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Fact Sheet

August 2011

Proposed Cleanup Plans and Permit Modification Released for Public Comment, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas

IINTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 invites the public to review and comment on the proposed cleanup plans and permit modification for 10 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) on the McConnell Air Force Base (McConnell) facility, EPA ID KS1571924140, located at 2801 South Rock Road, Wichita, Kansas.

The public comment period will run from August 29 through October 12, 2011, to enable the public to participate in the remedy selection process.

EPA will hold a public availability session on September 20, 2011, so community members can learn about the proposals. EPA will be available to answer questions one-to-one. All members of the public are welcome to attend anytime from 4 to 7 p.m. and ask questions about the proposed cleanup plans and permit modification.

Written comments should be sent to:

Ruby Crysler
U.S. EPA, AWMD/RCAP
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
crysler.ruby@epa.gov

and should be received by October 12, 2011. Comments received will be summarized in a Response to Comments, and responses will be provided to those individuals providing the 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 proposed final remedies or select other alternatives based upon new information and comments from the public.

You Are Invited

Representatives from EPA and McConnell will be available to provide information and answer questions at a public availability meeting on September 20, 2011. The meeting will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., at the

Wichita Public Library Central Branch
223 S. Main
Wichita, Kansas

If you need more information about the meeting, please contact:

Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA, Office of Public Affairs
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: (913) 551-7253
Toll-free: (800) 223-0425
Email: himes.beckie@epa.gov

EPA Region 7 is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting, please notify the EPA Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, Jonathan Cooper, 800-223-0425, or at cooper.jonathan@epa.gov. Speech or hearing impaired individuals should e-mail or call using the local relay service.

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.

PROPOSED CLEANUP PLANS

EPA has issued proposed cleanup plans for ten sites at McConnell, as described in the Statements of Basis:

Information on the sites and the proposed cleanup plans for these sites are listed below.

The OWS tanks were either single walled or double walled steel Highland Tanks™, concrete units, or cast iron interceptor tanks installed below ground to store fuel or heating oil for several buildings throughout McConnell. The units were sampled and pumped out as necessary. Any accumulated sludge was disposed of in accordance with applicable regulations. Contaminants detected at the OWS sites included total petroleum hydrocarbons-diesel range organics (TPH-DRO) and fuel-related volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds.

Building 49, OWS #K7 (OW-C562)
This site is also known as SWMU 185 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K7 was a 550-gallon single walled steel Highland Tank™ with a 165-gallon oil capacity that was located beneath a paved area on the northwest side of Building 49. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed in 2008 and contaminant concentrations in soil and groundwater did not exceed EPA residential or unrestricted use standards.

Building 14, OWS #K11 (OW-C559)
This site is also known as SWMU 189 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K11 was a 1,000-gallon single walled steel Highland Tank™ with a 300-gallon capacity that was located beneath an unpaved area on the southwest side of Building 14. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed in 2005, and detections of TPH-DRO in soil did not exceed State of Kansas residential or unrestricted use screening standards. EPA does not have screening values for TPH-DRO. Contaminant concentrations in groundwater did not exceed EPA and State of Kansas (for TPH-DRO) residential or unrestricted use screening standards.

Building 3, OWS #K13 (OW-C557)
This site is also known as SWMU 191 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K13 was a 550-gallon single walled steel Highland Tank™ that was located beneath a partially unpaved area at the northwest corner of Building 3. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed at an unknown date and no compounds were detected in soil samples. Contaminant concentrations in groundwater did not exceed EPA residential or unrestricted use screening standards.

Building 1375, OWS #K16 (OW-C567)
This site is also known as SWMU 135 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K16 was a 3,000-gallon double walled steel Highland Tank™ that was located beneath an unpaved area at the southeast corner of Building 1375. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed at an unknown date and detections of TPH-DRO in soil did not exceed State of Kansas residential or unrestricted use screening standards. No contaminants were detected in groundwater.

Building 1394, OWS #K17 (OW-C565)
This site is also known as SWMU 136 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K17 was a 50-gallon cast iron interceptor tank that was located beneath an unpaved area adjacent to the northeast corner of Building 1394. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed at an unknown date, and no contaminants were detected in the soil and groundwater samples.

