Abstract |
The Frontier Hard Chrome (FHC) site, covering approximately one-half acre, is located in the City of Vancouver, Washington. The areal ground water is used as the drinking water supply for the City of Vancouver, which has two well fields within one mile of the site. Since 1955, the site has primarily been occupied by two companies engaged in the chrome plating business. Presently, the facility is being used as a storage and staging area for a neighboring business. During the operation of Pioneer and the initial operation of FHC, chromium plating wastes were discharged to the sanitary sewer system. In 1975, the City of Vancouver determined that the chromium in the wastewater from FHC was upsetting the operation of its new secondary treatment system. At that time, FHC began discharge of their untreated plating wastes to a dry well behind the facility. In 1976, Ecology permitted FHC to discharge to the dry well. In 1982, Ecology found FHC in violation of the Washington State Dangerous Waste Act for the illegal disposal of hazardous wastes, and in 1983 ordered FHC to stop discharging to the dry well. The selected remedial action for the site includes: ground water pump and treatment using selective media ion exchange to remove chromium, followed by carbon adsorption to remove VOC with discharge into the river or the city sanitary sewer; ground water monitoring. |