Woburn drew national attention in the late 1970s when Wells G + H, two of the city wells, were discovered to be contaminated and in the 1980s with the subsequent court cases. In the Fall of 1995 there was the book called, “A Civil Action” on which last years movie was based, detailing the landmark trial involving numerous Woburn families who filed suit against several firms claiming the incidence of childhood leukemia was much higher locally because of the contaminated wells.
Figure 3: Hide Pile locations:
Figure 4: Topographic Map
These wells were closed in 1979. The Industriplex site was the location of leather and chemical industry for a century from the 1850’s till 1963., Contamination ranged from discharges of arsenic and chromium, and volatile organic compounds to the burying of large amounts of animal hides. However, due to joint efforts of the EPA, the Massachusetts Department for Environmental Protection and the Industriplex Residential Trust, which represents the property owners, the contaminated parts of the site have been concentrated in four places. They are covered and are monitored (Figure 3). The site is ready for development which has already started and as such will serve as a national and possibly worldwide example.
The Industriplex site provides the context for the 1-C Theme Project. You will do some initial design work in subject 1.012. Subjects 1.031, 1.041 and 1.051 will have small design exercises addressing some aspects of the Industriplex site. Finally in 1.013, you will develop a or several major projects on the site.
In 1.012 your task is to develop an initial Master Plan for the region including the Industri-plex site and the contiguous streets (shaded in Figure 2b). The constraints are: the site boundaries, the waste storage sites, wetlands and levels (figure 4). Details on the history of the site and on the constraints are given in the attached background material. You will note that wetlands can be replaced in kind on site and that contaminants may still flow from the waste sites into the underlying terrain and the groundwater and also into the Aberjona river. Land use in certain areas (specifically those regions with hide piles) is, therefore, limited to commercial, office, retail, etc, but residential buildings are not allowed. Clearly, land use could be extended if higher levels of contamination control and/or active remediation can be applied. Present plans foresee hotels, stores and offices but you should seriously consider other options. Also, the location of the intersection of two major highways makes the site very well suited as a transportation node. Right now there is a parking facility with a direct bus to Logan airport; the official plan includes a major transportation facility incorporating this Logan transport link, and a train and subway station. Again, other options are possible and you may look at the entire Boston area transportation network in this regard.
At this point in your civil engineering education, you do not have the knowledge to develop a sophisticated Master Plan. What you can and should do is to consider as many options as possible regarding what to do with the site to produce optimum benefits for people using it, the developers, the city of Woburn and the Boston Metropolitan area. Considerations should be technical, environmental (natural and social), economic and aesthetic. You may also think of “making a statement” given that this site can serve as an example of a redeveloped Superfund site.
In 1.012, you will do the project in two phases. In the first phase, you will develop an initial Master Plan. This has to include the proposed use of the site and the reasoning leading you to this. You should devise a rough street and zoning map possibly going into further details as to what you would like to have in the different zones. Your arguments leading to your decision need to accompany the plan. If you need further information in addition to the one provided to you, you need to let us know. As in the other projects in subject 1.012, you should use the discussion site on the class web page.
The result of the first phase will be critiqued by the faculty and TA teaching the subject.
In the second phase, you will use the critique as well as additional information on the actual development which we are going to give you. On this basis, you will refine your Master Plan. This information should not necessarily lead you to an adaptation of the actual development. Also, and this is the most important part of the second phase, you have to identify the critical and/or unresolved problems.
In the presentation at the end of 1.012, you will describe your refined plan and the critical/unresolved problem.
Figure 5: Aerial View of the Route 128 and I 93 Interchange, Industri-Plex and environs.
Industry fills the area to the left of I-93 and above Route 128 (I-95). The area below Route 128 belongs to another industrial park. The residential west end of Reading, Massachusetts is to the right of I-93. The chromium lagoons and arsenic pits were located mostly in the upper third of the site, as well as the hide piles (relocated after excavations when buildings were constructed)
The Woburn Industri-Plex Site
Context
Woburn, Massachusetts is located approximately 10 miles north of Boston (figure 6).
