Remedial Section

Public Notice - Former National By-Products Site, South Hutchinson, Kansas
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is seeking public comments regarding a proposal to address nitrate and chloride contamination in the soil and groundwater at the Former National By-Products Site located at 2010 West 6th Avenue in South Hutchinson. A Draft Agency Decision Statement (ADS) document that outlines a proposal for cleanup is available for public review at the Hutchinson Public Library, or may be downloaded from the link above. All documents related to the Site will also be available for review at the KDHE offices in Topeka, Kansas during the public comment period. To review documents in Topeka, please contact Corena Carpenter at 785-296-1676.

KDHE will select a final remedy for the Site after reviewing and considering all information submitted during a 30-day public comment period (March 26, 2014 through April 24, 2014). The Draft ADS presents KDHE's preferred alternative for the Site; however, KDHE may modify the alternative or select another response action based on new information or public comments.

Public comments on the Draft ADS may be submitted to KDHE in writing to: Corena Carpenter, KDHE Bureau of Environmental Remediation, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 410, Topeka, KS 66612-1367. Comments will be accepted until April 24, 2014.

Risk-based Standards for Kansas Manual Updated With New Tables
KDHE/BER has updated the Appendices of the 2010 RSK Manual. The complete manual may be downloaded at the above link. Any questions regarding these changes and their effects on the management of a contaminated site may be directed to the KDHE project manager.

Elevator Groundwater Containment System Constructed in Salina

The former Bunge grain elevator is located at 1112 N. Halstead road, approximately a mile and a half southwest of the I-70 and I-135 interchange in Salina. Soil and groundwater is contaminated with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, a degradation product of carbon tetrachloride. These chemicals are associated with grain fumigants formerly used and stored at the facility. Investigations identified release(s) of grain fumigant in the vicinity of a former above-ground storage tank and groundwater contamination had migrated beyond the property boundaries. Some private wells were contaminated with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. Impacted residences have been connected to a rural water supply.

A half mile long Groundwater Containment System (GCS) was completed in June 2013 as an interim remedial measure to capture contaminated groundwater migrating from the grain elevator. The objective of the GCS is to maintain hydraulic control of the groundwater plume in the vicinity of the down-gradient property boundary through active extraction, treatment, and discharge.

The GCS is designed control groundwater migration by pumping groundwater from 15 extraction wells (blue dots) and transferring it to an air stripper located inside the groundwater treatment building (orange square). The air stripper consists of six perforated trays creating turbulent flow and a high air-to-liquid surface area for efficient removal of volatile organic compounds. The treated groundwater is then discharged to Mulberry Creek via subsurface piping and a constructed outfall.

The GCS has operated continuously since starting up in June 2013. Initial performance data indicate the system successfully depresses the groundwater surface, resulting in a significant zone of containment along the southern property boundary and preventing off-site migration of contaminated groundwater.

State Water Plan Annual Report 2013 (.pdf)
This annual report describes the activities of the State Water Plan Program.

Bureau of Environmental Remediation Staff Attend Groundbreaking Ceremonies for a New Development in Kansas City to Create 2,000 Jobs
Rick Bean and Chris Carey, Bureau of Environmental Remediation (BER) attended a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate redevelopment of an 80-acre brownfields property in the Fairfax District in Kansas City. The property was the location of a former General Motors facility and is contaminated with volatile organic compounds and hydrocarbons. After General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the property was transferred to the RACER Trust for remediation. KDHE BER has worked closely with the RACER Trust (holders of the property) and NorthPoint Development Company to coordinate remediation efforts with property redevelopment. The property, now called the Central Industrial Park (CIP), will accommodate three to eight modern manufacturing businesses and create up to 2,000 new jobs in the Kansas City area.

Speakers for both the Wyandotte Economic Development Council and the RACER Trust thanked KDHE for their assistance and leadership to move the project forward. Greg Kindle, representing the Council stated, "This sort of successful collaborative effort isn't just an economic development boon for Fairfax. It's also an inspiring case study." Mark Holland, Mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas indicated, "This project is a symbol to the rest of the metro area and the nation that this is what you can do, even on a brownfield. This partnership shows what we can do by turning a brownfield site into 2,000 jobs." According to Unified Government officials, this project will be the first development in Fairfax in more than 25 years. This property has been vacant and unproductive for over 20 years, partially because of the environmental contamination issues. Inergy, a gas tank manufacturer, will be the first tenant of the CIP. BER, RACER, and NorthPoint are working in a cooperative partnership to cleanup a major source of hydrocarbon contamination during construction of the Inergy facility. It is anticipated that approximately 11,400 tons of contaminated soil will be removed from the area.

KC Real Estate: 'A Big Day For KCK.'
MetroWireMedia, December 13, 2013.

Montgomery County Blood Lead Screening
KDHE's Kansas Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Prevention Program, in partnership with the Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics (BEPHI), Bureau of Environmental Remediation (BER), the City of Cherryvale and the Montgomery County Health Department held a free blood lead screening clinic on Nov. 13 and 14 in Cherryvale at a local community building. The clinic was provided to all residents - children and adults - of Montgomery County. The purpose of the clinic was to give Montgomery County residents an opportunity for a free assessment of their blood lead levels. A total of 133 citizens were screened during the clinic.

