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Fact Sheet

May 2005

EPA Technical Assistance Grant Now Available, Garvey Elevator Site
Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska

EPA recently proposed the Garvey Elevator Site, in Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska to its Superfund National Priorities List or NPL. Due to this proposal, the community is now eligible for a Technical Assistance Grant or TAG.

The TAG allows a community group to hire an independent expert to help them understand what’s going on at the site. By law, only one grant for up to $50,000 may be awarded.

Groups wishing to file for the TAG can:

If you would like more information about the TAG please visit the TAG website at:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/tools/tag/index.htm or contact:

Hattie Thomas, EPA Region 7
Technical Assistance Grants Project Officer
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
1-913-551-7003
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: thomas.hattie@epa.gov

Garvey Elevator Superfund Site
Hastings, Nebraska

The Garvey Elevator Site is a commercial grain elevator located 0.5 mile southwest of Hastings, Nebraska, in Adam County. The Garvey Elevator facility covers 106 acres of land, 22 of which have been used for facility operations.

Site History:

The Garvey Elevator terminal consists of a concrete elevator head house with a total of 258 bins and 4,733,000 bushels of storage capacity. Chemical storage tanks at the facility included a 3,000 gallon aboveground storage tank, installed in 1960 and removed in 1986, which contained liquid fumigant. The liquid fumigant, which was applied to grain in all upright grain storage areas, was composed of 80 percent carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) and 20 percent carbon bisulfide. The underground service pipe between the tank and the elevator leaked and was repaired, but the exact date of the pipe repair or the amount of liquid fumigant that was lost through the leak is undetermined. The facility ceased use of the liquid fumigant in 1985.

Site Contamination/Contaminants:

At the site, ground water from one municipal well and multiple private drinking water wells is contaminated with CCl(4). In addition, soil and soil gas sampling have detected CCl(4) at the Garvey Elevator facility, and monitoring wells have documented a release of CCl(4) to the aquifer under the facility.

Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:

Multiple private drinking water wells located down gradient from the facility are contaminated with CCl(4). Investigations by Garvey Elevator contractors, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and EPA Region 7 documented CCl(4) in private drinking water wells exceeding EPA’s health-based benchmarks.

Response Activities (to date):

To date, approximately 30 residential homes and/or businesses have been supplied some type of alternate water.

Additional Site Information:

If you have questions about this site, please contact:

Jan Lambert, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA – Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66102
Toll Free: 1-800-223-0425

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