EPA v. Industrial Chrome Plating

Case summary

Industrial Chrome Plating Site Summary - Sept. 19, 2005 Site Description The Industrial Chrome Plating (ICP) Time-Critical Removal Site is located at 6204 NE Hassalo Street, Portland, Oregon 97213. The removal site activities began in August 2001 and were completed by early December 2001. ICP processed various industrial metal components for clients utilizing a hard chrome plating method. The facility was located in a predominantly residential neighborhood on the southeast corner of NE 62nd Avenue and NE Hassalo Street in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Rifle Club and Deluxe Fuel are directly west of the site on the opposite side of NE 62nd Avenue. An unpaved outdoor storage lot (vehicles, trailers, boats) sits to the east of the plating facility and is surrounded by a chain-link security fence. Several residences lie to the north of the property along the north side of Hassalo Street. The southern boundary of the property borders a major transportation corridor which includes, from north to south, the Union Pacific rail tracks, the City of Portland?s Tri-Met public transportation tracks and Interstate 84. A swale runs east to west on the immediate southern edge of the property (between the site and the rail line) which carries surface water runoff in an area known as Sullivan Gulch. The property consisted of a main operations building and an outside storage area on 0.26 acres. The main building was separated into two parts with most of the plating tanks in the northern portion (including a 24-foot dip tank), and a few smaller plating tanks and an area for buffing and polishing parts in the southern portion. A small office occupied the northwest corner of the building. The south side of the property contained an asphalt driveway, a small patch of grass, and a large 75-foot cellular communications tower operated by Qwest Communications. A chain-link fence, which extends from the south side of the building, encloses the southern portion of the property. The ICP building may have been used as an auto body shop prior to being utilized as a chrome plating facility. The business initiated chrome plating operations in the late 1930s and continued plating parts using a hard chrome process until the business ceased operations in 2001. In the past, plating fluids were reportedly poured down floor drains within the building and into an outside dry well. The four drains within the building were within 10 feet of the east wall. These drains were believed to be connected to the storm sewer system that runs under Hassalo Street to the north of the building; however, the drains may have also connected to the dry well. The drains were plugged with concrete in 1992, according to the owner. The dry well, located at the southeast corner of the building, was paved over with concrete. Upon inspection by EPA in 2001, the concrete floor in the main operations building was severely corroded from chemical (acidic) spills. The concrete berms surrounding the plating tanks also were severely corroded. The former owner of ICP stated that they reused all of their plating fluids. Plating tanks were occasionally cleaned by pumping fluid into an empty tank and cleaning out sludge from the bottom of the tank (tub). The sludge was placed into drums and disposed of by a licensed disposal contractor. He stated that ICP generated only 25 gallons of waste every 3 months. A vapor recovery system was built to minimize vapors released during plating activities. The system drew vapors from the tanks into large tanks of water where the contaminants dissolve. Site Ownership Information concerning site ownership was provided by the owner, Walt Idler (now deceased, in 1999). ICP was founded at its present location about 1937 by Nicola and Dina Rossi. It was sold in 1957 to Joe and Virginia Briody. Harold Burkett became a partner with the Briodys sometime between 1957 and 1973. In 1973, the site was sold to Bob

Defendants (1)

• ICPNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• INDUSTRIAL CHROME PLATING INC

  6204 NE HASSALO ST, PORTLAND, OR, 97213

  Registry ID: 110004797532

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 122A — Agreement to Perform Work Under 104B
• CERCLA 104E2 — Information and/or Access

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• Industrial Chrome Platingentered 2006-09-13

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2005-10-12Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2006-03-09Complaint Filed/Proposed Order
• 2006-09-13Final Order Issued