The Northern Virginia Daily

Article date: August 31, 1996

 On-site disposal of Avtex debris is still a possibility

By: Diane Hartson

Although a consultant's report on 30 acres of buildings at the Avtex Fibers plant in Front Royal paints a grim portrait of contaminated structures in imminent danger of collapse, on-site disposal of materials from the buildings is still being considered, officials said Friday.

Roy F. Weston Inc. was hired by the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate numerous buildings recommended for demolition by an earlier consultant after officials from the town and FMC Corp. objected to the earlier plan, which recommended that debris from the buildings be placed in an on-site sealed landfill.

The new report concludes that some of the buildings can be cleaned instead of being razed, but urges demolition of several structures. It makes no recommendations on disposal of debris.

But a loose sheet included with the report titled "EPA Region III Avtex Fibers Superfund Site Building Update -- August 1996" concludes that "disposal may be on-site or off-site. On-site disposal may only occur west of the railroad tracks."

The section of the Avtex site west of the railroad is adjacent to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.

"Disposal must meet the appropriate commonwealth of Virginia's siting requirements and technical standards," the building update says. "Disposal shall comply with the EPA's Resource Conservation and Resource Act land disposal restrictions."

Town Manager M. Lyle Lacy said Friday that EPA officials told him and Mayor George E. Banks last week that on-site disposal is still a possibility.

Town Council members have showed little enthusiasm for that proposal.

FMC, which as a former owner of the plant is responsible for part of the cleanup, proposed that alternatives to demolition and on-site disposal be considered.

The Weston report, which was commissioned "as a goodwill gesture to the community of Front Royal," recommends that several areas included in the original demolition recommendation be cleaned up instead.

Those include the shipping, soda processing, pulp storage and polymer plant in section I; slashing in section II; the zinc recovery and acid and zinc storage in Section V; the viscose cellar, soda press, mercerizing, dialyzer room, cooker room, and lead and paint shops in section VI; and the compressor room and filter house in section VII.

Recommended for dismantling are the viscose cellar, churn and mix and acid heat areas in section I; all of section III; the fan house, stack and offices and rooms on the west corridor in section IV; the cooling tower in section V, the churn and mix, department 26, soda dissolving, soda unloading, garage, machine and electric shops, locker room, cafeteria, lead shop and viscose cellar in section VI; and the sulfuric acid conveyance line from the former Allied plant to the former acid storage areas.

The consultant found that some of the structures' foundations have been eaten away by corrosive materials used in the buildings, by ground water or by a combination of both.

It also found steel beams in some structures have been weakened or destroyed by corrosive chemicals.

"The chemical hazards present within (some buildings) in combination with their structural decay, present the threat of an uncontrolled release of hazardous materials into the environment,” the report says.

In its analysis of the viscose cellar in section III -- the report recommends “destruction of that section entirely” -- the consultant found that the structural steel was seriously weakened and in some areas has failed, putting additional stress on the weakened members. "This situation can also result in the uncontrolled release of hazardous substances into the environment, such as viscose, caustic soda and other substances," the report says.

The stack shows signs of deterioration in its masonry and, if it's located near areas where the consultant observed sinkholes or other problems in the ground on site, "the stack could lean considerably to the point of catastrophic collapse," the report says. "In this event, the threat to the structural integrity of the facility and the health and safety of on-site remedial personnel would be devastating. There would also be the potential of an uncontrolled hazardous release of contaminants on a very large scale."

The consultant also recommends that several areas rated as "medium chemical hazard" be upgraded to "high chemical hazard because of the dynamic conditions at this site."

The consultant warns that the inspection of some areas of the site may not have been adequate because they were inaccessible due to flooding and lighting was inadequate.

Water more than 5 feet deep flooded a portion of section I, the report says.