Discussion

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Public Health Assessment Public Comment Release

Ward Transformer NPL Site

Also in the main yard is a burnoff oven (similar to an incinerator), which was installed in 1973

and burned transformer oil in the past.

Before 1972, surface water runoff flowed overland to intermittent streams west and south of the

facility. In 1972, two unlined lagoons were built in a fenced area immediately west of the main

yard of the site for stormwater retention. A National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

(NPDES) permitted stormwater treatment plant and curbs to direct all stormwater runoff from

the facility to the lagoons were installed in 1979. This treatment plant removes PCBs from water

in the stormwater lagoon before releasing it to an unnamed stream that joins Little Brier Creek to

the west and eventually flows into Lake Crabtree about 2 miles west and south of the site. The

site is in compliance with its NPDES permit requirements.

PCBs have been measured in sediments and surface water in and around the creek more than a

mile downstream of the site. The nearest downstream residences are approximately 1 mile

downstream of the site; the residences appear to be at a higher elevation than the creek.

Groundwater is thought to flow toward the creeks. The only drinking water use of groundwater

identified near the site was at a business located immediately north of the site. Employees of this

business used an onsite drinking water well until 1995. The facility has been connected to the

municipal water supply since April 1995.

Discussion

Data Used

The data used in this evaluation came from the following sources:

C Sampling of soil, sediment, and incinerator ash as part of the 1998 Expanded Site Inspection

(ESI) performed by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources

(NCDENR) [1]. The ESI Report also presented results of soil and sediment sampling from

past investigations, including the 1995 Site Inspection by the North Carolina Superfund

Section, a 1993 Removal Investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),

and sampling in the late 1970s by the EPA.

C Sampling of soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and fish as part of the 2003 remedial

investigation by EPA. EPA's contractor provided the data through the Remedial Investigation

and Risk Assessment report revised in May 2004 [4].

The conclusions reached in this document are based on the data available at the time and might

be modified on the basis of results of additional samples collected in the future.

ATSDR staff (Jill Dyken, Shan-Ching Tsai, Ruby Palmer, and Benjamin Moore) visited the site

in March 2003. A walk-through to observe the main features of the site was conducted with EPA

representatives (Luis Flores and Diane Barrett) and EPA contractors. The team observed the

following: