HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB-0222 1988 Ken Davis Site Investigation, Transwestern BuildingKEN DAVIS
ASSOCIATES
SITE INVESTIGATION
OF THE TRANSWESTERN BUILDING
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SOUTH BEND INDIANA
KEN DAVIS ASSOCIATES
SOUTH BEND INDIANA
FZEDA PROJECT NUMBER 30-1173
SEPTEMBER 30 1988
KEN S
ASSOCIATES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
II PROJECT OBJECTIVES
III GENERAL COMMENTS
IV DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
VI GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 10
KEN
ASSOCIATES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
site investigation of the Transwestern building was
completed by Ken Davis Associates KEDA on September 26 and
28 1988 for the City of South Bends Department of Economic
Development The purpose of site investigation which is also
known as an environmental audit is to identify contamination and
hazardous materials
The site investigation conducted by KEDA consisted of
visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the building
The interior inspection included walk through of the building
from the basement through the fourth floor The interior of the
buildings walls and ceilings were not inspected The findings
are summarized below and are discussed in Section IV of the
report The owners responsibility for the cost of the site
cleanup is also discussed in Section IV The results of the
investigation will be utilized to recommend further data
collection and/or possible remediation The preliminary
assessment was the extent of the work conducted by KEDA on the
Transwestern building
Asbestos like material was observed from the basement and
all four floors above Approximately 10000 linear feet ws
identified The asbestos served as insulation on the metal
piping in the building The state of Indiana and tJSEPA will
require notification if the asbestos is to be removed prior to
KEN
ASSOCIATES
renovation or if the building is to be demolished
Wooden 1brickst were found on the first and th.ird floors of
the building and appear to be treated with creosote The
creosote has apparently contaminated the soil material below the
ubricksu The extent of subsurface material contamination within
the building will require further investigation
Soil gas analysis for detection of petroleum residuals were
conducted on the inside of the building The exterior of the
building was tested in the grassy area along the east and west
sides Soil gas analysis readings of 25 ppm hexane indicate
background levels of hydrocarbons present on the site in the
areas tested Hand augering was performed at three selected
locations where hexane readings of ppm were recorded at the
surface by the soil gas meter The hand augered locations were
tested for further traces of hydrocarbons Hexane levels of 10
ppm were recorded at depth of approximately one foot by the
soil gas meter at each location The increase in concentration
indicates that source of hydrocarbons may exist below the site
or that the ground water may be transporting contaminants under
the site These levels arc still considered bac1aronc cy the
EPA because of the location of the sample points The removal of
the wooden bricks contaminated soil if present empty solvent
cans 55 gallon drums containing liquid and trash will require
disposal at hazardous and nonhazardous landfills
ASSOCIATES
ii
The exterior of the building was also visually inspected
Electrical capacitors which may contain PCBs were located on the
west side of the exterior of the building Capacitors which
contain PCBs must be disposed of by incineration
KEDA recommends that the next phase of the investigation
for the Tranowestern building consist of laboratory verification
of the suspected asbestos material and contents of the
electrical capacitors soil and ground water analysis in the
areas with 10 ppm readings historical search to determine
previous uses of the property and to determine the chemicals
which may have been utilized at the site The cost to remove the
contaminated material from the building if it is to be renovated
or demolished is estimated between $300000.00 and $500000.00
These preliminary cost estimates are based on incineration and
disposal costs at facilities located in Ft Wayne Indiana and
Chicago Illinois
II PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this project were to
Visually identify areas either inside or outside the building
which have asbestos material utilized as insulation
Recommend general disposal methods and costs for asbestos and
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ASSOCIATES
PCB removal if these materials are present
Determine with the aid of soil gas analysis if hydrocarbons
are present in the subsurface inside and outside the building
Estimate the cost to remove the contaminated so.il inside and
outside the building
Estimate the cost to remove the creosote treated bricks on
the first floor of the building
Identify the general responsibilities of the property owners
and their liabilities regarding contaminated buildings and soil
III GENERAL COMMENTS
site investigation of the Transwestern building was
completed by Ken Davis Associates Inc KEDA on September 26
and 28 1988 The site investigation consisted of visual
identification of potentially hazardous materials on the interior
and exterior of the building The interior inspection was
limited to visual inspection of the exposed antercr walls
ceilings and floors The inventory of potentially hazardous
material was confined to estimating the quantity of asbestos
like material capacitors and empty and filled containers No
asbestos testing was completed during this portion of the
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ASSOCIATES
investigation The testing for hydrocarbons in the subsurface
was limited to the first floor inside the buildinq and outside
the basement and areas adjacent east and west side to the
building except where the removal of wooden bricks was
possible In those areas where removal of bricks was possible
exposed material beneath the tTbricksu was tested for the presence
of hydrocarbons
The three areas which contained the highest surficial
hydrocarbon readings during the preliminary scan outside the
building were hand augered one foot below the surface and the
exposed soil was retested for the presence of hydrocarbons The
soil gas analysis was performed utilizing Model 90 gas detector
which operates with gas sensitive semiconductor sensor When
combustible or reducing gases are absorbed on the sensor surface
marked decrease of electrical resistance occurs This
decrease is registered by the instrument and calibrated by the
gauge as ppm hexane The advantage of this sensing principle for
soil gas surveys is that the instrument is sensitive to wide
range of hydrocarbon volitles from methane and gasoline to diesel
fuel and motor oil
IV DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
