COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN Beatrice Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site Beatrice, Nebraska ^£D S7^ PRO^& November 2014 Region 7 United States Environmental Protection Agency Lenexa, Kansas 30246098 111 III Superfund ------- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Community Involvement Program is committed to providing communication between citizens and the Agency. Active public involvement is crucial to the success of any public project. The EPA's community involvement activities at the Beatrice FMGP Site are designed to: Inform the public of the nature of the environmental issues associated with the site, Involve the public in the decision-making process that will affect them. Involve the public in the responses under consideration to remedy these issues, and Inform the public of the progress being made to implement the remedy. ------- Table of Contents Section Page 1.0 Overview of the Community Involvement Plan 1 2.0 Capsule Site Description 1 2.1 Site History 1 2.2 Site Description/Location 2 2.3 Site Investigations 2 3.0 Community Background 3 3.1 Community Profile 3 3.2 History of Community Involvement 3 3.3 Key Community Concerns 4 3.4 Response to Community Concerns 4 3.5 Summary of Communication Needs 4 4.0 EPA's Community Involvement Program 5 4.1 Goals 5 4.2 Objectives 5 4.3 Key Messages 5 4.4 Target Audiences 5 4.5 Projected Schedule for Community Involvement Activities 6 4.6 Community Involvement Resources 6 Appendices: A Federal Elected Officials 8 B State Elected Officials 8 C Local Contacts 8 D EPA Contacts 9 E State Agencies 9 F Meeting Locations 9 G Local Media 10 H Repository Locations 10 ------- 1 1.0 Overview of the Community Involvement Plan The United States Environmental Protection Agency developed this Community Involvement Plan (CIP) to facilitate two-way communication between the community impacted by the Beatrice Former Manufactured Gas Plant (FMGP) Site, and the EPA, to encourage community involvement in site activities. The EPA will utilize the community involvement activities outlined in this plan to ensure that residents are continuously informed and provided opportunities to be involved. The CIP addresses the site relationship to the community and the EPA (Section 2.0), provides a background of the community (Section 3.0), presents the EPA's community involvement program (Section 4.0), and provides a listing of resources available (Appendices). The EPA drew upon several information sources to develop this plan, including community interviews and site files. The EPA's Regional Office will oversee the implementation of the community involvement activities outlined in this plan. 2.0 Site Description 2.1 Site Background and History The manufacture and distribution of coal gas began at the site in mid-1907 by the Beatrice Gas and Power Co. According to the 1909 Brown's Directory, the gas plant was owned by City Gas Co., but was not in operation that year. The company name was changed to the Gage County Gas, Light and Power Co. in June 1909, and the plant began manufacturing gas by both coal and Lowe water gas processes. The Nebraska Gas & Electric Co. purchased the gas plant in July 1922 and subsequently sold the property to the Iowa-Nebraska Light and Power Co. in August 1927. The gas plant ceased operation in 1929 when natural gas became available. Central Electric & Gas Co. purchased the site in 1945. The Minnesota Gas Company purchased the site in 1976, who then sold it to Peoples Natural Gas Company in 1993. The City of Beatrice purchased a portion of the site in 1996 and razed the former facility buildings. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps from 1913, 1923 and 1948 show MGP structures on the site. Historically, the gas plant consisted of the following primary structures: • A main building with a coke storage area on the north end. • A smaller structure to the west designated as a chemical laboratory (1913 and 1923). • A 50,000-cubic foot gas holder south of the main building which corresponds with the location of a belowground gas holder (1913 and 1923). • Two rectangular oil tanks between the main building and the gas holder (1923). • An unidentified small building along the coke bin (1923). On the 1948 Sanborn map, all structures except the main gas plant building have been removed and the plant building is marked as not in use. A rectangular office building is located west of the plant building, north of the former location of the chemical laboratory. The 1953 Sanborn map shows the coke storage area removed, the office building expanded, and the plant building designated as a private garage. ------- 2 2.2 Site Description/Location The City of Beatrice is in the southeastern portion of the State of Nebraska in Gage County. The site is located southwest of the intersection of South First and Market Streets. The site consists of parcels currently owned by the City and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF). A majority of the historical MGP buildings were located on the land currently owned by the City, which is now a vacant lot. One building foundation and a circular gas holder base are present. The eastern portion of the site is on property currently owned by BNSF. The belowground gas holder structure straddles both the BNSF and City-owned portions of the site. The site is bounded to the north and east by light industrial and commercial development. Directly south of the site is undeveloped land with a sewage pump station. BNSF railroad tracks border the site to the east, and the Big Blue River borders the site to the west. Commercial properties near the site include two manufacturing plants, machine shops, an auto supply store, an outdoor and RV store and several iron and metal working shops. 