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'Robert JC . auaaaan , laq. Deputy Adainiatrator United ltata lnvironaantal Protection Aqancy 401 JC Street, a. w. Mail Coda A101 Waabinqton, D.C. 20UO

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Tbia latter 1a bainq vrittan on behalf of Aaarican cyanaaid Ca.paay, Aabland Ch-ical, Inc., GAP Corporation, General lleotric COIIPIDY, Jlonaanto Co.pany, and Roba and Haaa, (tha •ca.paaiaa•) vith raapect to tha Propoa.cl Plan (•Plan•) for ....Sial Action bauecl in July ltll by Jte9ion I for tba Picillo Fan lu.pertund lite in Coventry, Jthoda Uland. You bava praviouely receiv.S a latter froa ona of tba co.paniaa, CAP, 9tnerally diacuadnt~ thia dta •• an axaapla of a failure of the C!RCU. r..acly aalaction proc:••• ·

Tba Plan contaaplataa a $U aUlion raaedy for a alta that Rec,ion I •9r••• praaanta no currant actual rbk. Tha aola baaia for tba r...Sy ia tha concluaion that an unacceptable riak vould aKiat it raaidantial davalopaent of thb forMr pi9 fan occurred in tha future and if, in conjunction with davalop..nt, drinklrl9 vatar valb wa:t·o. inatalla4 on tha alta it•alt (or on a narrow atrip ot land betvaan it and an adjacent avaap) or it the avaap vera uaecl •• a aourca of dr1nkinqo vatar . Tha coapaniea aaaart that tha aaauption of future raaidantial davalopaant 1a unaupportad and unaupportabla.

Tha Co.paniea filed a ti..ly co...nt (tha "Co-ant•) on tha Plan oppoainq tha aalaction of tha raaady. A copy of tha co...nt 1• ancloaad . wa hava ..kad to aaat vith Raqion I to ·.! 1~ct.1•~ cw.1· concarna but tha R19ion haa foracloaad auch a ~c:c,unq. We undaratand tha Ra;ion 1• plaMinq to iaaua a Ro~cord of Daciaion by Saptaaber lO, U!!ill . Reqion I did aqraa to allow ua to auba1t additional vrittan co...nta for i nclulion into tha Ad.ainiatrat1va Racord. wa ara planning to aubait auch additional co-ants by Saptaabar 17, 1991.

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lobert Jl. . Sueaaan, Eaq. Sept.-.r 10, lttl Paqe 2

'rhe coapani.. all have had autlatan~ial experience with C!RCIA and financially have aupported doaana of Superfund r..adiaa . In only vary tav inatancea have any or thea• Coapaniea aoU9ht 1•1. Headq\lartar'a intervention . Aa the co...nt indicatea, the Co.paniea dba9rH with the ra-..cty tor varioua reaaona. wa realiae, bov.ver , that aoat of the iaauaa we have raiaed are not appropriate for Headquartara review. Thua, we are aaakiftiJ your aaahtanoe only with reapect to the aaauaption or future land uae upon vhicb the n.-d tor the r..acSy h praaiaeci. You have taatitiacl conce.mifti'J land uaa a..uaptiona and spparantly th-y will be the aubjact or new Aqancy Guidance thia Pall.

The NCP Praaable aakaa clear that rhk aaaaaa..nta r elatint" to future axpoaure auat be baaed on future land uaea that reaaonably ..y be expected. Praaabla, 55 Pad. R•9· 16U, 1110 (lttO). Accordinqly, the Guidance on Riak Charactarhation for Riak Kana9era ancl Aaaaaaon (2/U at 13) atat.. that axpoaura aaaaaaMnta abOUld tocua on •raal world" anvironuntal acenarioa . ~

Conaiatent with thia , EPA Guidance require• that naaau.ptiona with reapect to future land uaa be baaed on aita

apecitic tactora . Tba ahk Aaaeaa•nt Guidance ror Superfund

Volu.e I t Huaan Health Evaluation Manual I Suppla-ntal Cuiclance =

•standard Defined !xpoaura Pactora" (Intaria Final, l/25/91 at 5) ca= atataa1

In detaninin9 the potential tor future reaidantial land. uae, the RPM ahould conaidar : hiatorical land uaa, auitability t or r .. idential clavelopMntl and. lancl uaa tranda .

