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EPA Invites Public Comment on Plans for Slag Piles and Landfills at RSR Site

Release Date: 7/3/1997
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

Starting today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting comments from the public on the Administrative Record and the Proposed Plan to remedy contamination at three slag piles and landfills at the RSR Corporation Superfund site in west Dallas. The three slag piles and landfills are known as the Westmoreland Road property, the Walton Walker property, and the Claibourne Boulevard property. As part of the program to involve the public in all phases of Superfund activities at the site, EPA has scheduled a meeting on Thursday, July 24, 1997, at 7:00 p.m., to inform residents about the plans and to obtain their comments. The meeting will be held at the Marillac Social Center, 2827 Lapsley, in west Dallas.

EPA's Proposed Plan describes the alternative remedies evaluated for each of the three properties and explains the basis for EPA's recommendations. The preferred remedy for removing health hazards from contamination at each site is as follows: removal and off-site disposal for the Westmoreland Road property; installing a protective cap and monitoring for the Walton Walker Property; and installing a protective cap, removal, and monitoring for the Claibourne Boulevard property.

EPA believes its preferred remedies for the three sites will best protect human health and the environment. However, EPA will not make its final decision until after the public comment period closes on August 4, 1997. Interested citizens can request a copy of the Proposed Plan from Olivia Rodriguez Balandran, EPA's Community Relations Coordinator (6SF-PO), U.S. EPA Region 6, 1445 Ross Ave., Dallas, TX 75202-2733. The plan summarizes the analysis of each alternative remedy and explains the rationale for EPA's preferred methods

People can have their comments included in the official Administrative Record at the Public Meeting on July 24 or by submitting written comments during the public comment period from July 3 until August 4, 1997, to Ms. Balandran. The Administrative Record files, Proposed Plan, Record of Decision, fact sheets, and other information about the RSR Corporation Superfund site are available at the Dallas Public Library, West Dallas Branch, 2332 Singleton Blvd., Dallas, Texas 76212, (214) 670-6445, or at EPA's Region 6 Office.

The RSR Site is a very diverse area covering 13.6 acres including residential neighborhoods, public housing areas, and some industrial, commercial and retail businesses. For about 50 years, a secondary lead smelter operated there which contaminated the area with fallout from its air emissions. Other sources of contamination were lead slag and battery casing chips used by residents as fill material for driveways and yards, and smelter wastes which were disposed of in disposal areas, including landfills.

The RSR site was divided into five sections called Operable Units in order to prioritize areas where residents were likely to live and be exposed to contamination, so those areas could be studied and cleaned up quickly. By May of 1995, EPA and the Dallas Housing Authoring had removed the smelter contamination to safe levels in public and private residential areas, in the smelter facility area, and in other high risk areas.