MISSOURI ELECTRIC EPA Region 7 06/25/2008 l/C City: Cape Girardeau County: Cape Girardeau County MISSOURI Other Names: EPA ID# MOD980965982 SITE DESCRIPTION Missouri Electric Works operated on this 6 1/2-acre site from 1954 until 1992. Missouri Electric Works sold, serviced, and reconditioned electric motors, transformers, and transformer controls. In addition, it recycled transformer oil and copper wire. The transformer oil was filtered and reused, with about 90 percent being salvaged. The remaining waste oil either was sold to local residents for dust control purposes, disposed of by a contractor, or simply allowed to leak or spill onto the ground around the facility. Some waste oil reportedly was burned on site. The total amount of waste oil generated was about 28,000 gallons. The facility was issued an order in 1988, prohibiting the company from accepting electrical equipment containing oil with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in excess of 1 part per million (ppm). Approximately 37,800 people live within 3 miles of the site, while 1,000 people live within 1 mile of the site. The land around the site is used for industrial and commercial purposes. Prime agricultural land is located less than 1 mile away. The Mississippi River, located 2 miles from the site, is used for fishing, recreational and commercial boating, and swimming. The Cape La Croix Creek, which flows into the Mississippi, receives runoff from the site through a series of drainage ditches. Most of the water needs of the City of Cape Girardeau are provided by the Mississippi River. However, groundwater from a public well 2 miles south of the site supplements river water during peak demand periods. A wetland area is located immediately to the south of the site. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through Federal and potentially responsible parties' actions. NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 06/24/88 Final Date: 02/21/90 ------- Deleted Date: THREATS AND CONTAMINANTS The EPA found PCBs from site operations in on- and off-site air sampling during 1987. The soils in the area are somewhat permeable, and the bedrock is highly fractured. These conditions have made it easier for PCBs and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE) to migrate into the groundwater. VOCs, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and PCBs have been found in the groundwater below the site. Sediments in channels draining the site and areas off site contain PCBs. PCB contamination of the soil is widespread and occurs to a depth of at least 5 feet. Residents who eat produce from gardens at the site could be at risk from the contaminated soil. Breathing contaminated airborne dust near the site could affect the health of those on or near the site. The focused groundwater investigation, completed during 2005, confirmed the presence of PCBs at depth in the fractured bedrock aquifer. Chlorobenzenes were also detected in the bedrock aquifer. The wetland area south of the MEW property is underlain by saturated alluvium. The alluvium receives groundwaters from the adjacent bedrock aquifer. TCE was detected at concentrations above the maximum contaminant level (MCL) in this aquifer. CLEANUP APPROACH Response Action Status Immediate Actions: The site owner erected barriers to stop PCBs from migrating off site via drainage ditches and conducted sampling of a structure on site. After determining that the site owner did not adequately perform these activities, the EPA resampled the structure and erected new barriers across the drainage ditches to reduce the migration of PCB-contaminated soil off site. Entire Site: In 1990, the EPA selected a remedy including on-site incineration of the PCB-contaminated soil, and pumping and treating of the groundwater via air stripping, followed by carbon adsorption. After the site soils have been incinerated, a further investigation of groundwater contamination is planned. The design for incinerating contaminated materials began in the fall of 1994. On-site thermal desorption of contaminated soils was completed during July 2002. as & '/YV / ------- Remedy Selected: During February 1994, an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued. The ESD expanded the technologies available to treat the PCB-contaminated soils to include on-site thermal desorbtion. An availability session and comment period were held during late 1993; no adverse comments were received. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the Federal District Court's 1996 approval of the Consent Decree during December 1997. The Federal District Court notified the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Electric Works Site Trust Donors (MEWSTD) of the approval during March 1998. The project specifications were advertised and Williams Environmental (Willliams) of Stone Mountain, Georgia was selected to perform the remedial action for the PCB-contaminated soils. Williams proposed using an on-site thermal desorber with high temperature treatment of the off-gases. The thermal desorber unit was erected during the Summer of 1999. PCB-contaminated soils were excavated and stock-piled in preparation for treatment. Performance tests were conducted during October 1999, December 1999 and early Spring 2000. Full-scale operation of the thermal desorber began during April 2000. Treatment of the 30,000+ tons of PCB-contaminated soils was complete by July 25, 2002. The remedial action was slowed due the discovery PCB contamination to depths greater than 20 feet. A modification of the design was required. A pair of Red-Tailed Hawks nested near the thermal desorber unit during the winter of 1999 - 2000. The original plan identified that all trees located on the eastern perimeter of the Site be removed. Since the Red-Tailed Hawks had fledglings in their nest that could not be disturbed, modifications to the design approach were made. Site Studies: During 1991, PCB contamination was detected at depths greater than 300 feet below ground surface. Further investigations to clarify the source, rate and extent of PCB and chlorobenzene contamination of the groundwater were required in the Consent Decree. Subsequent to the completion of the soil remedial action, existing and newly installed groundwater wells were monitored for up to 48 months to identify the impact of the source removal on groundwater contamination. New wells have been installed on the site and within the wetland area south of the site. Data gathering has been completed. Two distinct groundwater regimes were identified during the groundwater investigation: one within the fractured bedrock and the second in the alluvium below the wetland