Figure 6 Location Map:
Figure 7 Wells G + H:
The city has two federal Superfund sites, the Industriplex, Wells G & H (figure 7), and forty state Superfund sites. In 1979 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) closed the two municipal water supply wells because the water contained high levels of volatile organic contamination. During the same year the Environmental Protection Agency identified the Industriplex hazardous waste site as one of the largest hazardous waste sites in the country. It was ranked number 5 on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites.
The Industri-Plex site is a classic example of the estimated 10,000 plus sites around the country known to contain hazardous wastes, which are suspected of polluting the air and jeopardizing drinking water. Of these, the EPA estimates that about 2,000 pose “significant problems” for public health and has named 418 of the worst sites as eligible for Superfund money. Industriplex can serve as a case study to focus on a national environmental problem of how these sites are developed and how they are being handled today.
Background
The Industriplex property contains two branches of the Aberjona River (figure 8), streams, ponds and several wetland areas. Residences are located within 1000 feet, and more than 34,000 people live within 3 miles of the site. It was the site of the former Merrimac Chemical Company, one of the largest chemicals manufacturers in New England. For over 100 years the property was used for chemical manufacturing and glue making. Waste material was disposed of on the property, as was the common practice at the time. There were 55 acres contaminated with high levels of chemicals from the manufacture of arsenic based pesticides, sulfuric acid, chromium and lead. Approximately 20 acres contain buried animal hides used in past manufacturing processes. Groundwater was contaminated with benzine, toluene, and dissolved metals from reduced oxygen conditions created by the hide wastes.
Figure 8: Aberjona River Watershed
Figure 9: Chemical Disposal
Site Setting
During the 1970s the site included some occupied office buildings and industries, railroad tracks, power line right-of-ways, and old abandoned manufacturing facilities. Adjacent to the site is Woburn’s sanitary landfill (figure 9).
During this time, the property was purchased for the development of a shopping mall and industrial park. Excavation uncovered the buried animal wastes, creating a hydrogen sulfide gas odor that invaded residential areas and mobilized the public. Efforts to stop development took years. The developer had permission from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the agency responsible for hazardous waste at the time, to excavate and consolidate waste material on the property. In doing so four piles of hide wastes, commingled with soils containing arsenic, chromium and lead were built. Figure 9 shows the approximate location of a 35,000-square-foot lagoon containing 6,500 cubic yards of toxic chemicals, chief among them arsenic and lead. Nearby, three pits containing high levels of lead and chromium were discovered. Area residents, familiar with waste deposits on the property, took their complaints to the local government agencies, the DEP, EPA and Army Corps of Engineers who filed an injunction against further development of the property.
Pre-remedial Conditions
The following summarizes the findings that form the basis for the selection of the remedial actions:
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The groundwater flow is north to south in a buried valley running under the Aberjona River.
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The groundwater flow rate in the buried valley is about 0.2-1 foot per day.
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Levels of arsenic (100 – 420 ppb) and lead (120 ppb) above drinking water standards (50 ppb) were detected sporadically.
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Zinc was found onsite and downgradient wells above the secondary drinking water standards (5000 ppm).
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Localized high ppm levels (32 ppm) of benzene and toluene were found onsite. At wells immediately downgradient of the site boundary, 747 ppb benzene and 177 ppb toluene were found, but no benzene or toluene was found at wells further downgradient.
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No potable water supply wells are operating downgradient of the site within about 1-mile. However, the groundwater from the site flows towards Woburn municipal drinking water wells (G & H) currently not operating (Figure 7).
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Generally, heavy metals were below drinking water standards even though higher levels were found occasionally and organics were higher upstream than downstream.
