Pella Corporation Facility, Pella, Marion County, Iowa - Fact Sheet, April 2021

Public Comment Period for Statement of Basis and Proposed Remedy

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 invites the public to comment on the Proposed Remedy (Proposed Corrective Measures) for the Pella Corporation facility, 102 Main Street, Pella, Iowa.

PROPOSED FINAL REMEDY

EPA is proposing corrective measures to address contamination at the Pella Corporation facility. These corrective measures consist of monitored natural attenuation; groundwater monitoring; permeable caps to mitigate for direct contact; and institutional controls in the form of property activity and use limitations and a soil and groundwater management plan.

• No residential land use.
• No use of on-site groundwater as a drinking water supply.
• Re-evaluation of vapor intrusion pathway and potential implementation of contingency vapor mitigation engineering controls if contaminant concentrations result in unacceptable risk.
• Limitations on new subgrade structures.
• Assessment and/or mitigation of the vapor intrusion pathway for new structures (above or below grade) that are to be occupied at the facility.
• EPA notification of planned construction or building modification activities when volatile contaminant of concern (COC) concentrations in groundwater exceed cleanup goals for the groundwater that may result in unacceptable risk to human health.
• Operation, maintenance, and monitoring requirements for any engineered controls implemented to prevent exposures to COCs in soil, groundwater, or indoor air that would result in unacceptable risk to human health.
• Additional protective measures or restrictions for flower bed volunteers at Solid Waste Management Unit 4 (SWMU-4).

EPA encourages the public to review this Proposed Final Remedy and the Administrative Record, which contains documents supporting the Proposed Final Remedy.

The public comment period will run from April 12, 2021, through May 12, 2021. Comments on the Proposed Final Remedy or public availability session requests must be mailed or emailed in writing no later than May 12 to:

Lisa Messinger
EPA Region 7 (LCRD/ROAG)
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Email: [email protected]

• Explain your views.
• Tell us if you support or disagree with the recommendation. Please be specific.
• Can you provide alternatives?

BACKGROUND

The facility has been an operating since 1925. Operations include manufacturing of wood frame windows and doors for commercial and private use. Pursuant to Section 3007 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and as part of a nationwide inventory and screening of hazardous waste management sites and facilities, EPA completed a RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA) including a Preliminary Review of facility-related file material maintained by EPA and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and a Visual Site Inspection. As documented in the 2006 RFA Report, RFA activities identified 19 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and 11 Areas of Concern (AOCs).

EPA finds that no further action is required for the particular SWMUs and AOCs listed in the Statement of Basis. EPA is not currently aware of any releases of hazardous constituents into the environment from these units/areas at levels that would present a potential threat to human health or the environment. The facility owner/operator has satisfied the RCRA corrective action obligations for these units/areas. EPA does not anticipate requiring any further investigation and/or cleanup related to past releases from these units/areas.

CONTAMINANTS

For the remaining SWMUs and AOCs, RCRA Facility Investigation results indicate that contaminants of concern (COCs) exist in soil and groundwater at levels exceeding human health risk-based levels, including chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (CDD) and chlorinated dibenzofuran (CDF) congeners, pentachlorophenol, chlorinated phenols and chlorinated volatile organic compounds.

The indoor air exposure pathway from COCs in the subsurface is considered complete; however, indoor air sampling does not indicate concentrations above risk thresholds at this time. Volunteers plant flowers annually in raised flower beds on the northern portion of the facility. The human health risk assessment did not find any unacceptable risks to current or future youth or adult volunteers. However, risks to future indoor or outdoor workers from exposure to CDDs/CDFs in soil at SWMU-4 are unacceptable. The difference in risk estimates is due to the more constant exposure to a worker, compared to a much shorter exposure period for a volunteer. Given the highly site-specific nature of the flower bed volunteer exposure scenario and potential exposure of the general public to CDDs/CDFs in the currently covered soil, additional restrictions for flower bed work are necessary.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

A copy of the Statement of Basis and other information is available for public review during normal business hours at the following locations: