Jump to main content.

Fact Sheet

October 2008

EPA Announces Proposed Plan and Public Comment Period, Cleburn Street Well OU5 Superfund Site, Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a proposed plan to amend the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Cleburn Street Well Operable Unit 5 (OU5) site. The Plan proposes to address the remaining contaminated soil at the west parcel of OU5 by modifying and enhancing the current remedy to address the untreated shallow soil by excavation and thermal treatment. The ROD was originally issued September 10, 2001.

EPA is asking for your comments on the Proposed Plan. A 30-day public comment period will start October 27, 2008.  Written comments will be accepted until November 26, 2008. After all comments are evaluated, EPA will make a decision, which will be published in an Amendment to the ROD (Amendment).

Although EPA, in consultation with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ), is recommending an amendment to the action to address the remaining contaminated soil, a final decision will not be made until EPA reviews comments from the public.

The Amendment will include a summary of EPA's responses to comments received during the public comment period.

PUBLIC MEETING AND COMMENT PERIOD

EPA will take comments on the Proposed Plan from October 27 through November 26, 2008. EPA will hold a public meeting to provide information on the Proposed Plan. The meeting will be held: 

Thursday, November 13, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Edith Abbott Memorial Library
211 N. Washington St., Rooms A & B
Grand Island, Nebraska

Comments may be made at the public meeting or sent to EPA at the address below:

Beckie Himes
U.S. EPA, Region 7
Office of Public Affairs
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
e-mail: himes.beckie@epa.gov

Background

The selected remedy in the original ROD included a Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) system for soil cleanup; an Air Sparging (AR) system for ground water cleanup; monitoring of both media; light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) removal from ground water; and an institutional control (a Grand Island city ordinance barring drinking water wells in the Cleburn site area).

Construction of the Remedial Action, which included 18 AR wells and 5 SVE wells, was completed in June 2004. The SVE/AR system has operated continuously and performed as expected.

The SVE system has effectively and efficiently removed VOCs (including chlorinated solvents), and LNAPL from the subsurface soil to the water table. However, a shallow zone of compacted silt and clay-rich soil from the surface to approximately 4 feet below ground surface (bgs) has not been sufficiently cleaned up by the SVE system, due to high compaction and low soil permeability limiting the ability of the system to pull air through this layer of the soil.

The Contaminants

Contaminants of concern (COC) in the soil are primarily tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) xylenes, toluene, and ethylbenzene. The highest concentrations of these VOCs were detected at depths of five feet bgs, predominantly in the west central portion where products were stored in aboveground tanks.

Proposed Changes to the Rod

EPA is proposing to modify the ROD to achieve soil clean up goals for the remaining shallow soil not completely cleaned up by the current SVE/AR remedy. The modified goal is to reduce concentrations of VOCs in the soil to the site-specific requirements. Excavation and thermal treatment of the impacted soils have been determined to be the most sustainable clean up options to achieve this goal. The preferred alternative would include the following:

The preferred alternative was determined to provide the greatest amount of protection of human health and the environment. EPA and NDEQ believe the proposed alternative would comply with ARARs, would be cost effective, and would utilize permanent solutions and alternative treatment technologies.

Additional Information

The Proposed Plan and other site-related documents provide details of the nature and extent of contamination at the site. These documents are part of the Administrative Record, available during regular business hours at the following locations: 

Edith Abbott Memorial Library
211 N. Washington St.
Grand Island, Nebraska

EPA Records Center
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, Kansas

If you have questions about the meeting or need additional information, please contact:

Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 N. Fifth St.
Kansas City, KS 66101
913-551-7253, Toll free: 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: himes.beckie@epa.gov

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.