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Fact Sheet

November 2011

EPA Announces Public Availability for the Compass Plaza Well Trichloroethylene (TCE) Site, Rogersville, Greene County, Missouri

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 proposed the Compass Plaza Well TCE site for inclusion in the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 16, 2011. Inclusion in the NPL will make the site eligible to receive federal dollars to remediate the contamination.

PUBLIC AVAILABILITY SESSION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces a Public Availability Session to be held on Wednesday, November 9th, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Representatives will be available from EPA, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to answer any questions residents may have about the contamination, the Superfund process, or any other concerns.

The Public Availability Session will be held at:

City of Rogersville Safe Room
101 West Basin Street
Rogersville, MO 65742
November 9, 2011
6 p.m. until 9 p.m.

THE CONTAMINATION

TCE is a chemical which is used as a solvent to remove oils and grease from metal products. TCE is a colorless liquid with an odor similar to ether, and is a manufactured substance which does not occur naturally in the environment. Long-term exposure to this chemical at elevated levels is suspected of causing cancer, as well as problems of the liver and weakening of the immune system.

It is unknown how long TCE contamination has been present at the site. Response actions are being conducted in the area to address the potential for exposure and to determine the source of the contamination.

BACKGROUND

In March 2010, the MDNR Public Drinking Water Branch found TCE in two non-community wells and one irrigation well on the western edge of Rogersville, Missouri. In response to these detections, MDNR’s Superfund Section initiated a combined Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation and started coordination with EPA and Greene County Resource Management. Ongoing sampling by all three agencies has found detectable concentrations of TCE in 13 of the 350 wells sampled. Out of the 13 wells with detections, 5 drinking water wells had TCE concentrations above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5 parts per billion (ppb).

In August 2010, EPA installed 5 water supply treatment systems at the private residences that had TCE contamination above the MCL. All water supply treatment systems have been tested and are effectively removing TCE from these households.

In December 2010, EPA, in cooperation with MDNR, Greene County Resource Management and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, plugged a well with high concentrations of TCE. Plugging the well helped protect ground water resources by reducing the potential of TCE spreading further into the drinking water aquifer. These same agencies also oversaw the construction of a new drinking water well at the same location. The newly installed well was designed and constructed to prevent TCE contamination from having a direct pathway from the upper aquifer to the lower aquifer. Reducing contaminant movement between the upper and lower aquifer is particularly important at sites with underlying, complex geology.

ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS

Investigations to identify possible source areas and exposure pathways for TCE are currently being conducted by MDNR, EPA and Greene County Resource Management.

In addition, EPA plans to continue sampling private drinking water wells at no cost to the well owner. Well owners may be approached by EPA sampling contractors, or they may contact EPA to request that their well be sampled.

Whole-house carbon filtration systems are available at no cost to the residential well owners that have been identified as having TCE contamination above the MCL and for those residents that may be impacted in the future.

If you are interested in having your well sampled, please have details regarding the well construction (well depth, casing depth, pump depth, date of construction, etc.) available when you call:

Doug Ferguson
U.S. EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: 913-551-7221 or
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
ferguson.doug@epa.gov

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

EPA provides assistance to communities through a variety of technical assistance resources. These resources help communities participate in Superfund decisions at sites in their community.

Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs): Provides money for activities that help your community participate in decision making at eligible Superfund sites.

Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC): Provides experts who can explain hazardous waste problems in the community and EPA’s plans for cleaning up these waste sites.

Community Advisory Group (CAG): Provides a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Detailed site information is available at the following locations during regular business hours:

Rogersville City Hall
211 East Center Street
Rogersville, Missouri 65742

Rogersville Public Library
100 West Clinton Street
Rogersville, Missouri 65742

EPA Region 7 Records Center
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101

For more information, please contact:

Benjamin Washburn
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
Phone: 913-551-7364
Toll-free: 800-223-0425
washburn.ben@epa.gov

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

EPA Region 7 is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the public availability session, please notify the EPA Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, Jonathan Cooper at 800-223-0425 or by email at cooper.jonathan@epa.gov at least seven days prior to the meeting.

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