NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
May 6, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 204
For more information contact Timothy Ratsep, Site Investigation and Remediation Branch, 302-395-2600, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.
DNREC to Hold May 29 Public Hearing on Cleanup Plan for Millsboro Landfill Site
The DNREC Site Investigation and Remediation Branch (SIRB) will hold a public hearing on a proposed cleanup plan for the Burton Island Old Ash Landfill at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 29 at the Town of Millsboro Civic Center, 322 Wilson Highway, Millsboro.
The 144.23-acre site is located at the confluence of Indian River and Island Creek on the property of the Indian River Generating Station (IRGS), in Millsboro, Sussex County. IRGS is an active coal-fired electrical generating facility which has operated from 1957 through the present. The previous plant owner-operator, Delmarva Power & Light Company, used the Burton Island Landfill for coal ash disposal from 1957 to 1979.
The site consists of three operable units: the shoreline, intertidal zone and vicinity within the footprint of the portion of the erosion control project surrounding the landfill; the landfill/land areas inside the project footprint; and the subtidal sediments and the waters outside the project footprint. The present proposed plan addresses only the first and third units; remedial measures for the landfill/land areas will be addressed in a separate proposed plan at a later date.
Environmental contamination occurred at the site as a result of disposal of coal ash into tidal wetlands and subaqueous lands and subsequent erosion of the ash into surface waters and sediments. The current site owner/operator, Indian River Power LLC, an affiliate of NRG Energy, entered into a voluntary cleanup program agreement with SIRB to investigate the site. Shaw Environmental, Inc., conducted a facility evaluation on all three areas on behalf of NRG and Indian River Power.
Soils, sediments, shallow groundwater and surface water were found to be contaminated by metals commonly associated with coal ash from electric generating plants, including arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, vanadium and zinc.
Based on the results of the investigation, DNREC recommends installation of erosion control/bank stabilization measures along the first area. The proposed erosion control measures consist of: installation of armor stone and large concrete blocks underlain by geotextile synthetic fabric along the shorelines of Burton Island, and enhancement or creation of tidal marsh along shoreline areas where wave energies are sufficiently low to permit its survival.
DNREC proposes no further action with respect to the third area.
For further details regarding the proposed plan, a copy is available at the Millsboro Public Library, 217 West State Street, Millsboro, or at the office of DNREC–SIRB, 391 Lukens Drive, New Castle. The proposed plan is also posted at www.dnrec.state.de.us/dnrec2000/Divisions/AWM/sirb/ under the subject “Announcements.”
For site specific information, please visit DNREC’s superfund site files database at www.dnrec.state.de.us/dnrec2000/Divisions/AWM/sirb/sitefiles.asp.
Written comments on the proposed plan will be accepted now through Tuesday, June 3, 2008, and should be submitted to Gregory DeCowsky at DNREC-SIRB’s address, 391 Lukens Drive, New Castle, DE 19720.
For additional information, please contact Gregory DeCowsky at 302-395-2600.
