![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090511005507im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Fact Sheet
September 2005
Record of Decision Issued - Five Year Review Completed
10th Street Superfund Site, Columbus, NebraskaRECORD OF DECISION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a Record of Decision (ROD) that addresses both ground water and soil contamination at the 10th Street Superfund Site in Columbus, Nebraska. 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 29, 2005.
EPA took public comments on the Proposed Plan at a public meeting on July 20, 2005. No written comments were received during the July 8 - August 8, 2005 comment period. EPA recommended specific actions in the Proposed Plan to address both the ground water and soil contamination.
Although EPA and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality concurred on the preferred alternative, a final decision was not made until EPA had reviewed comments received from the public.
After the comment period closed, EPA selected remedies as documented in the Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD includes a summary of EPA's responses to comments received during the public comment period.
About The Contamination
Perchloroethylene/tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are the primary contaminants at the site. PCE and TCE are both chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents. PCE is commonly used in dry-cleaning fluid, spot removers, and degreasers. TCE is used as a degreaser and is also a degradation product of PCE.
Selected Remedies
EPA’s preferred alternatives for the 10th Street Site as presented in the proposed plan are Limited Action in the soils (which includes Institutional Controls), and In Situ Chemical Oxidation for the ground water in the upgradient portion of the plume. As part of these alternatives, the air sparging/soil vapor extraction and ground water extraction and treatment systems will continue to operate.
FIVE YEAR REVIEW
EPA Region 7 recently completed its second five-year review of the remedies implemented at the 10th Street Site in Columbus, Nebraska. Based on an evaluation of available information, EPA believes the cleanup actions conducted at the 10th Street Site continue to be protective.
Five Year Review Conclusions
The ground water extraction and treatment system is successfully preventing the contaminated ground water plume from further impacting the City’s municipal wells. The air-sparging/soil vapor extraction system at the One Hour Martinizing source area has dramatically reduced both the contaminant levels in the soils beneath the facility and the impact of the leachate from those soils on the ground water. The effective implementation of the Columbus Institutional Control Area Ordinance that was passed in October 2003, is preventing the exposure of residents to potentially contaminated private well water.
EPA evaluated a significant amount of information before concluding the cleanup actions remain protective of human health and the environment. The 1995 Record of Decision (ROD) and 2001 Interim Action (ROD), along with remedial design reports, annual performance reports, ground water monitoring reports, and inspection reports developed over the last five years were reviewed. In addition, a site inspection was conducted in October 2004.
Long-term protectiveness of these cleanup actions, and the additional cleanup actions soon to take place in accordance with the 2005 ROD, will continue to be verified through routine inspections, maintenance activities, and sampling.
EPA will conduct another five-year review in 2010, in accordance with the Superfund law.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Record of Decision, Five Year Review Report and other site-related documents provide details of the nature and extent of contamination and the work that has been completed at the 10th Street site.
These documents are part of the Administrative Record File, available during normal business hours at the following locations:
Columbus Public Library
2504 14th Street
Columbus, Nebraska
EPA Region 7
Records Center
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact:
Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA, Region 7,
Office of External Programs
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551-7003
Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: himes.beckie@epa.gov
