Fact Sheet

September 2005

Garvey Elevator to be Added to National Priorities List
Hastings, Nebraska

Introduction

Garvey Elevator, a commercial grain elevator, is being placed on the National Priorities List effective Sept. 14, 2005. The NPL is a list of the nation’s hazardous waste sites with the highest priority for cleanup. These sites, once listed, are eligible for extensive, long-term response actions under the Superfund program through money authorized by Congress.

Site Background

The Garvey Elevator terminal consists of a concrete elevator head house with 258 bins and 4.7 million bushels of storage capacity. Chemical storage tanks at the facility included a 3,000 gallon above-ground storage tank, installed in 1960 and removed in 1986, that contained liquid fumigant. The liquid fumigant, carbon tetrachloride, was applied to grain in all upright grain storage areas. 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

Soil and soil gas sampling have detected carbon tetrachloride at the Garvey Elevator facility, and monitoring wells have documented a release of carbon tetrachloride to the aquifer under the facility. Ground water in one municipal well and multiple private drinking water wells at the site is contaminated with carbon tetrachloride.

Potential Impacts on Community

Multiple private drinking water wells down gradient from the facility are contaminated with carbon tetrachloride. Investigations by Garvey Elevator contractors, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and EPA documented carbon tetrachloride in private drinking water wells exceeding EPA’s health-based benchmarks.

Response Activities to Date:

About 30 residential homes and/or businesses have been supplied an alternate water supply.

Additional Information

If you have questions about this fact sheet or need additional information about the site, please contact:

Jan Lambert
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th St.
Kansas City, Kan. 66101
Phone: (913) 551-7768
Toll free: (800) 223-0425
lambert.janette@epa.gov