Fact Sheet
July 2007
DNR and EPA Announce Proposed Plan for Interim Action, Oak Grove Village Well Site, OU1, Oak Grove Village, Missouri
INTRODUCTION
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the EPA Region 7 are releasing a Proposed Plan to address groundwater contamination at Operable Unit 1 (OU1) of the Oak Grove Village Well Site in Oak Grove Village, Mo. The DNR is the lead agency for this site and seeks your comments on the Proposed Plan for Interim Action.
Although the DNR and the EPA are recommending an interim action to address the contamination, a decision will not be made until all comments have been reviewed. A 30-day comment period will run from August 1 until August 30, 2007. A public meeting will be held August 15, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the VFW Hall in Sullivan, Mo. The community is invited to attend and present comments at the meeting.
The decision regarding the selected remedy will be made after the DNR has considered all public comments. The DNR will issue the decision in the Interim Action Record of Decision (ROD) for the site. The Interim Action ROD will also include a summary of DNR’s responses to the comments received during the public comment period. Additional information and data collected during this interim action will determine the final remedial action selected for OU1.
SITE BACKGROUND
The Oak Grove Village Site is located in Oak Grove Village, Franklin County, Mo. The DNR detected trichloroethylene (TCE) in Oak Grove Village’s municipal water well during routine water sampling in June 1986. In December 1990, the
DNR determined that TCE contamination in the municipal well exceeded safe drinking water standards. Oak Grove Village closed the municipal well in July 1991 and began buying water from Sullivan. The site was placed on the National Priorities List on September 5, 2002.
Oak Grove Village installed a new municipal well in December 2003. After TCE was detected in the new municipal well, air stripper equipment was added to the well to remove TCE from the water. With the addition of the air stripper, Oak Grove Village began distributing treated water to residents and ceased purchase of Sullivan water in April 2005.
Following discovery of the contamination, several environmental investigations were initiated by the DNR and EPA. As lead agency, the DNR conducted the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). The RI/FS was conducted in a phased approach to determine the nature and extent of groundwater contamination, to identify possible source areas related to the closed municipal well, and to identify responsible parties. Phase I began in June 2000 and was completed in March 2002.
During Phase II of the remedial investigation, the DNR and EPA decided to divide the site into two Operable Units. OU1 consists of the Oak Grove Village wells, the Highway AF wells and the area west and south of the Oak Grove Village wells. The Proposed Plan for OU1 is the focus of the meeting scheduled on August 15, 2007.
The Proposed Plan for Interim Action presents several Remedial Alternatives. The Remedial Alternatives, including the Preferred Alternative, are described below.
REMEDIAL ALTERNATIVES
Alternative I -- No Action
Alternative II -- Treatment at Private Wellheads and Groundwater Monitoring
Alternative III -- Alternative Water Supply/Treatment at Private Wellheads and Groundwater Monitoring
Alternative IV --Treatment at Private Wellheads, Groundwater Monitoring and Operation/Monitoring of Air Stripper
Alternative V -- Alternative Water Supply/Treatment at Private Wellheads, Groundwater Monitoring and Operation/Monitoring of Air Stripper
THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
The Preferred Alternative proposed by the DNR and the EPA is Alternative V. This alternative will require the abandonment and plugging of the closed municipal water well in Oak Grove Village to ensure that contaminated groundwater from the well is not used.
The Preferred Alternative ensures clean water sources for residential, commercial and industrial wells located within OU1 by either placing treatment equipment on the wells or by connecting the property to a public water supply.
The DNR and the county health department will direct educational materials to well owners and to individuals applying for permits to drill new wells in the impacted area.
The Preferred Alternative also proposes periodic sampling of the groundwater at residential, commercial/industrial, municipal and monitoring wells located within OU1. Sampling of wells in OU1 will provide the data needed to ensure contaminant levels are decreasing.
The DNR will also conduct a well survey to make sure that all wells in the area of OU1 have been sampled and included in the proposed remedy.
Finally, the Preferred Alternative provides for the operation of the town’s air stripper by Oak Grove Village and monitoring of the air stripper to ensure that the equipment continues to remove TCE contamination from the public drinking water. The extraction of TCE contaminated water by the air stripper will reduce the amount of TCE in the aquifer.
The DNR and the EPA recommend Alternative V because it provides the greatest amount of protection for human health and the environment while remediating the groundwater. The Preferred Alternative can change in response to public comment or new information.
PUBLIC MEETING AND COMMENT PERIOD
The DNR and the EPA invite you to a public meeting on August
15, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at:
VFW Hall
Springfield Road & Hwy 185 South
Sullivan, Mo.
Written comments must be postmarked no later than August 30, 2007, and should be sent to:
Candice McGhee, Project Manager
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Toll-free 800-361-4827
Telephone 573-751-1738
Fax 573-751-7869
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Proposed Plan and other site documents are included in the Administrative Record which is available during regular business hours at the following locations:
Oak Grove Village City Hall
260 James St.
Oak Grove Village, Mo.
Sullivan Public Library
104 W. Vine St.
Sullivan, Mo.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact:
Candice McGhee
Project Manager
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Toll-free 1-800-361-4827
Telephone 573-751-1738
Fax 573-751-7869
E-mail: candice.mcghee@dnr.mo.gov
Dianna Whitaker
Community Involvement Coordinator
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
Telephone 913-551-7003
E-mail: whitaker.dianna@epa.gov