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Hazardous Waste Cleanup: International Paper - Franklin Mill in Franklin, Virginia

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On March 14, 2003, International Paper and EPA entered into a Facility Lead Corrective Action Agreement.

    Cleanup Status

    On June 9, 2008 EPA issued the Final Decision of "corrective action complete with controls" to International Paper's Franklin Mill facility. The final remedy is implemented through a Hazardous Waste Management Post-Closure and Facility-Wide Corrective Action Permit (Permit), issued by Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on September 23, 2008, and made effective on October 23, 2008.

    Conditions of the Permit allow International Paper to request a reduction in the requirements of the groundwater monitoring program over time based on three consecutive years of analytical data for each monitoring point. In 2009, DEQ approved permit modifications to implement reductions to the groundwater monitoring requirements of the Permit in accordance with this condition. Institutional Controls implemented as part of the final remedy at the Franklin Mill include land use deed restrictions which were filed with the local municipalities in June 2010. These restrictions prohibit residential use of the property; limit the use of the groundwater from the upper aquifer; and prohibit the disturbance of the cap on the former Highground Disposal Area.

    International Paper's Franklin Mill conducts a community outreach program as part of its normal operations. International Paper submitted a Community Relations Plan, as required under the Facility Lead Agreement.

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    Site Description

    Interactive Map of International Paper - Franklin Mill, Franklin, VA

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    International Paper (formerly Union Camp Corporation) operates an integrated Kraft pulp and paper mill in Franklin, Virginia. The site is located on the Blackwater River in Isle of Wight County, eight miles from the North Carolina border. Types of paper manufactured at the Mill include offset paper, postcard paper, one-sided coated paper which is later converted into book covers, envelope paper, brown Kraft envelope paper, Kraft bag paper, office paper and forms paper. The operation is fully integrated, from the manufacture of bleached pulp (using chlorine-free processes) to the production of paper and the conversion of that paper into customer-sized rolls and sheets. The wood resource is converted into bleached pulp in the Pulp Mill/Bleach Plant with the by-products of the process converted into saleable chemicals. The Mill also utilizes recycled content from an on-site recycling plant.

    International Paper also assessed two specialty chemical plants, the Lumber Mill, and the Effluent Treatment System C and D Ponds. The specialty plants (Air Products and Specialty Minerals) and the Lumber Mill are located north of the main process area of the paper mill. The C and D "hold-and-release ponds" are located 3.5 miles to the south of the Franklin Mill and are connected to the Mill by pipeline.

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    Contaminants at this Facility

    Based on a review of the Risk Assessments, EPA concluded that there are no risks regarding on-site soils and there are no known imminent threats to human health or the environment from International Paper's Franklin Mill facility. The facility continues to monitor groundwater with exceedances above media cleanup targets at six locations for metals and at one location for benzene

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    Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

    Institutional /Engineering Control Summary
    Restrictions or Controls that Address: Yes No
    Groundwater Use
    X
     
    Residential Use
    X
     
    Excavation
     
    X
    Vapor Intrusion
     
    X
    Capped Area(s)
    X
     
    Other Engineering Controls
    X
     
    Other Restrictions
     
    X

    Institutional Controls implemented as part of the final remedy at the Franklin Mill include land use deed restrictions which were filed with the local municipalities in June 2010. These restrictions include:

    • Prohibition of residential use of the property
    • Limit the use of the groundwater from the upper aquifer to non potable purposes
    • Prohibit the disturbance of the cap on the former Highground Disposal Area (SWMU 5 - Landfill).
    • Implementation of a groundwater monitoring program until the final clean-up targets for groundwater are met.

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    Land Reuse Information at this Facility

    The EPA has determined that this facility is ready for its current and anticipated use with some activities and use restrictions and that the mechanism implementing those restrictions is in place. 
     

    The facility is under continued use.

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    Site Responsibility at this Facility

    Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from the Virginia DEQ.

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