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On Friday, August 27, 2010, punch list items required for “Substantial Completion” of the project were completed. The “Final Inspection” (required in the 100 % Design Plan to deem implementation of the Final Remedy at the Site “substantially complete”) took place on Tuesday, August 31, 2010.

Off-Site Verification Sampling

Off-site verification post-construction sampling was performed the week of November 16, 2009 after all soil excavation activities were completed. (Note: There were some contaminated sediments in the basin that were removed in the Spring of 2010.) This sampling program is designed to confirm that remedial activities did not cause off-site contamination. Five residential properties in the vicinity of the Marjol Site that had previously been remediated during the residential clean-up were sampled. A total of 20 samples were collected from each property during the pre-construction sampling (May 2008), and another 20 samples were collected during post-construction sampling (November 2009). Typically, half of the pre– and post-construction samples were sent to a lab and analyzed, and the other half was archived for future analysis if required. As per the USEPA/PADEP approved Final (100%) Remedial Design Plan, analytical results from the post-remediation sampling event were compared to the results from the pre-remediation sampling event to see if there was a statistically significant increase of more than 100 mg/kg between the pre-construction and post-construction sample results. For all five properties, the comparison showed that soil lead concentrations before and after construction were essentially the same with the largest change in mean soil lead concentration being less than 20 mg/kg. Statistically, there was not an increase in soil lead of more than 100 mg/kg at a 95% confidence level. This means that there is less than a 5% chance that there actually was an increase of more than 100 mg/kg when the sample results indicate that there was not. Therefore, as per the Final (100%) Design Plan, no additional off-site sampling is required. A report on the Off-Site Verification Sampling was submitted to USEPA and PADEP on February 15, 2010, as part of Quarterly Report #14. (Click here to review the text from the Off-Site Verification Sampling Report.) The full report may be viewed at the Marjol Community Relations Office at 502 George Street in Throop, PA or at the repository in the Throop Borough Building, located at 436 Sanderson Street in Throop, PA.

Construction Activity Milestones and Dates

A Final Inspection was conducted at the Marjol Battery Site on August 31, 2010. Based on the inspection, construction of the Final Remedy was determined to be “substantially complete” as of August 27, 2010, and the site is in the post-construction period. All lead-contaminated material at the Site is consolidated in the Containment (cap) Area (CA) and has been covered by the multiple layers of cap materials, so all surfaces of the Site are clean (average lead levels below 500 mg/kg). Some milestones and dates from the construction activities are listed below:

EXCAVATION OF LEAD-CONTAMINATED SOILS - All Lead-Contaminated Soils were in the Containment (cap) Area as of April 24, 2010.

SOLIDIFICATION – The bottom layer of the CA cap is a solidified layer comprised of three separate 9-inch lifts of solidified material. Solidification of all three lifts of solidified material was completed on November 23, 2009. Off-site sources of clean fill were used for solidification of the third lift across the entire CA because there was an insufficient volume of contaminated soil in the last excavation area for the entire thickness of this bottom layer of the cap. Having the top solidified lift created with clean fill also provided greater protection for the contaminated materials over the winter as well as in the extremely unlikely event of erosion of the cover soils and a tear in the geosynthetics in the future.

INSTALLATION OF GEOSYNTHETICS (PLASTIC LAYERS OF THE CAP) – Installation of the geosynthetics was completed on May 17, 2010.

PLACEMENT OF SOIL LAYERS OF THE CAP OVER THE GEOSYNTHETICS - Placement of the soil layers of the cap was completed on July 13, 2010.

FINAL INSPECTION - On Friday, August 27, 2010, punch list items required for “Substantial Completion” of the project were completed. The “Final Inspection” (required in the 100 % Design Plan to deem implementation of the Final Remedy at the Site “substantially complete”) took place on Tuesday, August 31, 2010.

Throop Borough Fill Source

Throop Borough’s 48-acre property was used as the primary fill source. Throop Borough and Gould agreed that Gould would use the material from the 48 acres as backfill material on the Site. Using this material was a benefit to everyone. By removing fill from the Borough’s 48-acre property, the Borough got some necessary grading work done in preparation for future construction activities (a proposed park) that may take place on the property. Gould also agreed to install the base for a roadway along the haul road that was used so that the Borough will eventually have a secondary access route to its 48-acre property. The greatest advantage of using the Borough’s fill was that the trucks bringing the fill into the Site did not have to run on Borough roads.

The fill material from the borough property is a residue from prior mining called “red ash.” An NPDES permit from Lackawanna County and a regulated fill permit from PADEP were required and obtained without difficulty. The fill material has no connection with the Marjol lead operations, and is not contaminated with lead.

A haul road was constructed from the Borough’s 48-acre property to the Marjol site through the North Woods. Work on the Borough’s 48-acre property and on the haul road was conducted similar to any uncontaminated construction site where dust is controlled as a nuisance. The “No Visible Dust Rule” that is in effect on the Marjol Site was not in effect on the haul road or on the Borough’s property as those areas are not contaminated with lead. Trucks still use Delaware Street to bring in topsoil, stone, geosynthetics for the cap, and other items, but using the Borough’s 48 acres as a fill source significantly reduced the number of trucks that had to traverse Delaware Street.

Construction Information

1) When did construction start and when did it end?

The construction work began on May 12, 2008 and was determined to be "substantially complete" on August 27, 2010. Activities at the Site are now limited to those associated with Site inspections and monitoring, establishment of vegetation, and the removal/installation of fencing until 2011 when there will be activities associated with conversion of the sedimentation basin to a stormwater management basin (this can’t occur until the Site is vegetated).

2) What about the traffic and the noise?

Most of the traffic and noise associated with the construction of the Final Remedy at the Site has come to an end. Gould would like to take this opportunity to thank the Throop community, especially the neighbors living nearest the Site, for their patience during construction of the Final Remedy.

3) What are the working hours be?

Working hours for continuing activities will be within the hours of approximately 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday (with the possibility of working until 7 pm when needed) and on Saturday, from approximately 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM. These days and times are consistent with Throop Borough ordinances.

Small Fire at Marjol Site - April 17, 2010

A small fire occurred at the Site during the early morning hours on April 17, 2010. The fire started in some hay bales that are being used at the Site. Some hay bales and a tarp burned during the fire. We are grateful to the Throop Fire Departments for quickly putting out the fire. The State Police Fire Marshal was on-site to investigate the fire. It is believed that the fire started due to a reaction between water and lime pellets being used at the site. Gould is taking additional measures to ensure the lime pellets are stored in a manner to prevent this from happening again. There was no lead–contaminated material involved in the fire.

Stained Soils in Excavation Area O

During excavations in the vicinity of the former office and maintenance building at the site, soils with a strong petroleum odor were encountered. These materials were excavated, sampled and determined to be acceptable to be placed in the Containment Area. On June 26, 2009, Gould submitted a report to USEPA and PADEP that showed that it was old diesel fuel and presented information on the material that was not able to be removed and remained in the ground; the levels remaining in the ground are below the state’s cleanup levels. A meeting was held with USEPA, PADEP and Cocciardi & Associates (Throop Borough’s Compliance Liaison) to discuss the report on November 3, 2009. Additional information was provided by Gould to respond to agency comments on the report and the report was revised and submitted to USEPA and PADEP on January 15, 2010. On June 3, 2010, USEPA sent a letter to Gould stating that “based on the information provided in the revised report, in conjunction with the field observations of the EPA/PADEP filed representatives, EPA/PADEP are satisfied that the area was adequately characterized and remediated.” Therefore, there will be no additional investigation of the stained soils area.