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INTERNATIONALTECHNOLOGYCORPORATION

Project No. 831625July 1986

Final Report/Executive SummaryRemedialInvestigation

Allied Chemical/Ironton Coke SiteIronton, Ohio

Allied-Signal Inc.

Morristown, New Jersey

Final Report/Executive SummaryRemedial Allied Chemical/ Allied - Signal Inc.

Ironton Coke Site Morristown, New Jersey

Iron ton, Ohio

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1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

D'Appolonia Waste Management Services, Inc. [acquired by IT Corporation (IT)

effective March 1984], was retained by Frost & Jacobs [contract later trans-

ferred to Allied Corporation (Allied)] to design and implement a remedial

investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) of the Allied Chemical/Ironton Cokesite located in Ironton, Ohio (Figure 1-1). The project was initiated in

August 1983; Allied signed an Administrative Order with the Ohio EnvironmentalProtection Agency (OEPA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.

EPA) to complete the RI/FS and submitted the Phase I RI report in April1984. The Phase II RI was completed in late 1984 and the Phase II RI report

was submitted in February 1985. Subsequent to review and evaluation of thePhase II RI report, including review of the ground water flow and contaminanttransport computer modeling by a consultant to U.S. EPA Region V, a draftfinal RI report was prepared in late 1985 and submitted in January 1986. This

final RI report was prepared subsequent to review of the January 1986submittal.

The primary objectives of the RI were to!

• Determine the geologic and hydrologic conditions of thesite and local environment in sufficient detail todefine contaminant source, pathway, and receptorrelationships.

• Determine the type, source, level, and distribution ofcontaminants in the site environment which may pose ahazard to human health, welfare, or the environment.

• Develop a site data base sufficient to evaluate andselect remedial technologies and alternatives duringthe feasibility study.

The RI was designed and implemented in two phases. Phase I focused on evalu-ation of the existing site-specific data base, preliminary characterization ofcontaminant sources, pathways, and receptors, and assessment of site hydroge-ology and ground water quality utilizing the existing ground water monitoring

well network. The Phase II RI was designed to address specific data gaps

identified at the conclusion of Phase I and included detailed investigationsof subsurface geotechnical conditions, soil contamination, site hydrogeology

and ground water quality, and contaminant sources, pathways, and receptors.

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The sice consists primarily of an active car processing plane and an inactive,

partially demolished, coke manufacCuring plant. The car and coke planes arelocated on alluvial cerraces which are primarily comprised of unconsolidated

sand and gravel deposited by the ancestral Ohio River. These alluvial de-posits, which are the primary aquifer in this region, are thickest in the

northern part of the site and gradually thin coward Ice Creek. The alluvial

aquifer overlies Pennsylvanian Age bedrock which has a relatively flat surface

beneath the site. The bedrock is competent and has a low Co very low perme-ability. Three-dimensional cross sections depicting the subsurface geology of

Che site and surrounding area are presenced in Figures 1-2 and 1-3.

The typical ground water table configuration in the alluvial aquifer beneachthe sice is presented in Figure 1-4. The site ground water system is re-charged from the north; discharge is primarily Co Ice Creek and Che OhioRiver, with a small flow component southeast Coward the Coal Grove well field.

Evaluation of the RI data base has identified six site-associated contaminantsources that have che potential to impact off-site recepcors:

I Coke plant lagoon areaGoidcamp disposal sitePast leakage from the anthracene production unitResidual contaminants in Well TPPW-1Leakage from Ice CreekUndefined source near Wells C-3 and T-ll.

Contaminant migration pathways analysis from chese sources has identified sixpotencial receptors of site-associaCed contaminants:

Ice CreekCoal Grove municipal wellsOhio RiverIronton public water supply intakeAmcast production wellsThe atmosphere.

Ice Creek has been a recepcor of site-associated contaminants since the cokeplane began operating in 1917. One objective of the remedial investigationwas therefore to determine the effect of contaminant discharges on Ice Creek

waCer quality, sediments, and Che aquatic ecosystem. Additionally, because ofthe good hydraulic connection between che sides of Che creek channel and the

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aquifer, the effect of the discharge of contaminants to Ice Creek on water

quality at the Coal Grove well field was investigated.

