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Sonics International, Inc.

These former industrial waste injection wells in Ranger, Eastland County are currently in the Operation and Maintenance phase of the Superfund Program.

Site Background

The Sonics International, Inc. site (the site) is located north of Farm Road 101, approximately two miles west of Ranger. Two permitted industrial waste injection wells on this site were used for subsurface disposal of varying organic and inorganic hazardous wastes. Surface soil became contaminated because of surface equipment leaks and blowouts of one of the injection wells during well workovers. Records document that the majority of wastes injected were acid solutions and chlorinated solvents.

Superfund Actions Taken to Date

  • January 16, 1987, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (12 TexReg 205) proposing the site to the state Superfund registry and announcing that a public meeting to receive citizen comments would be held at the Ranger Community Center on February 17, 1987.
  • January 22, 1988, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (13 TexReg 427) listing the site on the state Superfund registry.
  • 1989, remedial investigation/feasibility study under way.
  • September 1, 1993, effective date of the creation of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission from the joining of the Texas Water Commission and the Texas Air Control Board and a portion of the Texas Department of Health.
  • July 8, 1994, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (19 TexReg 5390) to present to the community the best choice among cleanup remedies and to receive citizen comments to be included in the final recommended remedy. (The PDF file does not include illustrations or copies of documents cited.) A public meeting was to be held August 25, 1994, at Goleman Library Auditorium at Ranger Junior College in Ranger.
  • August 25, 1994, a public meeting was held at the Golemon Library Auditorium at Ranger Junior College in Ranger to present to the community the proposed cleanup alternative, which was excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated surface soils, combined with long-term monitoring for groundwater contamination, and to receive citizen comments to be included in the final recommended remedy.
  • August 29, 1995, the TNRCC issued an administrative order instructing the potentially responsible parties to conduct the remedial design, remedial action, and operation and maintenance of the site. The administrative order was effective immediately.

Currently, the Sonics International Inc. state Superfund site is in the Operation and Maintenance phase of the Superfund Program. The groundwater is being monitored annually to ensure plume stability.

  • January 1, 1997, remedial action under way.
  • May 1999, a community relations plan (CRP) was prepared for the Sonics International Inc. Superfund site.
  • November 16, 1999, TNRCC approved the site remediation report and issued a certification of completion of the remedial action phase to the PRP.
  • January 2000, the Post Closure Action Plan approved by TNRCC and groundwater monitoring closure initiated.
  • March 30, 2000, annual groundwater monitoring under way.
  • May 25, 2000, a legal notice was published in the Ranger Times proposing to delete the site from the state Superfund registry in accordance with 30 TAC §335.344(c) and inviting public comment on the determination that the site no longer presented an imminent and substantial threat to public health and safety or the environment. A public meeting was scheduled for June 29, 2000, at the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in Austin.
  • May 26, 2000, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (25 TexReg 4944) proposing to delete the site from the state Superfund registry in accordance with 30 TAC §335.344(c) and inviting public comment on the determination that the site no longer presented an imminent and substantial threat to public health and safety or the environment.
  • June 29, 2000, a public meeting was held to gather comments on the proposed deletion of the site from the state Superfund registry.
  • August 15, 2000, TNRCC initiated cost recovery actions on the site.
  • February 28, 2001, the first annual post-closure report was approved.
  • March 2001-August 2002, the potentially responsible parties continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities, which consisted of annual groundwater monitoring to ensure that the contaminants were attenuating in their concentration through natural processes
  • September 1, 2002, effective date of the name change from Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
  • March 19, 2003, the potentially responsible parties performed the annual groundwater field sampling event at the site.
  • March 31, 2003, the annual progress report was approved by TCEQ.
  • September 2002 - August 2003, the potentially responsible parties continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities.
  • March 2004, the potentially responsible parties conducted the annual groundwater field sampling event at the site. TCEQ received and approved the 2003 annual report on operation and maintenance.
  • April - September 2004, the potentially responsible parties continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities.
  • October 2004 - March 2005, the potentially responsible parties continued ongoing operation and maintenance activities. The 2005 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on March 31 and April 1.
  • March 2006, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2005 Annual Progress Report, received on February 28, 2006.
  • March 2007, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2006 Annual Progress Report, received on February 28, 2007. The 2006 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on March 28 - 29, 2006.
  • March 2008, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2007 Annual Progress Report, received on February 28, 2008. The 2007 annual groundwater monitoring was conducted March 29 - 30, 2007.
  • April 06, 2009, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2008 Annual Progress Report, received February 27, 2009. The 2008 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on March 27, 2008.
  • February 26, 2010, the TCEQ received the Ten-Year Post Closure Activity Report and 2009 Annual Progress Report. The 2009 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on May 27 and 28, 2009.
  • April 22, 2010, Comments to the Ten-Year Post Closure Activity Report and 2009 Annual Progress Report were sent back to the respondent group.
  • November 2010, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2010 Annual Progress Report, dated September 30, 2010. The 2010 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on March 25, 2010.
  • October 2011, the TCEQ has completed review of the 2011 Annual Progress Report, dated September 23, 2011. The 2011 annual groundwater monitoring was performed on March 31, 2011. Additional groundwater gauging events were conducted to collect information on the seasonal availability of groundwater in site monitoring wells.
  • December 2012, the TCEQ has reviewed and approved the 2012 Annual Progress Report, dated November 12, 2012. The 2012 annual groundwater monitoring was performed in March 2012.

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