State and local health officials were on hand to answer questions and provide information on sources of lead exposure and potential health outcomes. In addition, BER representatives provided educational materials to citizens pertaining to the National Zinc Company site, located in Cherryvale. The site was a zinc smelting facility operating from 1898 to 1976 that generated large volumes of solid waste which was historically used as fill material in the Cherryvale community. These waste materials can be contaminated with heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and/or zinc. BER is currently overseeing investigation activities to determine the extent of soil contamination in the City of Cherryvale. Additional information for the site is available at the National Zinc site webpage.

Maggie Weiser, KDHE's Brownfields Program Coordinator Discusses the Brownfields Program

Voluntary Cleanup and Property Redevelopment Manual (.pdf)
KDHE is happy to provide an updated Voluntary Cleanup and Property Redevelopment Program Manual. The new version is more user-friendly and is designed to better serve voluntary parties and other program participants.

State Cooperative Program: Protecting Human Health on a Path to Restoration and Revitalization (.pdf)
KDHE has updated its State Cooperative Program guidance for June 2011.

Remedial Section Staff Directory

Name	Title	Email	Phone
Administration
Vacant	Section Chief
Farrell Dallen	Environmental Scientist	fdallen@kdheks.gov	785-296-1669
Kerry Dick	Administrative Assistant	kdick@kdheks.gov	785-296-1660
Glenna Drake	Environmental Scientist	gdrake@kdheks.gov	785-296-6379
Joyce Kroll	Administrative Assistant	jkkroll@kdheks.gov	785-296-3001
Marcia Morgan	Administrative Specialist	mmorgan@kdheks.gov	785-296-1673
Kimberley Munoz	Administrative Specialist	kmunoz@kdheks.gov	785-296-5677
Tamy Simmons	Administrative Specialist	tsimmons@kdheks.gov	785-296-3393
Site Assessment Unit
Randy Brown, P. G.	Unit Manager	rbrown@kdheks.gov	785-296-8065
Nicholas Schneider	Environmental Scientist	nschneider@kdheks.gov	785-296-1671
Jon Vopata, P. G.	Environmental Scientist	jvopata@kdheks.gov	785-296-8063
Site Remediation Unit
Ryan Weiser, P. G.	Unit Manager	rweiser@kdheks.gov	785-291-3255
Jessica Crossman, P. G.	Professional Geologist	jcrossman@kdheks.gov	785-291-3066
Corena Carpenter	Environmental Scientist	ccarpenter@kdheks.gov	785-296-1676
Mary Daily, P. G.	Professional Geologist	mdaily@kdheks.gov	785-296-8896
Andrew Hollenbach	Geology Associate	ahollenbach@kdheks.gov	785-296-6437
Site Restoration Unit
Chris Carey, P. G.	Unit Manager	ccarey@kdheks.gov	785-296-0225
Holly Burke	Environmental Scientist	hburke@kdheks.gov	785-296-6242
Pam Chaffee, P. G.	Professional Geologist	pchaffee@kdheks.gov	785-296-0969
John Cook, P. G.	Professional Geologist	johncook@kdheks.gov	785-296-8986
Pamela Green	Environmental Scientist	pgreen@kdheks.gov	785-296-1935
Kevin Moon	Geology Associate	kmoon@kdheks.gov	785-296-3866
Maura O'Halloran, P. G.	Professional Geologist	mohalloran@kdheks.gov	785-296-0268
Margaret Townsend, P. G.	Environmental Scientist	mtownsend@kdheks.gov	785-296-1936
State Response and Property Redevelopment Unit
Doug Doubek, P. G.	Unit Manager	ddoubek@kdheks.gov	785-291-3246
Kaitlin Salley	Geology Associate	ksalley@kdheks.gov	785-296-1681
Maggie Weiser	State Brownfields Coordinator	mweiser@kdheks.gov	785-296-5519
Tiffini Wells	Environmental Scientist	twells@kdheks.gov	785-296-1665
Voluntary Cleanup Unit
Deanna Ross, P. G.	Unit Manager	dross@kdheks.gov	785-296-8064
Stuart Aller	Environmental Scientist	saller@kdheks.gov	785-291-3807
Bryan Bain	Environmental Scientist	bbain@kdheks.gov	785-296-5548
Robert Benne	Environmental Scientist	rbenne@kdheks.gov	785-291-3247
Russ England	Environmental Scientist	rengland@kdheks.gov	785-296-5555
Ben Haring	Environmental Scientist	bharing@kdheks.gov	785-296-5531
Gary Richards	Environmental Scientist	grichards@kdheks.gov	785-296-6380
Andrea Schiller	Environmental Scientist	aschiller@kdheks.gov	785-296-0489
Kelsee Wheeler	Environmental Scientist	kwheeler@kdheks.gov	785-296-1541
Scott Williamson	Geology Associate	swilliamson@kdheks.gov	785-296-5742