The visual inspection and soil gas survey of the
Transwestcrn building resulted in the location of several areas
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ASSOCIATES
which contain potentially hazardous materials
Asbestos
Fibrous material which was observed on piping during the interior
inspection of the building was tentatively identified as
asbestos There were approximately 8000 to 12000 linear feet
of the suspected asbestos insulating the piping inside the
building The state of Indiana has jurisdiction over the removal
and disposal of asbestos There are no regulations which require
the removal of asbestos from buildings except in schools The
regulations are in place to govern the removal of asbestos to
decrease liability during the renovation or demolition of
building containing asbestos The maximum amount of asbestos
material which can go unreported to the state during removal is
260 linear feet 160 cubic feet or material which contains less
than asbestos by weight If the building contains greater
than the amounts listed above the state must be notified of the
intent to remove the asbestos 10 days prior to removal or
demolition plan must also be filed with the state describing
the removal methods to be used Requirements for personnel
safety during removal of the asbestos include cartridge
respirators protective clothing and gloves Containerized
breathing is required if the fiber-count per cubic foot of air
exceeds the state limit Asbestos can be disposed of in
municipal land fill The disposal requires the property owner to
acquire special permit
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ASSOCIATES
Potentially Hazardous Material
One potentially hazardous material which was identified were the
wooden bricks that were found on the first and third floors
The estimated number of wooden bricks on the first floor is
450000 The estimated number of wooden bricks on the third
floor is 50000 These bricks are approximately 8x 3x 211 and
appear to be treated with creosote The material beneath the
wooden bricks when tested for hydrocarbons utilizing the soil
gas meter registered range of ppm to ppm of hexane The
readings are near background and indicate that contamination is
probably due to the bricks Several of 55 gallon drums and
solvent spray cans were located inside the building The
disposal of the containers can be accomplished in municipal
landfill if laboratory testing indicates no hazardous materials
are present The electrical capacitors if determined to contain
PCBs must be disposed of by hazardous waste land fill which
has the ability to incinerate
Soil Gas Analysis
Three hand auger borings were completed during lhe exterior
inspection of the building in the areas which contained the most
significant level of hydrocarbon readings At death of
approximately one foot below the surface the hydrocarbon
readings increased from ppm Hexane to 20 ppm Hexane The
higher meter readings indicate an inoreace in concentration of
hydrocarbons beneath the surface These readings are considered
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AssociATEs
further delineation of the background level because of the
sample points However soil borings and laboratory analysis
will confirm these readings
Owners Responsibility/Liability
The site investigation has identified extensive asbestoslike
material on the piping on all floors of the building The
asbestos removal is the owners responsibility and is estimated to
cost approximately $20.00 per linear foot or $200000.00 This
reflects the removal transportation and disposal costs An
asbestos removal plan must be prepared and submitted to the
Indiana Department of Environmental Management IDEM 10 days
prior to the removal and special permit must be obtained to
bury the asbestos material in landfill The estimated cost to
prepare the permit is $5000.00
The removal and transportation of the wooden bricks to
hazardous waste land fill is estimated to cost between $50000.00
and $100000.00 The cost to incinerate and bury 1he ashes of
the capacitors which may contain P03s will he will be
approximately $1.25 per pound or $200.00 each The cost to
remove and bury empty 55 gallon drums is approximately $.09 per
pound If the drums are filled with liquid that must be
disposed of at hazardous waste land fill the cost can range
from $02.00 per 55 gallon drum to $175.00 per drum These costs
reflect stabilization of the fluid and/or incineration
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ASSOCIATES
Contaminated soil which must be taken to hazardous waste land
fill for disposal is estimated to cost between $135.00 per ton
for burial and $570.00 per cubic yard for material which must be
incinerated These costs do not include the transportation cost
to the landfill or incinerator Incineration would be performed
at Chemical Waste Managements facility outside Chicago
Illinois Transportation costs are approimately $600.00 per
trip This hauler will remove of 80 55 gallon drums or 30
cubic yard container Landfill disposal for contaminated soil
could be performed by Chemical Waste Managements facility in Ft
Wayne Indiana The estimated cost for transportation is $450.00
for 80 55 gallon drums or 30 cubic yard container Asbestos
and nonhazardous material disposal can be completed by sanitary
or municipal land fill The local facility which could be
involved is the Prarieview Landfill
CONCLUSIONS
The fibrous material which may be asbestos was utilized as
insulating material on the pipes in the interior of the
building
Surficial hexane readings ranging from 25 ppm were recorded
on the interior of the first floor below the wooden
bricks along the grounds adjacent to the east and west
walls of the building Hexane readings ranged from 5-10
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ASSOCIAThS
ppm from depth of approximately foot These are
background readings
Capacitors were located along the west side of the building
which may contain PCBs
Sealed containers of asbestos roofing material and 55 gallon
drums containing liquid were observed on the site
VI RECOMMENDATIONS
KEDA recommends that the following steps be taken
Laboratory analysis to positively identify the
asbestoslike insulating material
The liquid contained in the 55 gallon drums should be
tested for chemical constituents and relative
concentrations
The soil and material on the interior and exterior of
the building produced 2-10 ppm Hexane readings on the
soil gas meter These readings should be compared to
the soil gas data acquired by EIS
The electrical capacitors on the west side of the
building should be tested for 905$
The chemicals used to treat the wooden bricks should
be identified by laboratory analysis
10
KEN
ASSOCIATES
KEN DAVIS
ASSOCIATES
11805 Sun BeitCourt 3121 SanJacinto
P.O Box 80558 Suite 102
Baton Rouge LA 70809 Houston TX 77004
504 293-2561 713 522-5784
300 Michigan
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South Bend IN 46601
219 287-2282