Document rxYNVMRg32nq8yNpMmGKM2NOE

STRICTLY LYT'TLO. CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCLC ' 1 r CTR'DUTOD OUTSIDE THE company. ir:c;c: the company, recipient MUST HAVE A SPECIFIC NEED FOR THE INFOR MATION IN THE CONDUCT -OF HIS ASSIGNED, RESPONSIBILITIES. .. PRELIMINARY REPORT OF INERTEEN ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY AT SOUTH BOSTON TRANSFORMER PLANT Prepared by: T. 0. Munson Manager Aquatic Biology Westinghouse Ocean Research Laboratory March 9, 1972 DISTRIBUTION K. E. Shoupp Vice President Research and Development Center J. C. R. Kelly, Jr. Director Ocean Research Laboratory V*B. A. Kerns Manager Environmental Control Headquarters Works Engineering C. L. Armour Manager Aquatic Biology Environmental Systems Department E. Boquist Headquarters Engineering G. C. Wilbem Manager Engineering Power Transformer Plant D. A. Regar Manager Facilities Engineering and Quality Control Power Transformer Plant L. E. Skerls Facilities Engineering and Quality Control Power Transformer Plant P L A IN T IF F S U EXHIBIT V 1112. 716957 PRELIMINARY REPORT OP IXERTEEX ENVI RCNNEXTAL SURVEY AT SOUTH BOSTON TRANSFORMER PLANT I. Background In NLircr., 1971, Dr. R. Hughes of the hestinghouse Environmental Systems Department anu I visited the South Boston facility and outlined a sampling program to determine the leakage (if any) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's tradename Ir.erteen) to the environment around the plant. As we discussed at that meeting, because of the many state and federal'pesticide monitoring pro grams underway or planned, and because of the growing concern over environ mental contamination by PCB, we felt it highly likely that any leakage of PCS from IVestinghouse plants would eventually be discovered, he felt that the plants would be in a more favorable legal position if necessary correctiv measures had been taken or were underway at the time that any leakages were discovered. At the tine of our visit we were attempting to gain the necessary finan cial support for the program on a plant-by-plant basis. At that time, the South Boston management felt that the 1-dash research money for the year was firmly committed ana that the program was too expensive to be supported as a direct expense. The program began in June when Dr. Shoupp arranged the support from Research monies, but, prior to this time, South 5cston personnel sent a few samples to Monsanto Chemical Company for analysis, a service which Monsanto provides free (on a limited basis) to their principle customers. At the end of July, 1971, Kestinghouse Ocean Research Laboratory personn -1- 716958 took samples around the plant and the surrounding area. The analytical phase of tiie program fell far behind schedule due to an expended work load from other commitments, but in late September sufficient data had accumulated, to indicate substantial leakage to the environment from the plant. Upon receipt of the data, South Boston personnel, in December, shut off flow to an oil skinner tank which appeared to be the principle leak via an overflow citch into Lawson's Creek (which eventually leads to the John Kerr Reservoir via the Dan River) . During the summer of 1971, as part of a state or federal routine pesti cide monitoring'program,, fish and sediment samples from the John Kerr Reserv'd were analyzed and found to have high levels of PCB's. This information was communicated to the Virginia State Water Control Board which secured funds from the state legislature for a program to determine the sources of the PCB's in the Kerr Reservoir. As part of this study, a state official visited the South Boston plant and took sediment core samples from the oil skimmer overflow ditch and Lawson's Creek. These samples have not yet been analyzed. II. Results and Discussion The data from the samples that have been analyzed are presented in figure 1 and 2 (procedures and calculations are contained in Westinghouse Permanent Record Book #202932). All of the samples in figure 1 gave chromatograms which were identical with those of Inerteen (Aroclor 1242) taken from the storage tank at the South Boston plant. At the time of sampling, it was thought that the only probable leak would be from the oil skimmer tank. It is clear, however, that the twe 2- - -00123252- 716959 ditches also receive leaked Inerteen. The leak to the ditch from vhicn sample 2J was taken appears to have contaminated the clarts taken from a n flowing branch of Lawson's Creek. This leak may also have contaminated s pie 5 which is upstream from the oil skimmer overflow input, but this pci is not clear because at times of high flow, the waters of the Dan Diver back up into Lawson's Creek and flood this area* The low values of the sediment samples in Lawson's Creek may not be a good indication of the am cf material leaving the site because of the large amount of dilution that n,.iy mike phico u;ul because large iunounts of sedimenl way Ik : moved awny ly the creek. By the sane token, tlie extremely high value from the sediment of the cil skinner overflow ditch may not be represented because apparent veiy little.sediment transport takes place and leaking Inerteen probably bathes the same sediment particles over long periods of. time. The same rationale applies to the two ditch samples. Although considerable effort was expended at the time cf sampling, clams were obtained at only the one site indicated. F.vcn though it would be very difficult to prove, several 'observations indicate that the Inerts leakage may have, had a detrimental effect on the clams. Although many en shells were found, no live clams were found anywhere except at the one si above the overflow ditch input. The only shells found were those of old clams which had reached maturity' before the South Boston plant was built. Had a natural catastrophe caused the death of an otherwise healthy popult shells at all stages of growth should have been observed. The first inpu of Inerteen to the system may have killed the younger, more suseptible me bers of the population and prevented production of young in later seasons Later, when the accutulated cose was high enough, the adult population ma 716960 also have died. The data presented in figure 2 clearly indicate that there are major inputs of PCB's to tiie Dan River upstream of any possible input from the Westinghousc plant. The apparent lesser amount in the sample downstreat from the Westinghouse input is probably not significant, but the fact that this sample is not much higher indicates that the IVestinghouse input is probably small compared to the amount being carried Gown by the Dan River--particularly because the probable inputs are as far away as Danville. The much higher level in the catfish (compared to the shiners and minnows) is not significant because the catfish was much older and feeds on the sediments. III. Recommendati ons The data presented here clearly indicate that there is leakage of PCS 's to the environment from the South Boston plant, and that this leakage can easily be traced back to the plant. Not enough work has been acne, however, to rest assured that all leaks have teen located. Additional samples should be analyzed from the other drainage ditches. Soil samples taken from the high areas on the grounds should be analyzed to examine the possibility of areal fallout of Inerteen. Additional samples need to be taken far upstream in Lawson's Creek to ascertain whether non-Westinghouse material is being transported downstream and to get some feeling for the magnitude^qf the material being carried down to the Dan River. "00 | 2 Tire's Tiie sources of the Inerteen in the ditches should be identified and corrective measures considered (I have been told that one Gitch probably - 4- 716961 gets Inorteen from a vacuum system exhaust which ccuid be fitted with a scrub rer). Because the State of Virginia is now analyzing samples which will almost certainly make them aware of the nature of our problem, I suggest that we cooperate wit}; them, even to the extent of communicating some of cur data to them if theirs corroborates ours (the data fro::: the 'tonsan to analyses are essentially the same as some of that presented in this report so I expect that the state data will be similar). I have talked with the people who are conducting the state program, and 1 feel that it would be greatly to our advantage to participate in their program to the extent of cross-checking some of their analyses and consulting on the interpretation of some of the chromatograms. 00 l Z 3255 -o- 716962 716963 716964