Containment Activities
The site was “remediated” (in fact it was only contained) by the Industri-Plex Remedial Trust, comprised by 22 current and former owners of the land, under the direction of the EPA. The groundwater has been studied over the past years, although the groundwater remedy design is not yet final. However, the soil, wetlands and odor remedies have been implemented. The actions taken are to contain the toxic material within a defined area and to reduce their spread to contiguous areas and the water table. The wastes have not been removed or neutralized. The EPA-approved final remedy as outlined in the 1986 Record of Decision include:
Figure 10: Section of the caps
Figure 11
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The design and construction of permeable caps to cover nearly 110 acres of soils and sediments contaminated with lead , arsenic and chromium above federal action levels shown in Figure 10;
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The design and construction of an impermeable cap over approximately 5 acres of the East Hide Pile, the remaining active odor source, and a gas collection and treatment system to capture the release of hydrogen sulfide gas shown in Figure 14.
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The design and implementation of Institutional Controls. Institutional Controls are required by the Consent Decree to maintain the integrity of the remedy while permitting the greatest possible use of the site (figure 15).
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Soil containing high concentrations of heavy metals had be covered with clean soil. Permanently covering the contaminants will prevent future physical contact and coverage was only applied to those areas already contaminated (figure 11).
A few more details on these remedies are given below:
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After clearing the area, the four hide piles (South Hide Pile, West hide Pile, East-Central Hide Pile and the East Hide Pile, shown in figure 12 which comprised roughly 40% of the surface area were covered. The materials used to cover the South, West and East-Central hide piles were a layer of compacted fill, a layer of nonwoven geotextile membrane that will prevent washout of soil, 14 inches of clean fill and 4 inches of topsoil (figure 10). This permeable soil cap will enable liquids and gases to flow through. The permeable cap is complete but awaiting final EPA inspection.
Figure 12: Location of hide piles
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In addition to the aforementioned layers, the East hide pile was covered with an impermeable cap of soil over a drainage layer, a layer of impermeable synthetic membrane instead of the permeable membrane and a 12-inch layer of gravel to absorb the gases that caused the odor. Unlike the permeable layer, this cap will provide a barrier, restricting the flow-through of liquids and gases. A gas collection system was built under the impermeable layer to collect and treat hydrogen sulfide gas and other gases produced by the decomposition of organic hide wastes (source of odors). Currently, the impermeable cap and the gas collection and treatment system are complete (figure 14).
Figure 13: Groundwater treatment system
Figure 14: Gas collection and treatment system
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The design of the interim groundwater treatment system (figure 13) was initially completed in 1992, however the system was altered to reflect changes from a pilot air sparging design in 1993. The air sparging system was operational for a short time in 1994 until it was discovered that the system failed to meet design standards. The system is currently undergoing alterations for an oxygen injection design and may be operational in 1998.
Figure 15: Institutional Controls
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A draft Institutional Controls document was prepared by the potentially responsible parties in 1996 and is expected to be finalized by the EPA/DEP by year-end 1997. The draft Institutional Controls document divides the property within the site into four categories or “classes” of land shown in figure 15, in order to establish a clear method of regulating land use and minimizing the risks of exposure. The most stringent controls exist for Class D land (the hide piles) with progressively less stringent controls on Class C, Class B, and Class A. Class A land has been found to comply with the S-1 category of soil under the Massachusetts Contingency Plan, and has unlimited uses, except for a prohibition on groundwater use until such time as the EPA/DEP determine otherwise.
Development Activities
Twenty years after it was placed on the federal Superfund priority list as the fifth most polluted hazardous waste site in the country, the property will finally be at hand as a development known as MetroNorth Development. The site is viewed as a success and possibly a national model for similar jobs. It is believed an example in two ways: it is the only Superfund site that has been rehabilitated for public use as well as being the only case where the remedy contemplates not only cleaning the site but returning it to productive use.
Although 22 previous and current property owners were identified as “potentially responsible parties,” most of the cost of the cleanup was born by Monsanto Company and Stauffer Management Company. These two chemical companies which were found to have contributed to the pollution, are hoping to be partially reimbursed with revenues from future land sales. Those sales will also compensate Woburn for back taxes and state and federal environmental agencies for their expenditures on the site.
