Region 7	Fact Sheet
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Nebraska
Nine Tribal Nations	July 2009
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Remedial Investigation Field Activities Begin
Removal Actions Continue
Garvey Elevator Site, Hastings, Nebraska
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Region 7 is announcing the start of
field investigation activities associated with
the Remedial Investigation at the Garvey
Elevator Site. EPA has initiated these
activities to perform additional investigation of
soils and ground water contamination and
determine the threats posed by contamination
from the site. A Feasibility Study will then be
initiated to develop a plan to clean up the site.
EPA continues to operate the existing soil
and ground water treatment systems at the
source area of the ground water
contamination. EPA continues to monitor
water quality in private wells within and near
the contaminated ground water plume and to
provide alternate water and/or treatment
systems to impacted private well users.
BACKGROUND
The former Garvey Elevator's facility is
located at 2315 W. Highway 6, approximately
0.5 miles southwest of Hastings, Nebraska.
The facility covered 106 acres of land, 22 of
which have been used for facility operations.
Grain storage and processing activities have
been conducted at the facility since 1959.
Carbon tetrachloride, a common fumigant
used to kill insects in stored grain, was used
at the Garvey Elevator's facility until the mid-
1980s. Past releases of carbon tetrachloride
from the facility have contaminated ground
water near the facility. The extensive aquifer
beneath the Hastings area is used as a
source of drinking water.
The former Garvey Elevator's facility was
purchased by AGP Grain Marketing, Inc. in
2005 and continues to operate as a grain
storage facility.
THE CONTAMINATION
Carbon tetrachloride has been found at high
levels (29,943 micrograms per liter) in ground
water beneath the facility and has previously
been detected in Municipal Well #13, located
northeast of the facility. Carbon tetrachloride
has also been detected in some private wells
east of the site. EPA's drinking water
standard for carbon tetrachloride is 5
micrograms per liter. EPA estimates the
plume of contaminated ground water extends
to approximately 3 miles east-southeast from
the facility.
40318518
Superfund

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ACTIVITIES TO DATE
In September 2005, Garvey Elevators
(Garvey) entered into an Administrative Order
on Consent (AOC) with EPA to perform
removal actions and the Remedial
Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the.
site. Under the terms of the AOC, Garvey
was required to perform the following work:
¦	Operate and evaluate the existing soil
vapor and ground water extraction
systems to prevent further off-site
migration of carbon tetrachloride in
ground water.
¦	Perform private well surveys to identify
impacted and potentially impacted
private wells.
¦	Conduct an RI/FS to assess the nature
and extent of contamination and to
evaluate potential remedial actions to
address the contamination.
After the AOC was signed, Garvey and its
contractors started performing activities
described in the AOC, including some initial
field investigations. Garvey attempted to
maintain and operate the ground water
extraction and treatment systems. However,
operation of the systems was inconsistent.
On March 27, 2008, Garvey Elevators Inc.
filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. District
Court for the North District of Texas. In April
2008, EPA directed Garvey and its
contractors to halt work at the site.
EPA initiated removal actions in May 2008 to
provide alternate water to impacted private
well users and to continue operating the
ground water extraction and treatment system
and the soil vapor extraction system.
FUTURE REMEDIAL ACTIONS
EPA's remedial process is designed to find a
long-term solution to address the
contamination at the site. EPA will perform
the remedial investigation to fully define the
extent of the contamination, and conduct a
feasibility study which is a document that will
evaluate different alternatives to clean up the
contamination. EPA will ultimately present
this information to the community and ask for
comments on EPA's proposed actions before
making decisions regarding the cleanup.
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD
EPA invites the public to review and comment
on the administrative record file for the
Garvey Elevator site. The administrative
record file is available for review during
normal business hours at the following
information repositories:
Hastings Public Library
4th and Denver Streets
Hastings, Nebraska
EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas
If you have questions or need additional
information, please contact
Jan Lambert
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
Phone: 913-551-7768 or
Toll Free: 1-800-223-0425
lambert.ianette@epa.aov
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