Site-associated sources that currently contribute contaminants to Ice Creekinclude the coke plant lagoons and an undefined source near Wells C-3 andT-ll. The determination of the lagoon area and the area near Wells C-3 andT-ll as contaminant sources was based on contaminant dispersion simulations

correlated with chemical analyses of ground waters, surface waters, andwastes. This evaluation indicates that contaminants are migrating from thelagoon area to Ice Creek at relatively low concentrations. Contaminantsderived from the source located near Wells C-3 and T-ll discharge primarily to

the Ohio River and to a lesser degree directly to Ice Creek.

Chemical analyses of Ice Creek surface water samples collected by Battelle• during field investigtions in support of the Endangerment Assessment indicate

the presence of ammonia and chloride but at very low or non-quantifiable• concentrations of organic compounds or other parameters representative of

wastes present at the site (indicator parameters). The presence of ammonia

I and chloride is primarily due to discharges of sewage to the creek.

Contaminants associated with past coke plant operations have been detected atseveral locations in the creek bed sediments, particularly locations where

j| former coke plant wastewater discharges entered Ice Creek. Permeability test

results indicate that these sediments (the lower reach of Ice Creek) have a

V relatively low average permeability. The results of column leach tests ofsediment samples suggest that the organic contaminants are relatively

I immobilized in the sediments and leaching of the contaminants occurs at verylow rates. Additional information on the effect of contaminant discharges on

• Ice Creek surface water quality and the aquatic ecosystem is contained in the

P Battelle "Aquatic Ecological Study Report," (Battelle, 1984 Addendum to D. B.

Menzel and K. L. Dickson, et. alt 1985).

The Coal Grove well field is located south of Ice Creek. The hydrology and• hydrogeology of the site and surrounding area indicate that the Coal Grove

wells are potential receptors of site-associated contaminants. Extensive• chemical analyses of the Coal Grove well field discharge during Phases I and

II of the RI detected very low concentrations of a few of these contaminants.

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1( Discharge from the well field consists of ground water flow derived from the

following areas: the aquifer southeast of the well field, recharge from theOhio River, leakage from Ice Creek, and aquifer underflow from the site

I beneath Ice Creek (Figure 1-5). Of these, leakage from Ice Creek and rechargefrom the Ohio River currently have the greatest potential to affect water

1 quality at the Coal Grove Well field.

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• The results of the computer simulation of ground water flow indicate that

leakage from Ice Creek accounts for approximately 27 percent of the water

discharged at the Coal Grove well field, and that the primary pathway for

leakage from the creek is through the channel sides where lower-permeability

sediments are believed to be fairly thin or absent. Because little flow toI the Coal Grove well field is attributable to infiltration through the creek

bed sediments, leaching of contaminants from the sediments to the ground waterI is minimal. Contaminants contained in leakage through the channel sides and

from the creek bed sediments will reach the Coal Grove well field, but theultimate concentrations of these chemical constituents in the well fielddischarge will be affected by flow contributions from other areas.

The flow balance calculated from the computer simulations of ground water flowindicate that approximately 29 percent of the water discharged from the CoalGrove well field is derived from the Ohio River. Analyses of water quality

samples collected from the Ohio River adjacent to the well field indicate thepresence of cyanide, phenolics, benzene, and naphthalene at relatively lowconcentrations. Although contaminants derived from the Ohio River will reachthe well field, the concentrations of these contaminants in the well fielddischarge will be affected by flow contributions from other areas.

The flow balance indicates that approximately 41 percent of the water dis-charged from the Coal Grove well field is derived from the aquifer in the area

southeast of the well field. Ground water samples collected from this area(Wells MW-7 and MW-1Q) show trace concentrations of several volatile and base-neutral extractable compounds. Sources of contaminants may exist southeast of

the well field, however, the actual source of the contaminants detected isunknown.

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The remaining approximately three percent of the water discharged from the

Coal Grove well field is ground water in the alluvial aquifer migrating fromthe site beneath the Ice Creek bed -sediments.

The hydraulic connection between the Ohio River and the alluvial aquifer

underlying the site, and the typical ground water gradient toward the river,

result in the ground water discharge of site-derived chemical constituents to

the river. Identified sources that may result in contaminant loading to theriver include the Goldcamp disposal site, past discharges from the anthraceneproduction unit and residual tar processing materials in Well TPPW-1 at thetar plant, and an undefined source near Wells C-3 and T-ll.