More typically toxic sites are cleaned up, fenced and abandoned. In this case, portions of the site that were home to chemical manufacturers will be reclaimed for commercial and industrial use. In addition, a Regional Transportation Center will link Woburn to Boston and to Logan International Airport. A new interchange with Interstate 93, a mile to the north of Route 128, is also under construction. Environmental planners and regulators say cleaning up hazardous sites and putting them back to productive use will start to become more common.
However, there are still problems though, that prevent this system to become widespread. Questions about new owners inheriting legal liabilities for subsequently discovered pollution, uncertainty about appropriate clean-up technology and fluctuations in real estate prices. For the Industriplex case, future owners cannot be held liable for past activities and contaminants on the site.
The benefits from this approach are threefold. For the taxpayer, it means a private company will shoulder at least part of the cleanup cost. For the developer, it offers a chance to reuse otherwise unusable land in often choice locations with services and highway access not available at other sites. For society at large it means steering industry to urban locations where jobs are most needed while limiting the urban sprawl.
At this point, the redevelopment is comprised of several mayor projects: the interchange off I-93, the Regional Transportation Center and private development on two parcels known as parcels A and B (figure 16a). On parcel B the developers will build an office park and hotel while on parcel A a retail center is foreseen. The public projects have already been discussed in the first design project and additional information is given here. The private development projects are introduced below.
Figure 16a: Redevelopment projects
Figure 16b: New exit off I-93
In order to implement the cleanup, the EPA designated a custodial trust in the consent decree to overlook the remediation process. As part of the settlement, in exchange for giving the land to the Custodial Trust, the previous owner did not have to pay for the cleanup. Money from the sale of the land would go to pay the City of Woburn for back taxes, the EPA, MA DEP and the Remedial Trust.
Therefore the Remedial Trust was charged with determining the extent of contamination and performing the necessary measures to make the land useful again. The Custodial Trust was in charge of marketing and selling the land once the remediation has been completed to pay for the cleanup costs.
The Industriplex site was rezoned from industrial park to business by petition of the Custudial Trust. With the current condition of the office park market, the business zone allowed for a more diverse range of uses such as retail, in order to expedite the sale of the land.
Infrastructure and Public Transportation
The planned infrastructure improvements will significantly increase the value and potential for high-end development of the site. As a result, the capability to generate commercial development will create new employment centers and job opportunities.
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I-93 Interchange project
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Regional transportation center
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Extension of Commerce Way to Presidential Way
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The Massachusetts Highway Department of the Federal Highway Department will create a new exit off Interstate 93 for the site (figure 16b). The off-ramp will cost $15 million, and construction started mid-August 1997. The I-93 project is listed as one of Massachusetts Highway Department’s (MHD) highest priority projects. The project has been designated a “fast track” MHD project, where state and federal highway transportation funds will cover 95% of the costs for the interchange. In order to build the new highway interchange and connector road, 1.2 acres of waterways and wetlands needed to be filled at different locations. Creation of 1.35 acres of compensatory wetlands has been proposed as mitigation to the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.
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In fall 1996, several Massachusetts transportation agencies announced that they would build a major Regional Transportation Center (RTC) on the site (figure 17).The redevelopment work for the regional transportation system will be incorporated into the coverage phase of the site remediation. In other words, the development of the site itself becomes part of the remedy. The parking lot that will be situated adjacent to the regional transportation center qualifies as a permanent covering remedy, saving on coverage materials.
Figure 17: RTC, interchange and wetlands
Figure 18: Extension of Commerce Way
Figure 19: Quarry Pond
This center is being funded by the State of Massachusetts. Located on a parcel of land adjacent to the MBTA Lowell Line, the transportation center will provide a 2,500-car park-and-ride and links to subway, commuter rail and Logan Airport shuttlebus connection. This center will be operated by the MBTA and the Massachusetts Port Authority. The Transportation Center will be of particular importance to the region, as it will help meet critical regional transportation needs. It also will help with traffic problems associated with the central artery. Construction started on the Center during spring of 1997, after the owner of the 20 acre property, Janpet Associates, declared bankrupcy.
