Abstract:
The objectives of the Reynolds Metals Company's aluminum smelter Class
II Inspection was to verify effluent compliance with NPDES permits
(NPDES Permit No. WA-00008-6 and Order 89-3), characterize priority
pollutants in the 002 discharge stream and in sediments near the
outfall, and evaluate the effluent and sediments for toxicity using a
series of bioassays (Heffner 1991). The inspection also
... reviewed lab
procedures at the mill to determine adherence to accepted protocols
and advance state-of-the-art compliance inspections by contributing to
ongoing developmental efforts with centrifugation. Samples of
sediments were taken at locations upstream and downstream from the
facility and downstream immediately in the vicinity of the outfall
diffuser.
The area of study was the Lower Columbia River at Longvie.
The sampling locations were near the Reynolds Metals Company aluminum
smelter's five point discharges. An upstream station located
approximately 500 yards upstream of the primary outfall, a stations 10
yards downstream of the outfall diffuser, and a station 300 feet
downstream of the diffuser at the edge of the dilution zone.
Samples were removed from the upper 2 cm of each grab sample and
composited for analysis. Volatile samples were collected from the
first grab sample collected from each station. Samples were
immediately stored on ice at 4o C for transport to the laboratory.
Target Analytes were metals (Sb, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Se,
Ag, Tl, Zn, Al); volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds;
organochlorine pesticides and PCBs. Results were also provided for
fluoride, cyanide, TOC, grain size, and percent solids.
Analytical techniques included volatiles (EPA 8240); semi-volatiles
(EPA 8270); metals (EPA 200); pesticides/PCBs (EPA 8080). All results
are reported on a dry weight basis.
The information for this metadata was taken from the Columbia River
Basin: Sediment Database Abstracts.