2.3 Site Investigations A site investigation was performed in 1992 to determine if any residuals from coal gasification process remained on site. Two gas holders were identified: an aboveground gas holder of unknown capacity and a 50,000-cubic foot capacity belowground gas holder. The concrete foundation of the aboveground gas holder is still present on site. Historical maps only show one belowground gas holder at the FMGP. Seven soil borings were advanced and three monitoring wells were installed. MGP- related chemicals including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in four of seven soil borings. The highest concentrations were found within and southwest of the belowground gas holder. All groundwater samples contained chemicals associated with MGP activities including benzene and PAHs. The Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for benzene and ethylbenzene were exceeded in monitoring well (MW) -02 and MW-03, and the MCL for lead was exceeded in well MW-1. In 2002, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality completed the Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation which consisted of advancing probes to collect soil samples, collecting sediment samples from the Big Blue River and collecting groundwater samples from the existing monitoring wells. The soil samples collected from the probe advanced in the former area of the oil tanks contained the highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and PAHs. Lower levels were detected in the other soil probes. All monitoring well samples contained MGP-related chemicals; however, only two samples collected exceeded the MCLs. Sediment samples collected from the Big Blue River adjacent to the site showed an increase in MGP- related chemicals, although concentrations decreased further downstream. In 2004, the EPA conducted the Removal Site Evaluation investigation which included collecting soil, sediment and groundwater samples on and adjacent to the site. Eighty-five soil samples were collected ------- 3 in a grid pattern across the site from the bank of the Big Blue River and from sediment covering the aboveground gas holder base. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEXs) were detected in 6 of the 85 surface soil samples. None of the reported concentrations exceeded the Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs) for industrial soil. The soil samples collected from the southern half of the site contained the highest levels of PAHs, with five PAHs exceeding the PRGs. Benzene and ethylbenzene were the only VOCs detected at concentrations that exceeded the PRGs in the subsurface samples. With the exception of indeno(l,2,3-cd)pyrene, the same PAHs that exceeded the PRGs in the surface soil samples exceeded the PRGs in the subsurface soil. No PAHs were detected in the soil sample collected from the bank of the Big Blue River. Groundwater samples were collected from existing monitoring wells and four temporary wells. BTEXs were detected at concentrations that exceeded the MCLs and PRGs for tap water in the samples collected from three wells. PAHs were detected in all groundwater samples except well one well. Product described as coal-tar was evident in one well during the investigation. 3.0 Community Background 3.1 Community Profile (2011) The City has a population of 12,564 and is the largest city in Gage County according to 2009 U.S. census data (USCB 2011). The site is located in an industrial area of town and is zoned as light industrial/floodway. The closest residence is approximately 0.30 miles west of the Big Blue River. An environmental justice (EJ) screen was conducted using EPA's EJSCREEN tool. An analysis of the EJSCREEN data does not reflect areas of potential EJ concern directly surrounding the facility. It should be noted however that two nearby Census Block Groups (Census Tract 9651 BG2 and Census Tract 9649 BG2) contain high low-income populations with low levels of educational attainment. Community involvement activities should consider these demographic features and adjust accordingly to ensure that community needs are met and environmental justice concerns do not emerge. 3.2 History of Community Involvement This is the first C1P for the site. As of October 2014, there has been limited community involvement. Community interviews were conducted to support this CIP in May 2014. Going forward, Community Involvement at the site will focus on the following core principles: 1. Respond quickly and accurately to questions raised by area residents, local officials, organizations and the media. 