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The extension of Commerce Way will provide currently nonexistent access to north Woburn (figure 18).
Redevelopment Considerations
Some parts of the site that might need to be developed are vegetated areas with wetlands and rare species such as the Mystic Valley Amphipod, a state-listed species of special concern believed to live on the site. Though their presence could not be verified through samples of juvenile crustaceans, a biologist has confirmed that they live in wetlands on Parcel B shown in Figure 17, and the report adds “the tiny critters prefer cool, shaded places” as their habitats. Parcels A and B are shown in figure 20.
A quarry pond shown in figure 19 adjacent to the Phillips pond will be filled in to make the area more attractive to retailers. Under current regulations the quarry is technically defined as a wetland, these regulations prohibit building within 100 ft of wetlands and state environmental laws require that any modified wetland will have to be replicated with a new wetland of the same dimensions elsewhere on the site. Therefore, in conjunction with the project, the trust that governs the Industri-Plex will construct a new body of water with similar surface areas to compensate for the loss of the quarry. Wetland replacement and construction in general will temporarily displace the animals. But because the species currently inhabiting the area are particularly tolerant to human activities, after the work is completed the potential habitat for the local species can be restored to its previous conditions.
MetroNorth Development
A development company, National Development of New England (NDNE), has purchased parcels A and B which account for almost half the Industri-Plex site and some adjacent properties for $100 million.
NDNE has assembled approximately 103 acres of land on both sides of the proposed interchange. A master development agreement negotiated by NDNE with the City of Woburn and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts serves as the framework and legal agreement to develop infrastructure and improvements serving this area. Construction of office, retail, and hotel facilities has begun. The mixed-use development plan includes:
MetroNorth Corporate Center (Parcel B shown in figure 20)
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1,000,000 square foot office development
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150-room hotel on 75 acres.
MetroNorth Retail Center (Parcel A shown in figure 20)
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60,000 square foot retail center
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135,000 square foot Target Department Store development.
Figure 20: Parcels A & B and Mishawum Rail Station
Figure 21: Proposal showing maximum building area for parcel B
MetroNorth Corporate Center (Parcel B)
A 75-acre project will be developed with up to 1,000,000 S.F. of office space and a hotel. Twenty-three acres of the land (Parcels C1 and C2 in figure 21) are fully permitted with drainage design and MEPA approval in place. Eleven acres will be permitted to accommodate ArQule, a 260,000 square foot campus to be developed in two phases of 130,000 square feet each. Parcel C2 is a fully permitted 10-acre parcel which can be developed with up to a three story, 150,000 square foot building slated for completion in the spring/summer of 1999.
NDNE is in the process of securing final state permits for parcel B. Based on the current schedule, permitting should be completed by the fall of 1998. Site plans can then be permitted on a parcel by parcel basis. Delivery of new space could be accomplished on Parcel B in the next 2 years.
MetroNorth Retail Center (Parcel A)
Target Stores has bought parcel A, the 27-acre tract off Commerce Way. The city of Woburn received $227,000 in partial payment of back taxes on the land as part of the $11.5 million agreement between Target and the land’s trustee. The store will take up about 135,000 square feet, also two smaller retail stores totalling 64,5000 square feet and up to 1,000 parking spaces will eventually be built there.
The sale has put the land, and eventually the new building itself, back on Woburn’s tax rolls. The completion of the store is depending on the the completion of the interchange which will drop traffic off nearly in front of the parcel at the intersection of Commerce Way and Atlantic Avenue.
Current Use of Parcels A and B
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Commercial, light industrial use and access: 60 acres
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Undeveloped land: 185 acres
Future Use of Land
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Commercial development: 110 acres
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Infrastructure/public transportation 25 acres
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Wetland and open land (environmental enhancement programs): 100 acres
The developer will also incorporate existing buildings and facilities, including:
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510,000 square foot Commerce Way Business Center, which will be renovated;
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Commuter rail lines;
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Subway lines;
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Local roads.
