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Fact Sheet

March 2006

EPA to Hold Public Meeting, Riverfront Superfund Site, New Haven, Missouri

INTRODUCTION

EPA Region 7 invites the New Haven community to attend a public meeting at the New Haven High School on March 29, 2006, for an update on the Riverfront Superfund Site. Successful remediation activities at Operable Unit 1 (OU1) will be discussed. An Advanced Remediation Technology (ART) well has been extracting tetrachloroethene (PCE) at OU1 since June 2, 2005.

EPA also completed a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) at Operable Unit 5 (OU5), related to PCE contamination detected at the former Langenberg Hat Factory property. Results of the completed investigation will be highlighted.

The meeting will include a summary of activities at Operable Units 2 and 6. OU2, known as the Kellwood Site, is located on Industrial Drive in south New Haven. PCE contamination in the ground water at OU2 has affected several domestic wells south of New Haven. This area is known as OU6.

EPA will also provide information about new “all appropriate inquiry” requirements that affect land transactions at contaminated properties at Superfund sites. Representatives from EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Black & Veatch, and Parsons Engineering will be available March 29 to summarize investigations.

FRONT STREET PROGRESS

OU1, the Front Street Site, encompasses about two acres in downtown New Haven. PCE was used as a degreasing agent in manufacturing operations at Front Street from 1950 until the 1970s. PCE waste was dumped or washed out of the south doors of the building located at this site, where it pooled in low areas along Front Street. In 2004, EPA released a Record of Decision to remedy contamination at OU1. One of the major components of the remedy was installation and operation of the ART well at the site.

From September 20 to December 13, 2005, the ART well removed 333 pounds of contamination from the soil at OU1, of which 277 pounds were PCE. The other contaminants removed include trichloroethene, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride. The Remedial Investigation estimated that the soil at OU1 contained approximately 4,400 pounds of PCE. Therefore, the ART well has removed about six percent of the PCE contamination at this site in its first six months of operation. More details about this remediation activity will be provided during the public meeting.

OLD HAT FACTORY (OU5)

During sampling activities in 2002, EPA Region 7 detected PCE contamination in a shallow bedrock monitoring well (BW-09A) on the east side of the former Langenberg Hat Factory located at Wall Street and Maupin Avenue. Although no PCE use was documented at OU5, the detection of PCE in shallow ground water at OU5, a short distance from the closed public-supply wells, prompted EPA to begin a remedial investigation at OU5 in 2003.

The hat factory opened in 1928 and formed and shaped hats from stock materials manufactured at other locations. During peak production, the hat factory produced and shipped nearly 500,000 hats each year. The hat factory closed in 2000.

The hat factory property was purchased in 2002. Since purchasing the property, the new owner has demolished the concrete floors, driveways, and storage pads on the east side of the facility and graded and seeded the site.

The Feasibility Study for OU5 examined several alternatives for responding to the limited ground water contamination at this site. The three best alternatives include:

Institutional controls involve restrictive covenants and/or easements, well installation permits, and public education to prevent human use of ground water at OU5.

Monitored natural attenuation consists of ground water sampling to track the natural degradation of PCE. A gradual decline of PCE in the ground water may occur naturally and can be confirmed with this monitoring.

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Plan to Attend Public Meeting

You are invited to attend a public meeting
about the Riverfront Superfund Site.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
New Haven High School
100 Park Drive
New Haven, Missouri
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact:

Dianna Whitaker
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551-7003, Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: whitaker.dianna@epa.gov

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