2. Establish an information repository in the community. & 3. Hold an informal public forum between EPA representatives and all interested parties. 4. Contact city, county, state officials and representatives regarding the status of community involvement activities and removal action activities, as necessary. 5. Prepare and mail fact sheets to the community. 6. Provide opportunities for public comment on the removal action proposed for the site. ------- 4 7. Prepare a responsiveness summary. 8. Revise the Community Involvement Plan as necessary. 9. Offer assistance to communities by providing information on the following: • How to apply for a Technical Assistance Grant. • How to apply for Technical Assistance Services for Communities. • How to form a Community Advisory Group. 3.3 Key Community Concerns The EPA conducted community interviews the week of May 12, 2014, via telephone. In general, knowledge of the contamination at the site was limited. None of the residents interviewed knew of the contamination, however all were familiar with the site's location and the area. Due to the limited knowledge of the site, and environmental contamination in general, the expressed community concerns were limited to the following: • If this cleanup activity will allow the Site to be restored for future use. The area of the site is along a river and provides a potential recreational area for residents of Beatrice. • Exposure to the contaminants through drinking water. • How much the cleanup will cost and how long will it take. 3.4 Response to Community Concerns Regarding the concern about future use of the site, the cleanup will allow for the site to be used in the future. However, there are deed restrictions in place that require the property to be used for open space purposes only. There is currently no exposure to the contaminants through drinking water. Beatrice has a municipal water supply that is not impacted by site contaminants. 3.5 Summary of Communication Needs Residents of Beatrice indicated during the community interviews that the city's residents should be kept aware of site activities as site work progresses. Major milestones during the removal action should be made public, such as when on-site work begins and ends. Beatrice is a small community where local news outlets are limited but the primary sources for news is the local paper. There is one local paper, the Beatrice Daily Sun, which serves the community. Residents also receive news from Lincoln, Neb., media outlets, including television and newspaper. There is no local television station. ------- 5 4.0 The EPA's Community Involvement Program 4.1 Goals The overall goal of the EPA's community involvement program is to promote meaningful two-way communication between citizens and the EPA, and to provide opportunities for the community for meaningful and active involvement in the process. The EPA will implement the community involvement activities described below. The following plan is based on the community interviews described earlier; it addresses each issue that was identified as being important to the community. 4.2 Objectives The EPA will strive to achieve each of the following objectives through implementation of the community involvement program: 1. Share site information with the community on a timely basis and in nontechnical language. 2. Encourage and publicize opportunities for community input regarding site activities and proposed removal action plans. 3. Notify local officials, residents and businesses in the site area before field work or other actions take place. 4. Maintain site information in the community and make it accessible to all interested residents and other stakeholders. 5. Increase the level of awareness and understanding of the Superfund process and specific activities involved in the process. 4.3 Key Messages The EPA will use the following key messages for community involvement activities related to the Beatrice FMGP Site: 1. The EPA is addressing the site using the Superfund process and will comply with Superfund requirements and EPA technical criteria. 2. Based on the results of the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for the site, the EPA will select a removal action that provides the best balance of environmental and human health protection while serving community interests. 3. Throughout site activities, the EPA will share information about the site and include community stakeholders in cleanup decisions. 