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Oversight Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment and Remedial Investigation Support, Olin Chemical

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region I, under contract to Nobis Engineering, Inc.
LOCATION: Wilmington, MA

OVERVIEW

• Oversight of Primary Responsible Party (PRP) performed Remedial Investigation and Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments.
• Review of Data.
• Review of Remedial Investigation Work Plan.

DESCRIPTION

Avatar has performed oversight support for a Remedial Investigation (RI) Work Plan for the Olin Chemical Superfund Site, as a subcontractor to Nobis Engineering. Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments are planned as part of the Remedial Investigation, to be performed in accordance with EPA risk assessment guidance.

The Site is a former chemical manufacturing facility, which lies adjacent to wetlands, conservation land, and other industrial properties. Groundwater beneath a portion of the site flows toward nearby residences, wetlands, and town water supply wells. Contamination with n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in those town supply wells forced their shut-down. NDMA and other contaminants were subsequently detected at the site. The purpose of the planned Remedial Investigation is to determine the nature and extent of contamination and determine if compounds present in the soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater would result in an unacceptable risk to humans considering both the current and hypothetical future land and water uses.

Avatar visited the site and performed a review of exiting data to determine whether existing data would be sufficient for accurately determining nature and extent of contamination and to perform human health and ecological risk assessments. With Nobis, Avatar identified data gaps and made recommendations for sampling. Once the Primary Responsible Party (PRP) and its consultant prepared an RI Work Plan, Avatar and Nobis reviewed the sampling plan and recommended improvements in sampling density, locations, analytes, and planned exposure assessments based on historical chemical production, use, and storage, and on potential exposure scenarios.

This project is on-going. The PRP has begun sampling, with oversight by EPA, Nobis, and Avatar, who eagerly await the results and anticipate review of the RI.

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