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Fact Sheet

July 2015

Public Comment for Draft Hazardous Waste Permit Modifications and Proposed Final Remedy, Ash Grove Cement Company, Chanute, Neosho County, Kansas

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 invites the public to comment on the proposed remedy and associated Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste permit modifications for the Ash Grove Cement Company facility in Chanute, Kansas. The public comment period will run from July 15, 2015, through August 28, 2015.

Written comments on the proposed remedy and permit modifications should be mailed or emailed no later than August 28, 2015, and should be sent to:

Kurt Limesand
EPA Region 7 (AWMD/WRAP)
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66219
Email: limesand.kurt@epa.gov

BACKGROUND

The Ash Grove Cement Company facility encompasses approximately 2,851 acres and consists of current quarry operations, locations of past and future quarrying activities, cement manufacturing areas, several active and historical waste landfills, and a hazardous waste management facility. The facility has been producing cement since 1907 and has been owned by Ash Grove since its initial construction.

Ash Grove has replaced a portion of the fossil fuel used in the cement kilns with waste-derived fuel to reduce energy costs since 1988. EPA and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) jointly issued a RCRA permit for management of hazardous waste at the facility in 1996, and reissued the permit in 2010. The permit also requires Ash Grove to address corrective action for all releases of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents from any current or former solid waste management units (SWMUs) and other areas of concern (AOCs). Ash Grove has completed a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI) to characterize the nature and extent of contamination at facility SWMUs and AOCs, assessments of the risk posed to human health and ecological receptors by the contamination, and a Corrective Measures Study (CMS) to evaluate potential cleanup options. This Fact Sheet provides a summary of EPA’s proposed corrective action to address releases of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents at the Ash Grove facility.

CONTAMINATION AT THE FACILITY: The following SWMUs were investigated at the Ash Grove facility during the RFI:

SWMU #1         Paraffin Waste Disposal Landfill
SWMU #16        Industrial Waste Landfill
SWMU #17        Kiln Dust Landfill
SWMU #22        New Industrial Waste Landfill
SWMU #23        Inactive Kiln Dust Fill Area
SWMU #27        Shot Rock Stockpile

SOIL: Contamination in soil was found at the Paraffin Waste Disposal Landfill.

SEDIMENT: Contaminated sediment was found at the Paraffin Waste Disposal Landfill, the Industrial Waste Landfill, the Kiln Dust Landfill, and the Inactive Kiln Dust Landfill.

GROUNDWATER: Contaminated groundwater was found at the Paraffin Waste Disposal Landfill, the Industrial Waste Landfill, the Kiln Dust Landfill, and the Inactive Kiln Dust Landfill. Routine groundwater monitoring at the New Industrial Waste Landfill has not identified a release to groundwater.
 
INDOOR AIR: Based on the soil contamination identified, investigation of indoor air was not performed.

CONTAMINANT RISKS: Ash Grove performed a human health risk assessment and a screening level ecological risk assessment to evaluate risk posed by contamination at the facility. Soil, sediment, and groundwater contamination at the Paraffin Waste Disposal area posed potential risk to hypothetical future residents, and groundwater posed a potential risk to hypothetical future excavation workers. Landfilled waste, sediment, and groundwater contamination posed a potential risk to hypothetical future residents at the Industrial Waste Landfill. Contamination in groundwater and sediment at the Kiln Dust Landfill posed a potential risk to hypothetical future residents.

INTERIM MEASURES: Ash Grove has completed a number of interim measures to cover landfill wastes, address settlement and erosion issues, and capture leachate from the landfills. Oily waste in the Shot Rock Stockpile area was used in the cement production process until the area was entirely cleaned up by February 2004.

CLOSURE ACTIVITIES: Ash Grove’s various environmental permits have certain “closure” requirements that must be implemented when the facility ceases operating under those permits. The Industrial Waste Landfill and the northern portion of the Kiln Dust Landfill were closed and capped under KDHE oversight in 1995 and 2000, respectively. The New Industrial Waste Landfill remains active but will be subject to an approved closure plan when use of the landfill ceases.

PROPOSED REMEDY: The proposed remedy for the facility consists of the following:

FOR MORE INFORMATION: EPA encourages the public to review the Administrative Record and comment on the proposed cleanup plan. Comments or requests should be submitted by August 28, 2015.

Guidelines for Commenting:

The Administrative Record is available at the following locations during normal business hours:

KDHE Bureau of Waste Management
1000 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 320
Topeka, KS 66612-1366

Chanute Public Library
111 N. Lincoln Street
Chanute, KS 66720

EPA Region 7 Records Center
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66210
(913) 551-7166

EPA will hold a Public Availability Session to discuss the proposed remedy and answer questions about the remedy on July 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Alliance Room at the Chanute Memorial Building, 101 S. Lincoln Ave., Chanute, KS 66720. A public hearing has not been scheduled, but will be held if there is sufficient public interest. Requests for a public hearing must be made in writing to the EPA contact at the address listed on Page 1 and must state the nature of issues to be raised at the hearing. EPA will evaluate any request and hold a formal hearing if it finds that a hearing will contribute to the decision-making process by clarifying significant issues affecting the proposed remedy.

EPA will make the permit modifications and proposed remedy final only after the public comment period ends and all comments are reviewed. EPA may change the permit modifications and proposed remedy based on any new information and comments from the public.

Individuals may write to the EPA contact on Page 1 to join the mailing list. Joining the mailing list will allow an individual to receive any updated information directly throughout the remedy selection process.

If you have questions or want to receive further information, please contact:

Brendan Corazzin
Enforcement Coordination Office
EPA Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66219
Phone: 913-551-7429
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
Email: corazzin.brendan@epa.gov

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