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AVTEX FIBERS

Front Royal, Virginia

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region III spacer.gif (810 bytes) Superfund Proposed Plan Fact Sheet spacer.gif (810 bytes) May 1999
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces

the Proposed Removal Action Plan (Proposed Plan) for closing three management units at the Avtex Fibers, Inc. Superfund Site in Front Royal. EPA has presented the Proposed Plan for public comment; the 30-day public-comment period ends July 2, 1999.

EPA will select a final cleanup plan after reviewing and considering comments received. Detailed information pertaining to the basin closure can be found in the Engineering Evaluation/ Cost Analysis (EE/CA)* report. A copy of the report, along with other pertinent documents, has been placed in the Administrative Record for this site, and is available for public review (see page 4 for location). The final cleanup plan will be described in a Request for Approval of Removal Action (Action Memorandum).

The Units Addressed

The three units addressed in the Proposed Plan were investigated and characterized during the 1993-1994 site investigation. The evaluation of ecological risks was finalized in 1999.
  • Sulfate Basins 1,2,3,4, 4E, and 5. The six sulfate basins (SBs) occupy approximately 80 acres. SBs 1—4E are located within the boundary of the 100-year flood plain of the Shenandoah River. The SBs, which rest on native soil, were used for disposal of an estimated 936,000 cubic yards of sulfate sludge. The sludge contains 20 percent zinc, as well as pyrene and metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and nickel.
  • Wastewater Treatment Plant Basins, including the Emergency Lagoon and two polishing basins. The Waste-water Treatment Plant Basins (WWBs) are located on four acres within the 100-year flood plain, and are built on native soil. The WWBs contain 29,000 cubic yards of sludge and contain the same contaminants as the SBs.
  • Fly Ash Basins l, 2, 3, and 6 and Stockpile. The fly ash (FA) basins and stockpile were used for disposal of an estimated 1,300,000 cubic yards of fly ash. The fly ash contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc.

FMC Corporation, the potentially responsible party, performed a risk assessment to determine the potential risks to human health associated with the sulfate sludges and fly ash waste. The results indicated that there are no unacceptable risks to human health from

 exposure to the sulfate sludge or fly ash. EPA studied ecological risks. Results indicate that the fly ash and sludge —particularly

Continued on page 2.

We Want To Hear From You

EPA relies on Community input when making decisions about a Superfund Site to ensure that the selected response action addresses community concern.

On May 29, 1999, EPA opened a public comment period Interested parties may comment on the Proposed Plan until July 2, 1999.

EPA will hold a public meeting to present the Proposed Plan and to address questions and concerns. The public meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on June 17,1999, at the Town Hall Council Chambers, 16 N. Royal Ave. in Front Royal. (Call (540) 635-807 for more detailed directions.)

EPA will summarize and address all comments received at the public meeting and written comments postmarked by July 2, 1999, in an Action Memorandum. The Action Memorandum will document EPA’s final selection of the closure plan for the three management units, and will be available to the public in the Administrative Record file at the information repository.

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