KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary

November 3, 1997

Contact: Rob Elder

785-296-2546

Public Comments Sought on Parsons Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is requesting public comment on remedial action for Parsons Manufactured Gas Plant, located at the southeast corner of the intersection of West Morton Avenue and 21st Streets, in Parsons.

Comments on the public document outlining the department's preferred plan for remediating the site, called a Draft Corrective Action Decision (CAD), may be made at a public meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on November 18 in the conference room of the Parsons Public Library, 311 S. Seventh St., Parsons. KDHE will also accept written comments submitted during the public comment period of November 1 to December 1, 1997.

The Draft CAD and administrative record for the site are available for public review during normal business hours at the Parsons Public Library and at the KDHE Bureau of Environmental Remediation, Forbes Field, Building 740, Topeka, Kansas, 66620-7500. Contact Rob Elder at 785-296-2546.

KDHE has not made a final determination on which corrective action alternative to implement at the site. The Draft CAD provides background information on the site, summarizes various corrective action alternatives evaluated, and outlines the community's role prior to making a final decision for corrective action. Four remedial action alternatives are outlined in the Draft CAD and one of the four is recommended by KDHE.

After consideration of public comments, KDHE will select the remedial alternative to be implemented. KDHE's decision will be outlined within a new document called the Final Corrective Action Decision. The Final CAD will address comments received during the public comment period with a response summary.

KDHE encourages community members to review the Draft Corrective Action Decision and associated documents, and submit comments postmarked no later than December 1, 1997, to Rob Elder at the Topeka address given above.

The plant was operational by 1884 until 1900. Primary contaminants identified at the site are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metals.