Realiatio, aite-apecUic riak aaaaaa-nta are critical to detar.inint vhathar a rallady 1a required ;mel, it ao, what ita natura ahould be . Your June 23, lttl taatt.ony bator• the Subca.aitt.. Oft Tranaportation ancl Haaardoua Materiala ot the coaittae on &ner"9Y and ca-arca correctly atat.. that •unrealiatic aaau.aptiona about future land uae could aiqnificantly incraa•• the coata of cleanup without couanaurate benefit."

'rhe Coapani•• be1 !eva that thia ai ta rapraaanta one of the aoat acJreqioua axkapl~:' ol riak aaaaaa..nt run aauck. The only ba.aia tor the ut.uaption ot future reaidantial davelopMnt cited i n the Rhk AaaeaaMnt tor the Picillo alta 1a that the property ia acned rural-raaidential ancl that aoM houaaa have bean built in the vicinity of the aite . However , the facta that hou••• have been built in the area and that the alta 1a zoned ao .._) that houaaa could be built there b89 the qu..tion of whether

I.ODert 11. lu.a-.n, laq. l~t.-.r 10, lttl Paqe l

davelopaent of the Picillo dte can reaaonably be expected . The aiak ua.._..t never conaidered whether thh aite (or the narrow etrip of dry land d0V1"19radiant of it) h auitable for reaiclentiel develo,..nt. If it had done ao, it voulcl have concluded that davelos-ent of the land would be hiqhly unlikely even if it never vere a CDCU aite Decauae of the nature of the terrain, the inaccaaaitliility of the aite to public roada and utilitiaa, and tha tact that ace••• to the dta could be obtained only by buildinq a road ac::roaa land that the State baa dadqnatad part of a vatlanda ar... Thie would require a parait. :f the aort that h aKpauiva to puraua and which aeldoa ia 9rantad .

Thaaa tacton all ditfarantiata the Picillo aita fro• property in the vanaral vicinity vhare davalopaant haa occurred . Thay would ..u devalopaent of tha Picillo aita prohibitively axpauiva and unlikely, particularly vhan there are larfie tncta

~!w::~pn~'td;: ::e.::::i::•::, ~~~11:::-~: :o;;:n v:~;:, b:f far aw:c::aaafu.l, vould clean up property that h unlikely aver to be developed. ia anathaaa to our Coapaniea and ahould be unacceptable to UIIPA.

We would appreciate either a ..atinq with you or the ...ion aa aoon aa poaaibla to dbcu•• thia. A.a ..ntioned aboVe, va underatand that Reqion I plana to i ..ua a ROD by Saptallber JO . Wa would hope that, at a aini•ua, i ..uanc::a can be delayed ao that our concama can rec::aiva fair conaidaration at Headquartara, eapecially in li9ht of tha upcoainq Guidance. No ona contend• that there ia any currant rbk uaociatad with thia site ao there ia no urtJancy raquirinq a ROD to ba i ..uad thia month.

Tha C011p8Jliaa aubaittad a detailed report of a local davalopar vith their co...nt to aupport theae facta,

1 A dac::iaion to i•plaHnt a $16 ailUon reaady becauae of the pouibility of future raaidantial devalopaent would be particul.arly i•prudant and vaateful. qivan the l'IEdl Ukdihood that the aita qroundvatar evar could ba ~.:uaned up to tha point where davalos-ant would ba poaaibla. The raaaibility study atatea fraa phaea liquid• {DifAPU) probably reaain at tha dte and the Propoead Plan acknovladqea that it DNAPLe exiat, drinkinq water atandarde aiqbt not be aet in tha tor..eaable future. (Sa• PRP Coaent at 21-22) .

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aobert. • · aua_,. , l!aq. Sept.-.r 10, Utl PaCJe 4

Plaaaa contact David 1 . crahaa, l!aq., Aahhnd.'a counael at 202/3U-t1l'J' it you vieh to achedula a ..etinq or it you vbh to dheu•• thie aatter in turther detail .

Very truly youn,

on behalf ofl

GU' CCIPOU.'!'IOI

;:...N•Y~"-f+::'s uPiien if . LIHnakare, !aq . s enior Uti9ation couneel

MilllU!I ) ;;,!+ (TQ\1 Michael o. Scott, !aq . Aeaociate General counael -l!nv irouental

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barcode: *575262*barcodetext: SDMS Doc ID 575262