Building 1396, OWS #K25 (OW-C566)
This site is also known as SWMU 144 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. OWS #K25 was a 3,000-gallon concrete unit with a 300-gallon oil capacity that was located beneath a grassy area 30 feet off the southeast corner of Building 1396. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the tank was removed in 2008 and contaminant concentrations in soil and groundwater did not exceed EPA and State of Kansas (for TPH-DRO in soil) residential or unrestricted use screening standards.

Spill Site 31
This site is also known as SWMU 174 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. SS31 was discovered in 1989 when the Kansas Air National Guard (KANG) Civil Engineering unit was removing concrete and regrading the area to expand the road system. Suspect petroleum-impacted soils were encountered during construction activities. Heptachlor epoxide was detected in one permanent monitoring well and one temporary well point at concentrations exceeding the EPA Regional Screening Level for this constituent in tap water. The remedy for this site consists of institutional controls to reduce the potential for human exposure to the site contaminant (heptachlor epoxide) in groundwater.

Spill Site 32
This site is also known as SWMU 109 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. The site was the location of asphalt and concrete batch plants during the 1980s. The plants were demolished before 1992. From 1991 to 1995, SS-32 was used as a land farm for petroleum-impacted soil excavated from McConnell underground storage tank sites throughout the base. Petroleum-impacted soils were transported to SS-32, placed on the land surface, and tilled into the soil to promote biological attenuation of the organic contaminants. Site SS-32 is currently a maintained grass-covered lot, and access to the site is provided by a perimeter road which is controlled by McConnell Security. Arsenic was detected in soil above EPA industrial and residential screening levels. Several metals were detected above screening levels in unfiltered groundwater samples. The remedy for the site consists of institutional controls to prevent unacceptable exposure to contaminants in soil and groundwater.

Spill Site 35- Former Building 2 Site
This site is also known as SWMU 208 on McConnell's RCRA Permit. Building 2 was a metal building on a concrete slab constructed in the early 1930s and used to refuel and repair airplanes and automobiles. The KANG gained control of the building in the early 1970s and used it for storage of dry goods. During demolition of the building in 2003, potential petroleum-impacted soils were noted. Investigations detected several metals and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at concentrations above EPA residential soil levels. Manganese and PAHs exist in groundwater above EPA Regional Screening Levels for tap water. The remedy for this site consists of Institutional Controls, long-term monitoring, and Phased In-situ Enhanced Bioremediation.

Solid Waste Management Unit 157
Based on a review of available historical aerial photographs, the Former Weapons Firing Range (TM359) was constructed by 1968, and demolition activities appear to have been underway by 1974. No Further Action is proposed for this site since the range was decommissioned in 1974, site use since then has been limited to occasional recreational use, and contaminant concentrations were below EPA residential or unrestricted use screening standards.

PROPOSED PERMIT MODIFICATIONS

McConnell's RCRA Part II Permit was issued on November 8, 1993, and renewed on August 9, 2007. Since that time, multiple investigations have gathered new data and provided new information regarding nature and extent of contamination. EPA proposes the following modifications to the Permit in response to this new data:

BACKGROUND

McConnell is an active U.S. Air Force installation where the 22nd Air Refueling Wing supports, flies, and maintains the KC-135R “Stratotanker.” The KC-135R provides air-refueling operations worldwide for the United States and its allies. McConnell was originally established in 1941 as a Kansas Air Guard facility at the Wichita Municipal Airport. McConnell was activated in 1951 when Air Training Command began conducting B-47 combat crew training. Since 1951, McConnell has operated as a training and missile support facility and as a base for USAF strategic, tactical, and refueling operations.

These sites are ten of 22 Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites and 107 SWMUs listed on McConnell's RCRA Permit. Each IRP site and SWMU will be addressed in future decision documents.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Copies of the documents describing the proposed remedies for the McConnell facility are available to the public during normal business hours at the following locations:

Wichita Public Library
223 S. Main
Wichita, Kansas 67202
(316) 261-8500

EPA Region 7 Library
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 551-7409 (Ruby Crysler)
(913) 551-7979 (Library)

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. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: (913) 551-7253
Toll-free: (800) 223-0425
Email: himes.beckie@epa.gov

Joining the mailing list will allow individuals to receive any updated information related to this site.

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