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Fact Sheet

August 2012

Administrative Order on Consent Remedy Implementation, Dudley Laundry, Inc. Site, Norfolk, Nebraska

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 invites the public to review and comment on the Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for implementation of the cleanup action for the Dudley Laundry, Inc. facility (Dudley), 126 North 3rd Street, Norfolk, Nebraska. Groundwater, soil, and indoor air contamination at levels above “unrestricted use” cleanup levels still exists at the facility and in groundwater offsite.

The AOC requires Dudley (current owner of the facility and Respondent) to operate a soil vapor extraction system in the area of soil contamination. This system will remove contaminants from the soil which are a source of contamination in groundwater and indoor air. Dudley will also have to develop legal controls to restrict access to and the use of the property and prevent use of and exposure to contaminated groundwater.

The public comment period runs from August 29 to September 28, 2012, to enable the public to comment on the AOC. Written comments should be mailed or emailed to:

Mary Grisolano
U.S. EPA, AWMD/WRAP
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Email: grisolano.mary@epa.gov

Comments should be received no later than September 28, 2012.

Comments received will be summarized in a Response to Comments, and responses will be provided to those individuals submitting comments. The Response to Comments will be drafted at the conclusion of the public comment period and incorporated into the Administrative Record. EPA may modify the AOC based upon new information and comments from the public.

A public hearing is not scheduled at this time. If the public requests a public hearing in writing with a statement of issues to be raised at the hearing, EPA will conduct a public hearing and receive both oral and written comments.

BACKGROUND

The Dudley facility has served as a dry cleaning and laundry business since the 1930s. In 2003, the dry cleaning portion of the facility was damaged by a fire and dry cleaning operations ceased at that time. Tetrachloroethene (also known as Perc or PCE) was used for dry cleaning from the 1980s until the fire in 2003. In a 1997 inspection of the facility, EPA found that PCE-contaminated waste water was being released to a leaking sewer line. This practice was halted immediately and, since that time, the leaking lines have been replaced.

A 1998 Consent Order required Dudley to investigate contamination at the facility. Investigation at the facility found contamination in soil and soil vapor under the existing building, in indoor air in the facility building, and in groundwater at and near the facility.

The groundwater contamination is moving in the direction of the City of Norfolk’s East Water Supply Field. Groundwater from the East Water Supply Field is used to provide drinking water to the City of Norfolk during the summer months. Dudley has been and continues to monitor the groundwater concentrations near, entering, and exiting the water supply system. The water supply has been and remains safe for consumption.

The primary constituents of concern requiring remediation are PCE and its degradation products [trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC)]. An assessment of health risk determined that the above listed contaminants present in groundwater, soil and indoor air at the facility pose a threat to human health.

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER ON CONSENT

The AOC requires the following:

  1. Operate a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system to remove the source of contamination in soil
  2. Continued groundwater pumping of Dudley production well
  3. Monitoring/sampling program to measure the remedy’s performance and the potential for unacceptable exposures
  4. Changes to the remedy if it is not shown to be effective, and
  5. Institutional controls to restrict property use and require action if unacceptable exposures are identified

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The public is encouraged to review EPA’s investigation reports and other historic information regarding this facility. This information is available at the following locations during normal business hours:

Norfolk Public Library
308 Prospect Avenue
Norfolk, NE 68701
(402) 844-2100

EPA Library
901 N. Fifth Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 551-7979

If you have questions, or want to join the mailing list, please contact

Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 7
Office of Public Affairs
901 N. Fifth Street
Kansas City, KS  66101
Toll-free: (800) 223-0425, ext. 7253
Email: himes.beckie@epa.gov

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