4.4 Target Audiences The community involvement program will focus on the following audiences: • Residents and businesses located near the site. • Elected and administrative officials of local, state and federal agencies serving the site and the community. • Area news media as a vehicle for informing the general public. • Developers and real estate agencies. ------- 6 4.5 Projected Schedule for Community Involvement Activities • November, 2014: Issue public notice regarding EE/CA public comment period. • December, 2014: Hold Public Availability Session to present proposed removal action alternative and allow input from community. Throughout the Superfund process, the EPA is committed to providing the community ample opportunity for involvement. The next steps in the Superfund process are: • Issue an Enforcement Action Memorandum • Enter into an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent with the Respondents to conduct the removal action • Conduct the removal action • Oversee implementation of post-removal site controls 4.6 Community Involvement Resources • Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) A TAG provides money for activities that help your community participate in decision making at eligible Superfund sites. An initial grant up to $50,000 is available to qualified community groups so they can contract with independent technical advisors to interpret and help the community understand technical information about their site. Additional information can be found online at the EPA TAG web page: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/communitv /tag/ • Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) TASC is a program that provides independent educational and technical assistance to communities. TASC primarily supports the Superfund program. In addition, support may also be provided to communities impacted by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, federal facilities or associated air and drinking water environmental issues. The EPA program offers technical assistance to help communities better understand and become involved in the cleanup process for hazardous waste sites. Additional information can be found online at the EPA TASC web page: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tasc/ • Community Advisory Group (CAG) A CAG is made up of representatives of diverse community interests. Its purpose is to provide a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process. A CAG can assist the EPA in making better decisions on how to clean up a site. It offers the EPA a unique opportunity to hear and seriously consider community preferences for site cleanup and restoration. ------- 7 Additional information can be found on the EPA CAG web page: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/communitv/cag/ Community members with questions regarding TAG, TASC or CAG may also contact: Pamela Houston Community Engagement Specialist 11201 Renner Boulevard Lenexa, Kansas 66219 houston.pamela@epa.gov (913) 551-7699 ------- 8 Appendix A: Federal Elected Officials Mike Johans, Senator 404 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone (202) 224-4224 4111 Fourth Avenue, Suite 26 Kearney, NE 68845 Phone (308)236-7602 Deb Fisher, Senator 383 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6551 Fax:(202)228-1325 Adrian Smith, Representative 1811 West Second Street, Suite 275 Grand Island, NE 68803 Phone: (308) 384-3900 Fax: (308) 384-3902 Appendix B: State Elected Officials Dave Heineman, Governor Lincoln Office/State Capitol: Office of the Governor P.O. Box 94848 Lincoln, NE 68509-4848 Phone: (402) 471-2244 Fax:(402)471-6031 Appendix C: Local Contacts Dennis Schuster Mayor P.O. Box 6 Beatrice, NE 68310 (402) 223-5663 Tobias Tempelmeyer City Administrator/Board of Public Works General Manager 400 Ella Street Beatrice, NE 68310 (402)228-5211 ------- 9 Appendix D: EPA Regional Contacts Owens Hull, Remedial Project Manager, hull.owens@epa.gov. (913) 551-7226 Pamela Houston, Community Engagement Specialist, houston.pamela@epa.gov. (913) 551-7699 Erin Weekley, Site Attorney. weeklev.erin@epa.gov, (913) 551-7095 EPA Regional Contacts may be reached via mail at: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 11201 RennerBlvd. Lenexa, KS 66219 Or via telephone toll-free at: (800) 223-0425 Appendix E: State Agencies Laurie Brunner Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality 1200 "N" Street, Suite 400 PO Box 98922 Lincoln, Nebraska 68509 (402)471-2186 Nebraska Department of Natural Resources 301 Centennial Mall South Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4676 (402)471-2363 Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services P.O. Box 95026 Lincoln, NE 68509-5026 (402)471-3121 Appendix F: Meeting Locations Beatrice Public Library 100 North 16th Street Beatrice, NE 68310 ------- Appendix G: Local Media Information KOLN/KGIN-TV Ch. 10/11 Lincoln Offices - KOLN 840 North 40th Lincoln, NE 68503 (402)467-4321 Beatrice Daily Sun 200 N. 7th Street Beatrice, NE 68310 (402) 423-5233 Lincoln Journal Star 926 P. Street Lincoln, NE 68508 (800) 742-7315 Appendix H: Repository Locations Records Center U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 11201 Renner Blvd. Lenexa, Kansas (800)223-0425 Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Beatrice Public Library 100 North 16th Street Beatrice, NE 68310 Hours: Monday - Thursday 10:00 am - 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday 10:00 am - 5:30 pm Sunday 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm ------- |