Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC, (Formerly: General Motors) in Martinsburg, West Virginia
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- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
In October 1993, EPA issued a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) administrative order directing the company to proceed with site cleanup in accordance with the Corrective Measures Alternative selected in EPA's August 3, 1992 RCRA Record of Decision (ROD) for the facility. EPA and the facility are working jointly to meet the remedial endpoints described in the order, which include:
- Reduction of naphthalene in the bedrock aquifer to the protective level of 0.400 parts per million (ppm).
- Removal of paint thinner that exists as free product in the clay soil and shallow bedrock near the source of the leak.
Cleanup Status
Releases from an above ground tank containing paint thinner had contaminated the soil and groundwater at the facility. To remediate the soil and groundwater, GMSPO has installed a remedial system consisting of a groundwater dewatering system with soil vapor extraction (SVE). The groundwater dewatering and treatment system was designed to lower and control the localized water table to enhance both dissolved and separate phase constituent removal , while enhancing the SVE system recovery of paint thinner. The remedial system has been in operation since July 1997. In January 2001, the remedial system was shut down for an initial test period to demonstrate compliance with the groundwater remedial endpoint. Based on initial compliance , the shut down was extended and the compliance data has been continually collected.
Based on the data submitted, EPA believes the first remedial endpoint has been met. That is, reduction of naphthalene in the bedrock aquifer to the protective level of 0.400 parts per million (ppm). The second endpoint will be met if General Motors can demonstrate that no free product has been observed in the shallow compliance wells for a period of three consecutive years. The last observed product in a well was November 2001. GMC continues to monitor the compliance wells, with the November 2004 as the end point for three consecutive years. In December 2004, GMC reported that it had achieved the second endpoint as required by the ROD.
A forty-five day public comment period was held in April -May 2005 over the Final Completion Determination. There were no comments received during this time. On May 23, 2005, EPA issued a "Final Determination of Corrective Action Complete without Controls" letter to the facility.
Site Description
Located in Martinsburg, West Virginia, GMSPO was built in 1968 as a general warehousing and packaging of automotive parts facility. The facility consists of approximately 300 acres with all production operations located in a two million square foot building. The site is bounded by Interstate 81 to the south and southeast, and by railroad lines to the north and west. GMSPO also operated a prime painting area and continued to operate a maintenance area at the facility until 2005. Hazardous waste were generated in the prime painting area and the maintenance areas.
The property surrounding GMSPO is primarily open agricultural land with some lightly populated residential areas nearby. There has been no public involvement since the remedy was selected and subsequently installed.
In October 2005, GMSPO sold the facility to Berkley Business Part Associates and Rubbermaid Commercial Products has operated the facility.
Contaminants at this Facility
The main contaminants in the groundwater are Benzene, Monochlorobenzene, 1,2 Dichlorethylene, Toluene, and 1,1 Dichloroethane.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional Controls were not required at the facility.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility is in continued use.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 with assistance from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.