Former Remco Hydraulics Facility

The Former Remco Hydraulics Facility located at 934 S. Main Street is an elongated, fenced parcel of approximately seven acres, located immediately adjacent to and west of U.S. Highway 101 (Main Street) in the southern portion of the City of Willits. The original Facility building was constructed on the property in 1945. The building was expanded over time to accommodate a growing industrial machining and manufacturing business, which was operated under numerous owners from approximately 1945 until 1995. Chrome plating operations were conducted from approximately 1963 through 1995 at the Facility. The last owners, Remco Hydraulics, Inc. and its parent company, MC Industries, both declared bankruptcy in 1995 and the Facility was closed in 1996.

Since established in 1997, the Willits Trust has conducted substantial work to investigate and cleanup the Site. The primary chemicals detected at the Remco Site are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hexavalent chromium. In addition, other metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in a more limited basis at the Remco Facility. The Willits Trust has completed the characterization of the lateral and vertical extent of these chemicals at the Remco Site and prepared a Remedial Investigation Report (RI Report) documenting these findings. In addition, the Willits Trust has continued to routinely monitor groundwater, storm water and surface water at the Site.

Following completion of the RI Report, the Willits Trust prepared a risk assessment to evaluate current and potential future risks associated with exposure to groundwater at the Site and prepared a feasibility study evaluating alternative remedial actions and recommending final remedial actions for the Site. During the characterization of the Site and preparation of reports, the Willits Trust has made substantial progress at cleaning up the site through the implementation of interim remedial actions.

Further information regarding these activities can be found on the Document Depository.

Definitions:

The term Site includes the Remco Facility and the surrounding area which may have been or may become affected by Hazardous Substances emanating from the Remco Facility

Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are organic chemicals that easily vaporize at room temperature. They are called organic because they contain the element carbon in their molecular structures. VOCs include a very wide range of individual substances, such as hydrocarbons (for example benzene and toluene), halocarbons and oxygenates. VOCs detected at the Site include PCE, TCE and 1,1,1-TCA, among others.

Chromium is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, animals, plants, and soil. It is present in the environment in several different forms that are named according to their electrical charge. The most common forms are chromium(0), chromium(III), and chromium(VI). Chromium (VI), also known as hexavalent chromium, is believed to be a carcinogen and can also irritate living tissue.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances, including tobacco and charbroiled meat. There are more than 100 different PAHs that generally occur as complex mixtures (for example, as part of combustion products such as soot), and can also be found in substances such as crude oil, coal, coal tar pitch, creosote, and roofing tar. They are found throughout the environment in the air, water, and soil. They can occur in the air, either attached to dust particles or as solids in soil or sediment. Common PAHs include anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are mixtures of individual chemicals which are no longer produced in the United States, but are still found in the environment. There are no known natural sources of PCBs. PCBs (also referred to by their trade name Aroclor) have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because of evidence they build up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects. Products made before 1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures and electrical devices containing PCB capacitors, and old microscope and hydraulic oils.