Technical Containment Problems
After nearly a decade, the containment is nearly completed and development has begun, but there are several concerns. Concerns were raised during the containment activities over the quality of the soil used to cover the contaminated land and the soil-testing procedures. Over half of the fill came from Deer Island, where some sites had proven to be contaminated. Once the coverage is complete it will be subject to random EPA tests. The final cover has not received final certification from the EPA.
Woburn’s Citizen Advisory Committee raised questions over the alternate design cover proposed by the Remedial Trust. The EPA initially recommended a 30-inch RD/AP cover. It consisted of 24 inches of fill topped by 6 inches of loam and vegetation (figure 22). This design would have cost twice as much as a geo-textile fabric textile. So an alternate cover design was implemented. This cover replaces 12 inches of soil with a geo-textile filter fabric, a bottom barrier to the cover and there would be 12 inches of soil minimum (figure 23). The most important issues for the alternate cover were the safety factors for freeze-thaw effects, durability as well as quality control.
Figure 22: EPA recommended design
Figure 23: Actual design implemented
Allegations of improper conduct during the construction of the remedial cap were under investigation by several government agencies. A former site worker had filed suit alleging improper conduct during the construction activities. Charges have been brought against the firms in charge of implementing the cleanup for discharge from the Industri-Plex site into streams and drainways. In one case, during the day shift, when EPA supervisors were on site, water from the site was pumped into tanker trucks so that it could be transported for treatment at an off-site plant. But during the night a witness claimed to have seen workers pumping water into the drainway that empties into the Aberjona River.
Groundwater contamination beneath, and migrating, from the site has not yet been addressed by the EPA, MA DEP or responsible parties. Reduced oxygen conditions in groundwater, caused by the presence of the animal hides beneath the cap, cause arsenic and chromium to become soluble in groundwater. Estimates point that 200 kilograms of arsenic are released from the site and transported along the Aberjona River to the Mystic Lakes, a mechanism which could continue for centuries, an issue the firms in charge of the cleanup are still studying.
The Record of Decision for the Industri-Plex site, and the Consent Decree between the EPA and the responsible parties requires that Institutional Controls be developed to define construction and reuse activities on the property. These may place restrictions on construction and development. The Institutional Controls have not been reviewed and approved yet, even though the sale of the lots has already started.
Soil contamination inside the Industri-Plex site property boundary has been well documented in numerous reports since the early 1980s. However, to date no attempt has been made by the EPA, MA DEP, or the responsible parties to characterize the extent of contamination outside the property boundary, which could pose a health risk. Some residual contamination has been found off site, south of the Boston Edison right-of-way but it hasn’t been determined yet if it is a health or environmental hazard.
Questions were raised over the waiver of the of an impact study relative to the proposed new ramp from I-93. To speed up the construction of the interchange due to development pressures, submission of the environmental impact studies was waived.
Other Redevelopment Examples
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Iron Horse Park in Billerica, a onetime rail maintenance yard. One owner, Guilford Transportation Industries, is cleaning up its portion and plans to use it as an industrial park.
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Arsenal Mall in Watertown, which the developers opened in 1983 after reclaiming from an abandoned World War II weapons factory.
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Pesticide repackaging plant in Caribou, Maine, which is being cleaned and will likely reopen as retail space.
Appendix A: Chronology of Events
Mid-1800s-1934 – Developed as industrial site by companies who produced chemicals for local textile, leather, and paper manufacturing industries. Also used to manufacture munitions during WWI.
1934-1969 – Glue manufactured at site utilizing tanned animal hides. Solid wastes disposed in pits, waste water discharged to streams, later to sewers.
1968 – Mark Phillip Trust purchased site for development of Industri-Plex 128 industrial park.
1970s – Construction activity for the industrial park uncovered the industrial by-products and wastes that had accumulated on the site. The exposure and movement of decaying hides buried during past site activities caused the release of noxious odors, similar to a rotten egg smell. Many of the chemical and hide wastes in the soil were relocated and mixed into piles near and in wetland areas on the property.
