![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Fact Sheet
October 2005
Record of Decision for Remedial Action Signed, Hayford Bridge Road Groundwater Site, Operable Unit 3, St. Charles, Missouri
INTRODUCTIONEPA Region 7 has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for a Remedial Action that addresses contaminated groundwater at the Hayford Bridge Road Groundwater Site, Operable Unit 3 (OU3) in St. Charles, Missouri. This action is being taken under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law. The ROD was signed on September 28, 2005.
EPA received comments on the proposed plan at a public meeting on August 24, 2005, and accepted written submissions through September 8, 2005. Although EPA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) recommended a preferred alternative to address the contamination, a final decision was not made until EPA reviewed all public comments.
After the comment period closed, EPA selected the remedy and published the Record of Decision. The ROD includes EPA’s remedy selection and a summary of EPA’s responses to the comments received during the public comment period. The ROD is available for review at the St. Charles City-County Library in St. Charles, Missouri.
SITE BACKGROUND
Between 1962 and 1973, Findett Corporation operated a chemical recycling and formulation facility at the site. Findett reclaimed used hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids and solvents. Some of the reprocessed hydraulic and heat transfer fluids contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Other materials that Findett handled contained volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Findett used an unlined “quench pond” to cool residues from the oil and fluid recycling operations. As a result, VOCs and PCBs contaminated surface soils, subsurface soils and groundwater on the Findett and adjacent property owned by Cadmus Corporation (Cadmus).
As a Superfund project, the site was divided into three operable units (OUs): 1) OU1 addresses the soil and groundwater contamination on the Findett property; 2) OU2 addresses the soil contamination on the Cadmus property; and 3) OU3 addresses the contaminated groundwater that migrated off OU1 and OU2.
In 1990, EPA and Findett entered into an agreement to implement a remedy for OU1. PCB-contaminated surface soils at OU1 were excavated and disposed offsite; a groundwater system was installed and continues to treat the groundwater at OU1. In January 2001, EPA and several former Findett customers entered into an agreement to implement a soils clean up for OU2. The work was completed later that year. In September 2001, former Findett customers agreed to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to investigate the nature and extent of off-site groundwater contamination (OU3). The proposed plan presented the findings from the RI/FS and provided details about several Remedial Alternatives.
SELECTED REMEDY
EPA’s selected remedy will address the groundwater contamination using the following components:
- Monitored Natural Attenuation – This is the periodic collection of water samples from monitoring wells located throughout OU3. These samples are analyzed to detect the migration of the plume. This allows EPA to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy.
- Institutional Controls – Institutional controls consist of property deed restrictions to ensure that contaminated groundwater is not used for drinking water. ICs will prevent the installation of new drinking water wells and the construction of ponds/lakes below the upper cohesive soils, into the contaminated aquifer.
- Aeration Modification – While no VOCs are present in the city’s well field or drinking water, as an added precaution, the city’s water treatment plant’s current ability to remove VOCs will be upgraded and improved.
- Contingency Plan – The contingency plan will require additional action(s) if monitoring indicates the plume is expanding.
IS THE CITY WATER SAFE?
The primary focus of EPA at this site is to protect the nearby St. Charles’ drinking water supply and potential future potable uses of contaminated groundwater on private properties. Approximately 40 percent of St. Charles’ drinking water is obtained from the Elm Point Wellfield. The contaminated plume does not extend into the wellfield. The purpose of the Remedial Action for OU3 is to ensure that St. Charles continues to have safe drinking water.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The ROD and other site-related documents are part of the Administrative Record which is available during regular business hours at the following locations:
St. Charles City-County Library
Kathryn Linnemann Branch
2323 Elm Street
St. Charles, Mo.
EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kan.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact:
Dianna Whitaker
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551-7003, Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: whitaker.dianna@epa.gov