The results of the analyses of ground water samples from the Goldcamp area and

the computer ground water simulations indicate that the northern end of thedisposal site is currently acting as a source of acid extractable, base-

neutral extractable, volatile organic, and inorganic constituents. Combinedwith the the dispersion analyses for transport of soluble constituents inground water from the disposal site, these analyses show that the relativelysoluble contaminants introduced to the ground water in the northern GoLdcamp

area discharge to the Ohio River. The denser-than-water, less soluble base-neutral compounds migrate downward to the bedrock/aquifer interface and areexpected to move toward bedrock depressions under the influence of gravity.

Based on observed water quality data and mass transport simulations, it isbelieved that in-situ residue from past leakage from the anthracene productionunit and an undefined source in the area of Wells C-3 and T-ll are activesources of several chemical constituents. The ground water flow patternindicates that the relatively soluble portion of these contaminants dischargesprimarily to the Ohio River.

The dispersion analyses for residual tar processing materials in Well TPPW-1

indicates that any relatively soluble chemical constituents dispersing fromthis area migrate toward the Ohio River and through the area in whichWell MW-18 is located. The observed water quality at Well MW-18, however,indicates that Well TPPW-1 may not currently be a source of these

contaminants.

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IEstimated contaminant mass Loadings from the site to the Ohio River, calcu-

§ lated based on observed ground water quality data and ground water flow simu-lation results, indicate there is no measurable impact on Ohio River water

1 quality. Analysis of Ohio River water quality data indicates that the sitedoes not have a measurable impact on the river.

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The city of Ironton, Ohio obtains its water supply directly from the Ohio

River; the river water intakes are approximately two miles downstream of thesite. The analysis referred to above indicates that the site does not have ameasurable impact on the City of Ironton water supply.

The Amcast (formerly Dayton Malleable Iron) ground water production wells arelocated north of the site between Third Street and the Ohio River. The pos-sibility of resumption of production at the Amcast plant and the proposed useof production wells 2 and 3 creates the potential for contamination of theAmcast wells by sources identified at the tar and coke plants and the Goldcampdisposal site. A preliminary analysis indicates that pumping these wells at

normal production rates would create a zone of influence in the aquifer thatwould include these sources. This creates the potential for contaminantsderived from these sources to migrate to the Amcast wells.

The disposal of hazardous wastes in surface impoundments creates the potentialfor gaseous emissions that may adversely affect air quality. Testing con-

ducted in Lagoon No. 5 and air monitoring conducted during the Phase II testpit program indicate that there is little, if any, negative impact on localair quality derived from waste present at the site.

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C E M E T E R Y R O A D B R I D G E

I C E C R E E KCOKE PL A N T -

T A R P L A N TLORAIN S T R E E T

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GROUND W A T E R LEVEL

F I G U R E 1 - 2

THREE DIMENSIONALC R O S S S E C T I O N I

PREPARED FOR

ALLIED CORPORATIONMORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

S I L T Y C L AY

S A N D A N D G R A V E L

B E D R O C K

W E L L S C R E E N

GHOUND W A T E H L E V E L

F I G U R E 1 -3

T H R E E D I M E N S I O N A LCROSS S E C T I O N H

PHEPAHEO FOR

ALLIED CORPORATIONMORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY

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C O A L GROVE WELLS

F I G U R E 1-4

RE PRE SENT AT IVE GROUND WATERTABLE AND FLOW PATHS

PREPARED TOR

Al I If {> COKfOHATJOM'j IOWIJ, f JLW JLICj tY

I P E R C E N T A G E S INDICATE THEP O R T I O N S OF W A T E R PUMPEDA T W E L L S C G - 3 A N D C G - 4DERIVED FROM V A R I O U S SOURCES

SA ND AND G R A V E L

Z P E R C E N T A G E S A R £ CALCUL A T E DFROM T H E V A L I D A T E D H O R I Z O N T A LF L O W S I M U L A T I O N A N D A R EH E P R E S E N T A T I V E O F A V E R A G EC O N D I T I O N S

FLOW FROMA Q U I F E R .

-:.. 41%' '

UNDERFLOWFROM SITE

COAL GROVE WELLS |

FLOW FROMOHIO R IVER

29%

SCHEMATIC OF F L O W COMPONENTSf -OK C O A L G R O V E WELL F l E l D

V E R T I C A L E X A G G E R A T I O N 2 5 XA L L I E D CORPORATION

MORRISTOWN.NEW J E R S E Y