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U.S. EPA BEGINS SOIL CLEANUP AT FRESNO DRUMS SITE

Release Date: 5/28/1998
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

     (San Francisco) -- Using an innovative treatment for lead-contaminated soils, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun the cleanup of surface soils at the Fresno Drums Site in Fresno, Calif.

     About 2,000 tons of soil -- contaminated to a depth of about six inches -- will be excavated from 733 South Hughes Ave. and 700 South Hughes Ave. Soils targeted for cleanup contain lead concentrations between 400 and 2,390 parts per million (ppm). An agent will be added that chemically converts the lead to lead phosphate, a naturally-occurring element that is highly insoluble and will not leach into groundwater.

     EPA will test the treated soil and soil that contains greater than 1,000 ppm of leachable lead will be disposed of at a permitted hazardous waste disposal facility. Soil that meets the nonhazardous criteria will be considered by EPA for reuse as fill for paved roadway construction and landfill covers. Reusing nonhazardous soil is an alternative to placing the soil in a municipal landfill, which adds to the burden of waste at these landfills.

     The U.S. EPA will also close an improperly constructed well on the site, which appears to be a conduit for the migration of contaminants to groundwater.

     The Fresno Drums Site was owned by Fresno Industrial Supplies which bought and soil military surplus items, including paints and chemical products, during a 40-year period. The company closed in 1994. In 1996, U.S. EPA treated and disposed of over 4,500 leaking drums and containers of toxic wastes. The soils and groundwater investigation began in April 1997.

      The cleanup work is being conducted under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known as Superfund.

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