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Fact Sheet
May 2012
Public Meeting to Announce Proposed Plan and Public Comment Period for the 10th Street Superfund Site, Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a Proposed Plan for a revised remedy for the 10th Street Site in Columbus, Nebraska.
EPA will hold a 30-day public comment period and encourages the public to review the Proposed Plan and make comments. A final decision on the Proposed Plan will not be made until EPA reviews public comments.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
The public comment period for the Proposed Plan is:
May 24 - June 23, 2012
The public may submit their comments to EPA prior to the close of the comment period by submitting them to Ben Washburn, Community Involvement Coordinator, via telephone, mail, or email at the addresses listed below.
PUBLIC MEETING
EPA will also host a public meeting to allow the public to submit comments on the Proposed Plan, as well as answer questions residents may have about EPA cleanup actions.
The public meeting will be held:
Monday, June 11, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Columbus Public Library
2504 14th Street
Columbus, Nebraska
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, at 800-223-0425 or cooper.jonathan@epa.gov. Speech or hearing impaired individuals should email or call using the local relay service.
PROPOSED PLAN
The Proposed Plan recommends additional remedial actions to address contaminated soil and ground water at all three source areas.
To address the soil, building demolition, excavation of contaminated soil, and offsite disposal are recommended at all three source areas. Potassium permanganate would be placed in the excavations prior to backfilling.
To address residual contaminated ground water that will remain after the excavation of contaminated soil, the Proposed Plan recommends treatment of the ground water at all three source areas via a technology called in-situ chemical or enhanced bioremediation (applying chemicals to ground water to break down contaminants).
Ground water and indoor air monitoring will continue to be conducted to measure the contaminant concentrations and ensure protection of human health and the environment is maintained. Any required maintenance of the vapor mitigation systems will also be conducted.
The preferred remedial actions would be in addition to the following actions that are required by the 2005 Record of Decision (ROD): continued operation of the ground water extraction treatment system, institutional controls, and in-situ chemical treatment in the upgradient portions of the plume.
BACKGROUND
The 10th Street Site first came to the attention of the Nebraska Department of Health, now the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NHHSS), in November 1983 when TCE, a volatile organic compound (VOC), was detected in the city's municipal wells. Since that time, studies have been conducted to determine the source and how to address the contamination. A total of three source areas, including present and former drycleaners, have been identified.
EPA has conducted various cleanup actions to address the contamination. An air sparging/soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) system was installed pursuant to a removal action in 2000. A ground water extraction and treatment (GET) system was installed pursuant to a 2001 interim ROD to protect the city’s southern municipal wellfield. In addition to continued operation of the AS/SVE and GET systems, a 2005 ROD also called for in-situ chemical oxidation injections to be performed in various portions of the ground water plume.
These cleanup actions have been effective in reducing contamination in the soil and ground water. The city’s drinking water supply is not contaminated. However, in order to achieve drinking water levels that are protective of human health throughout the ground water plume, EPA has been investigating methods to speed up addressing the contamination in the source areas.
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD
EPA encourages the community to review the Administrative Record which contains information about past cleanup activities and next steps. The Administrative Record is available during normal business hours at the following locations:EPA Records Center
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, Kan.
Columbus Public Library
2504 14th Street
Columbus, Neb.
Questions or requests for information can be submitted to:
Ben Washburn
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 7
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
Toll-free: (800) 223-0425
Email: washburn.ben@.epa.gov