KDHE Home - Environment - BER - Assessment and Restoration Section
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Jurgens, Section Chief Purpose The Assessment and Restoration Section is responsible for: assessment of closed sanitary landfills and corrective actions at all sanitary landfills; tracking and clean-up at emergency spill response sites; administration of the Kansas Natural Resources Damages program; administration of the Drycleaning Facility Release Trust Fund; state oversight of U. S. EPA National Priorities List "Superfund" sites; and state oversight of U. S. Department of Defense sites. LANDFILL / DRY CLEANING UNIT Scott Yankey, Unit ManagerThe Landfill/Drycleaning Unit is responsible for long-term groundwater monitoring and landfill inspections to comply with post-closure requirements of closed municipal landfills. This unit is responsible for the reviewing and approving corrective action activities to remediate contaminants in the groundwater at open and closed landfills. This unit also conducts inspections and repairs at numerous former municipal dump sites. The City Dump Grant Program is administered to help fund the capping of sites with exposed waste. The grant program provides 100% of the funding to local government entities to complete the closure at these old sites. Only former city dumps are eligible for this program. KDHE's Bureau of Waste Management has responsibilities associated with active municipal solid waste landfills. The Landfill/Drycleaning Unit also administers The Kansas Drycleaning Program which was created by the Drycleaner Environmental Response Act (DERA) in July 1995. The Kansas Drycleaning Program tracks the operation of existing drycleaning facilities and provides corrective action at contaminated sites. Drycleaning facilities must complete an annual registration and remain in compliance with pollution prevention and waste management measures. Random inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with DERA. The Kansas Drycleaning Facility Release Trust Fund (Fund) was created to provide financial assistance to owners or operators of contaminated drycleaning facilities to assist with assessment and corrective action of former and existing dry-cleaning facilities. This unit manages the fund and utilizes an environmental consultant to conduct the assessments and corrective actions. The fund also provides for reimbursement of some past costs related to corrective action at the prioritized sites. The trust fund is financed by a gross receipts fee on drycleaning and laundry services, solvent fee on drycleaning solvents, and annual registration fee paid by the drycleaning facilities.
RESPONSE / RESTORATION UNIT Kent Schierkolk, Unit ManagerUnpermitted discharge or accidental spills that may be detrimental to soil or water within the State of Kansas must be reported to the Spills Program within the KDHE Response Unit. The Spill Response Program's primary objective is to insure that containment and immediate environmental remedial measures associated with the discharge or spill are implemented. The Response Unit administers the KDHE Spill Reporting Hotline which is monitored 24/7 by the staff. This task is completed by tracking the progress of all spill response activities and assuring clean up of the impacted soil and water is done to appropriate standards or referred to appropriate remedial program. Spills are tracked on a database maintained by the KDHE Response Unit. MERCURY: The Spills Program also provides technical guidance assistance for mercury-related spill projects and direct response to mercury spills at publically owned buildings and properties. A Mercury Information Web Page is provided by KDHE to answer questions regarding mercury spills. METH LABS AND METH WATCH: The Response Unit can provide technical advice regarding meth lab waste disposal and clean up guidance to local authorities, property owners and contractors who are cleaning up former meth labs in Kansas. The program also implemented the Kansas Retailer Meth Watch Program which was created to help control the precursors needed for production of meth. The program's goals are to help prevent the chemicals used in the production of illegal drugs from contaminating the soils or waters of the state. NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION PROGRAM The Kansas Natural Resource Damages (NRD) program, based primarily upon authority vested in the federal Superfund law, is charged with assessing injuries to and restoring public natural resources that have been injured by environmental hazards such as oil discharges and hazardous substances releases. The designated State of Kansas Trustee for natural resources at KDHE seeks to restore damaged resources in cooperation with the responsible parties. The Response/Restoration Unit provides for primary technical and administrative support to the Kansas Trustee for NRD actions.
SUPERFUND UNIT Jorge Jacobs, Unit Manager The Superfund Unit provides state oversight of assessment and corrective action of environmental contamination at U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) installations and Formerly-Used Defense Sites (FUDS) through the Defense/State Memorandum of Agreement (DSMOA). The DSMOA Program is funded by the Department of Defense. Environmental Scientists and Geologists within the Superfund Unit work closely with project managers and scientists at the federal agencies. The Superfund Unit provides technical expertise and field oversight of the federal environmental investigations and cleanups, and communicates state priorities and regulatory positions to the federal agencies. The Superfund Unit provides state oversight of assessment and corrective action at sites on the EPA National Priorities List and sites under the EPA Superfund Removal Program through the Management Assistance Cooperative Agreement (MACA). The MACA Program is funded by United States Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Scientists and Geologists within the Superfund Unit work closely with project managers and scientists at the US EPA. The Superfund Unit provides technical expertise and field oversight of the federal environmental investigations and cleanups, and communicates state priorities and regulatory positions to the EPA. Identified Sites ListContaminated sites managed by the Assessment & Restoration Section are included in the Identified Sites List (ISL) database. A fact sheet for each ISL site can be found at http://www.kdheks.gov/remedial/isl_disclaimer.htm. More detailed information is available from KDHE through a Kansas Open Records Act request. Please contact the program representatives listed on this web page for additional information Staff
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