area. The focused groundwater investigation was completed with the signing of the Record of Decsion for Operable Unit 2 on September 28, 2005. Remedy Selected: The Groundwater Operable Unit RI/FS was accepted by EPA during 2005. EPA, Region 7, developed the proposed plan for public comment prior to issuing a ROD for the groundwater. The Public Meeting was held in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on September 8, 2005. No comments were received. The ROD was issued on September 28, 2005. ------- Remedy Selected: The EPA selected remedies to address groundwater contamination during September 2005. There are two groundwater regimes that have been impacted by site activities. Groundwater contamination within the fractured bedrock will be addressed using institutional controls, well-head treatment, long-term monitoring and a technical impracticability (TI) waiver for the applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) that cannot be met. Groundwater contamination in alluvium below the wetland area will be addressed using institutional controls, well-head treatment, long-term monitoring and enhanced biodegradation. Additional data gathering activities are on-going; data to evaluate whether or not natural attenuation processes are occurring in the alluvium is being obtained. Should analytical data indicate that natural attentuation is occurring; enhanced biodegradation will be replaced with monitored natural attenuation. An investigation to determine whether or not the site represents an ecological risk to the wetland area is to be performed. Initial Actions: A small pond is located within the wetland area. Fish from this pond were collected and analyzed for PCBs. PCBs were detected in all fish. Reports of pond use for recreational fishing were received. A fence, 8 feet high, was constructed around the perimeter of the pond. The fence was posted with signs indicating there was to be no trespassing or no fishing. This action was completed during March 2007. More than 100 potentially responsible parties signed an Administrative Order on Consent to study site contamination and the feasibility of various cleanup technologies. In late 1991, a Consent Decree was signed between EPA and 175 potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to design the remedy and cleanup the soil under EPA supervision. The Federal District Court approved the Consent Decree on August 29, 1994. The Consent Decree approval was subsequently appealed by a group of PRPs. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the Consent Decree back to the Federal District Court during August 1995. After complying with the instructions from the Appellate Court, the Federal District Court again approved the Consent Decree during August 1996. The approval was again appealed. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the Federal District Court's ruling during December 1997. ------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS Erecting barriers across drainage ditches to reduce the migration of contaminated soil have reduced the potential for exposure to hazardous substances at the Missouri Electrical Works site while final remedies are being designed to clean up the soil and an additional groundwater investigation is being conducted. Soil contamination at the site has been addressed. Over 30,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil were treated to remove and destroy the PCBs. Thermal treatment of the PCB-contaminated soils was completed on July 25, 2000. A vegetative cover has been established. Some erosion problems persist along the steepest portions of the site. These erosion areas are being monitored, maintained and restored as needed. A design groundwater investigation began during 2001. Mapping of regional joints and fractures was conducted. New monitoring wells were installed. Quarterly sampling of monitoring wells was conducted until mid -2005. Groundwater in the bedrock is contaminated with PCBs adn chlorobenzenes. Groundwater in the alluvium found in the wetland area is contaminated with TCE. A five-year review was completed during the summer of 2004. The purpose of a five-year review is to evaluate the protectiveness of the response action. The 2004 five-year review indicated that ecological risk in the area south of the MEW property needs to be evaluated. A fence, surrounding the wetland pond, was erected during March 2007. The fence was erected to prevent unauthorized access to the pond and the fish contained in the pond waters. The fence is posted with warnings. The fence is being monitored, maintained and repaired as needed. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Community Involvement - Missouri Electric Works Community Involvement Plan November 18,1997 EPA Hosted Community Meetings 08/90 - Public Meeting for Soil Proposed Plan 12/15/94 - Availability Session: Proposed inclusion of Thermal Desorption as a remedial technology 10/12/99 - Availability Session: Site update/Low temperature Thermal Desorber unit 09/08/05 - Public Meeting for Groundwater Proposed Plan Fact Sheets ------- 12/96 - Site Update/Pilot Study 11/98 - Consent Decree Approved 2/99- Site Update/Remedial Design/Remedial Action 6/99 - Site Update/Remedial Design/Remedial Action 9/99 - Site Update/Low temperature Thermal Desorber 10/99 - Site Update/Low temperature Thermal Desorber Unit w/pictures 03/04 - Five Year Review begins 09/04 - Five Year Review complete 08/05 - Groundwater Proposed Plan available for review and comment (ad placed in Southeast Missourian on August 21, 2005) 11/05 - Announced Record of Decision approved (ad placed in Southeast Missourian on November 16, 2005) Congressional Districts State: State Senator Peter Kinder District 7, State Representative Jason Crowell District 158 Federal: U.S. Senator Chistopher Bond, U.S. Senator Jim Talent, U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson 8th District ------- SITE REPOSITORY Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 N. Superfund Records Center Clark Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 901 N. 5th St. 63 701 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: Pauletta France-Isetts/SUPR/R7/USEPA/US france-isetts.pauletta@epa.gov (913)551-7701 Dianna Whitaker (913)551-7598 whitaker.dianna@epa.gov Don van Dyke (573) 751-8393 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION STATE: MO 076R CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: 08 EPA ORGANIZATION: SFD-SPEB/SUPR MODIFICATIONS Created by: Karla Created Date: 10/22/97 02:45 PM Asberry/SUPRFUND/R7/U S EPA/US Last Modified by: Pauletta Last Modified Date: 06/25/2008 05:10 PM France-Isetts/R7/U SEP A/U S ------- |