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Umicore Technical Materials North America, Inc.

Administrative - Formal · FY2009 · — · Source Agrees · 1400036606

Penalty
Cost recovery
Compliance action

Case

Case Number
02-2009-0809
Type
Administrative - Formal
Lead
EPA
Outcome
Source Agrees
Multimedia
Self-disclosure
Y

Defendants (1)

Summary

Umicore acquired the facility in 2007. Possibly contaminated pooled water on ground surface in an undeveloped, vegetated portion of the facility was discovered during a scheduled environmental health and safety audit on September 24, 2008. The disclosure was dated October 10, 2008. The contamination appeared to have been deposited by discharges from an adjacent PVC pipe which was connected to the facility’s cooling towers. However, the investigation discovered that when the cistern which receives the cooling tower water was above capacity, the pipe in question would re-direct the water from the cistern and pre-treatment operations. The cooling water is classified as a hazardous waste due to the concentration of cadmium. In addition, Umicore discovered that when the cistern’s sump pump malfunctioned, the cistern would overflow to the pipe and to the ground. NYSDEC was immediately notified of a potential discharge and examined the impacted area. Umicore has capped the pipe, repaired the sump pump and is conducting soil removal activities and collecting further samples of the impacted soils. At present, Umicore believes that the overflow pipe was installed prior to its acquisition of the facility in 2007 but after 2002 when the cooling tower was constructed.

Source

Authoritative
EPA ECHO
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