Covering the area between the Tank Farm and the western perimeter road (Figure 5-1), the Tank Farm Buffer Area was created by the infilling of the eastern shoreline of Muggah Creek with Blast Furnace slag in the early 20th century (Figure 5-2).

This area is home to many pipelines, as well as the bunker ‘C’ pump house. Fuel lines traversing this area include those between the docks and the Tank Farm, and the Tank Farm and the Open Hearth and Reheat Furnace. The pipeline for the Tar Ponds Incinerator also crosses this area. No earlier structures are known to have been located in this area.

The Bunker ‘C’ Pump House is constructed of a combination of reinforced concrete, brick, steel and wood. The structure houses mechanical fuel pumping equipment and underground fuel distribution lines. The roof is constructed of a suspected asbestos roof material referred to as transite.

Visible free product was observed within the piping trench and the floor of the Bunker ‘C’ Pump House was heavily stained with petroleum hydrocarbon. Significant petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil and groundwater is expected under the building and adjacent to the underground piping.

Looking East at the Tank Farm Buffer Area. The Tank Farm is visible at the far left, and the Bunker "C" Pump House near the center of the photo.

The majority of open space in this area is covered with granular materials. Slopes at certain locations show signs of surface erosion. Overland drainage in the area may present the possibility of siltation and sediment impacts to receiving waters.

Potential hazardous building material and issues located at the Bunker ‘C’ Pump House may include lead-based paints, asbestos pipe insulation, asbestos roofing, petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated concrete, above and below ground fuel lines and valves. The underground fuel lines run from the bulk storage tanks near the high dump to the open hearth building area and to the Reheat furnace area and to the docks.

Potential environmental issues in this area include spills and leaks from the fuel pipelines and pump house, and subsurface impacts from the Tank Farm itself. In addition, hazardous waste materials may have been disposed in the fill material used to create the land in the early 1900s, although no evidence of such activities has been discovered during the course of this study.

Blast furnace slag was widely used as a fill material in this area. Various heavy metals are known to be present in blast furnace slag, but often in a highly immobile state. An important part of future environmental testing at this site will be the appropriate evaluation of heavy metal impacts in relations to their environmental risk.