1975 – Citizens complained to state agencies about odors. Dept. of Environmental Quality Engineering (now the Dept. of Environmental Protection, or DEP) issued numerous notices violation to the developer.
1977 – Lawsuit by the Town of Reading and the Massachusetts Attorney General resulted in a court order prohibiting the developer from excavating two untouched parcels thought to contain most of the remaining glue wastes.
1979 – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stops further development on site for wetlands issues.
1980 – DEP sprayed latex cover over part of the site where inorganic wastes were found.
1982 – EPA adds Industri-Plex Site to its list of priority hazardous waste sites that are eligible to receive federal funding for investigation and clean up.
1982 – Study conducted on nature and extent of contamination on site.
1985 – Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study completed, analyzing nature and extent of contamination and outlining alternatives for remediation.
1986 – EPA issued record of Decision (ROD), which outlined remedial alternatives and EPA’s preferred remedy for the site.
1989 – Consent decree issued by EPA which included outcome of negotiations with past and present site owners to determine cost sharing of remediation. The Industri-Plex Site Remedial Trust and the Industri-Plex Site Interim Custodial Trust are established as part of the decree. The Remedial trust is made up of 22 past and present owners and operators.
1990 – EPA approved Pre-Design Investigation, outlining what information the Industri-Plex Site Remedial Trust had to collect to proceed with design of remediation process. Additional testing carried out. City rezoned the site from office to industrial use.
1991 – Final plans for the remediation filed with EPA and DEP.
1992 – design of the final soil remedy completed.
1993 – EPA and DEP approve soil remedy. Physical work on remediation process begins.
1996 – Remediation of the site completed. Remediation cost: $70 million. Duration: 7 years.
Appendix B: DATA for the Project
Data for the Case Study on the Industri-plex site is in two forms:
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Hardcopy plans and reports; and
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CAD files on the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering server
Access to the hardcopy plans and reports will be available at Barker Library Reserve.
Reports include:
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Environmental Notification Form (June 1995)
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Feasibility Study (August 1995)
Drawings include:
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Location of Work
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Existing Conditions
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Details of Soil Cap
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Location of Utilities
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Existing Buildings and Site Layout
Access to the CAD files will be through read-only access (although it can be copied into your account). All the figures along the text plus, additional images and the Cad files can be downloaded from the class web page.
List of Material on Reserve at Barker Library
Drawings
Regional Transportation Center Alternate Cover Design
C-1A - Industri-Plex Site Location of Work and 1996 Work Areas
C-2 - Existing Conditions Plan
C-2A - Compilation of Historical Utilities
C-2B - Compilation of Existing Utilities (1/2)
C-2C - Compilation of Existing Utilities (2/2)
C-2D – Pre-remediation Extent of Arsenic Lead and Chromium at or Above Action Levels
C-3 - Demolition Plan
C-4 - Excavation Plan
C-5 - EPA/DEP Approval
C-5A – Layout Plan
C-6 - Erosion Control Plan
C-7 - Erosion and Sediment Control Details
C-8 - RTC Site Final Grading and Drainage Plan
C-9 - Alternate Cover Transition Plan
C-10 – Alternate Cover Transition Details (1/3)
C-11 - Alternate Cover Transition Details (2/3)
C-12 - RTC Site Transition Details (1/2)
C-13 - RTC Site Transition Details (2/2)
C-14 - Alternate Cover Details (1/2)
C-15 - Alternate Cover Details (2/2)
C-16 – Site Details (1/3)
C-17 – Site Details (2/3)
C-17A – Site Details (3/3)
C-18 - Site Sections (1/3)
C-19 - Site Sections (2/3)
C-20 - Site Sections (3/3)
Reports
Regional Transportation Center
Feasibility Study
Environmental Notification Form
Summary of Proposed Institutional Controls
Additional Files
1. Geological Studies
1.1. Plan Showing Sections
1.2. Section A-A
1.3. Section B-B
1.4. Section C-C
1.5. Section D-D
1.6. Section E-E
2. Topographic Map
3. Orthographic Map
