KEM-PEST LABORATORIES MISSOURI EPA ID# MOD980631113 SITE DESCRIPTION The Kem-Pest Laboratories site covers 6 acres and is located near Cape Girardeau. Beginning in 1965, Kem-Pest formulated various pesticide products, including liquid pesticides, granular insecticides, granular herbicides, and pesticide dust. The company suspended operations in 1975. There have been no production, treatment, or disposal activities at the site since 1977. A building on site has been used to store equipment and materials. A 1,250-square-foot lagoon at the facility formerly was used to dispose of plant waste and sewage. When the company closed the lagoon in 1981, it was filled with compacted clay. An EPA inspection in 1983 revealed that the lagoon cover was eroding and that no vegetation existed on the clay cap. Cape Girardeau, with a population of 60,925, draws drinking water from the Mississippi River, at a location less than 1 mile downstream of the site. Approximately 200 people live within 1 mile of the site, and 1,284 live within 3 miles. The site is adjacent to the flood plain of the Mississippi River. A freshwater wetland is located within 1 mile of the site. Site Responsibility: This site was addressed through Federal and potentially responsible parties' actions. EPA Region 7 05/17/2007 City: Near Cape Girardeau County: Cape Girardeau County Other Names: NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 01/22/87 Final Date: 10/04/89 Deleted Date: 09/20/2001 ------- THREATS AND CONTAMINANTS Sampling in 1984 and 1989 detected pesticides including heptachlor, chlordane, and endrin in the shallow aquifer. Drainage channel sediments contained pesticides including aldrin and dieldrin. Pesticides and various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in subsurface and surface soil samples. Potential risks may have existed for those who came into direct contact with the contaminated building structures or the soil on the site. The site has been remediated and no longer is a threat to human health or the environment. CLEANUP APPROACH Response Action Status Soil and Sediments: In 1984, the EPA installed five monitoring wells on site and collected groundwater, soil, and sediment samples. In 1988 and 1989, the EPA and the parties potentially responsible for site contamination conducted additional sampling. In 1989, EPA selected a remedy to excavate and dispose at an off-site facility all contaminated soil and sediment. The EPA has excavated approximately 6,075 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment and has disposed of them at a federally approved off-site land disposal facility. Sampling was conducted to confirm that all soils contaminated above health based levels were removed. Clean soil has been placed in the excavated areas with vegetation to minimize erosion. These cleanup activities were completed in 1993. Groundwater and On-Site Structure: In 1990, a remedy was selected to address this portion of the site. The EPA concluded that the groundwater did not require any cleanup activities, but monitoring continued to ensure that the groundwater continues to meet safety standards. The remedy to address the contaminated building structure included decontaminating and demolishing the building, and removing the debris for either incineration or placement in a federally-approved landfill. These cleanup activities were completed in September 1996. The building was demolished and disposed and contaminated soil beneath the building was removed. The area beneath the building was backfilled with clean soil, graded and seeded. Ground water monitoring continued for up to five years. A five-year review was completed in September 1999. The review, which included a site visit and a review of ground water monitoring data, concluded that the remedy is protective. Since the site has been delisted from the NPL and the monitoring wells have detected no signs of contamination above the MCLs, the monitoring wells have been removed. There will not be a need for a five-year review in the future. ------- Site Facts: ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS With the excavation and disposal of contaminated soil and sediment and removal of the contaminated building at the Kem-Pest Laboratories site, the threat of exposure to hazardous materials to the nearby population has been addressed. The monitoring wells showed no detectable levels of pesticide contamination above the MCLs and therefore were removed. The site has been delisted from the NPL since there is no longer a threat to public health or the environment. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Community interest in the Kem-Pest site began in 1981 when EPA notified the Kem-Pest property owners that the area had been identified as a hazardous waste site. Due to its rural setting there was little interest in the site until it was proposed for the National Priorities List in 1986. The NPL announcement raised community interest because the company and plant owner lived in Cape Girardeau. Throughout the life of this site the community was kept involved and informed. A community relations plan was generated that outlined the strategy to keep the community informed. The community relations plan was based on community interviews. The community's feedback served as the basis for the community relations plan. The following community involvement activities took place at the Kem-pest site during the site investigation, proposal/listing on the NPL, design, remediation and deletion from the NPL: • Established information repositories at the Cape Girardeau Library (due to the deletion the site information has been removed) and the EPA Region 7 Office; • Worked with local officials and the county health department and provided accurate and timely information to the community. • Provided fact sheets, media releases, media interviews, display ads, briefings as requested, by telephone and in person; • Conducted congressional updates; • Held availability sessions/public meetings as needed and required; • Provided public comment periods and responsiveness summary; and ------- • Provided an Agency point of contact throughout the Superfund process. ------- SITE REPOSITORY Superfund Records Center 901 N. 5th St. Kansas City, KS 66101 Mail Stop SUPR (913)551-7166 REGIONAL CONTACTS SITE MANAGER: E-MAIL ADDRESS: PHONE NUMBER: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COORDINATOR: PHONE NUMBER: E-MAIL ADDRESS: STATE CONTACT: PHONE NUMBER: Amer Safadi safadi. amer@epa. gov (913)551-7825 Hattie Thomas (913)551-7762 thomas.hattie@epa.gov Don Van Dyke (573) 751-8393 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION STATE: MO 07N6 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: 08 EPA ORGANIZATION: SFD-MOKS/SUPR MODIFICATIONS Created by: Karla Created Date: 10/21/97 10:49 AM Asb erry/SUPRFUND/R7/U S EPA/US Last Modified by: Amer Last Modified Date: 05/17/2007 04:56 PM Safadi/SUPR/R7/U SEPA/U S ------- |