EPA, RESA give timeline for Tremont City Barrel Fill cleanup; cleanup could span multiple seasons

Representatives from the U.S. EPA and Responsible Environmental Solutions Alliance (RESA) updated commissioners on the Tremont City Barrel Fill site, where drums containing hazardous materials were buried in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Adrian Palomeque, Community Involvement Coordinator with the U.S. EPA, said the team completed a 95% remedial design in June and received a 100% remedial design on Aug. 3 from potentially responsible parties. RESA’s Bob Rule said EPA has given permission to mobilize and begin preliminary non-intrusive site work (road and site upgrades) with equipment expected around mid-September.

Rule estimated approximately 51,000 buried drums remain and that drum removal will likely take three to four construction seasons. Liquids will be removed and sent off site for proper disposal (Rule cited incineration in Texas or Alabama for some liquids), while solids and less-contaminated soils will be placed in a constructed on-site cell and monitored in perpetuity under Subtitle C standards. The proposed cap design will use a double-liner system with leak detection, leachate collection, gas vents and a geosynthetic clay liner; RESA proposed using closure turf over the cap to reduce the need for truckloads of clean soil and ongoing mowing.

Commissioners asked about long-term monitoring and first-responder training; RESA indicated an emergency response plan and periodic monitoring (including five-year maintenance on the closure turf) are part of the remediation approach. Commissioners expressed appreciation for the progress and for coordination with EPA.