KDHE Home - Division of Environment
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
The Kansas environmental conference, "Today's Challenge - Tomorrow's Environment" will be held on September 29-30, 1998 at the Salina Holidome, Salina, Kansas. The format for this year's conference will be changing slightly to accomodate several suggestions by last year's participants and the program planning committees.
The tentative schedule includes the Keynote Address, several breakout sessions, which will feature new technologies, pollution prevention, and of course, regulatory updates, including question and answer sessions hosted by Division of Environment Bureau Directors. A Pollution Prevention Awards Luncheon will feature this year's awards presentations, along with brief overview of the winning projects. (Don't forget to submit your application or pledge by July 1!)
Following the luncheon, several additional concurrent sessions will be available. An afternoon reception will provide time to visit with the many exhibitors, which we hope will include several companies with waste management software as well as our many vendors and service providers who have supported the conference in the past.
The second day of the conference will provide an overview of current regulatory changes and activities. Following this update, three seminars will be provided. Seminars will be "hands-on" and will include "Environmental Management Systems for Businesses", "Non-point Source Pollution in Your Community" and "New Technologies for the Next Millenium." A buffet lunch will be provided with seminars to be completed by about 3:00.
Last year, several engineers indicated an interest in obtaining Professional Development Hours for this conference. Interested engineers may earn up to 8 PDHs if they attend all sessions of the conference. Questions regarding PDH's should be directed to Janet Neff, 785-296-0669. Look for more information regarding PDH's in the conference agenda and the next issue of Kansas Environmental News.
Earth Day April 22
April 22 is Earth Day. First celebrated in 1970, this day serves to remind all of us to be stewards of our environment every day - not just one day of the year. Dry cleaners have taken a proactive role in the prevention of pollution. They have reduced their use of dry cleaning solvents, iniatiated a trust fund to provide funds for cleaning up contanminated sites, and are promoting pollution prevention within their shops.
The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program has produced a poster for dry cleaners to help them educate their customers on their role in preventing pollution. Next time you visit your local dry cleaner, take a look at the poster and its important message!
Environmental Management Systems Workshops Planned
Environmental Management Systems Workshops will be presented on May 19 in Wichita and May 20 in Overland Park. The workshops are sponsored by the Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program and the Sedgwick County Extension and are open to all interested business representatives. Workshops are free of charge, however, you must preregister to attend. For more information contact the Kansas SBEAP, University of Kansas Division of Continuing Education. Chris at 785-864-3968.
Statewide Mercury Collection Program
Over the past year, Kansas has experienced an increase in the number of mercury spills. Homes and schools have been impacted and lives have been disrupted as state and local officials worked to clean up contaminated sites. Mercury spills must be quickly and completely remediated because exposures can cause adverse health effects including injury to the brain and kidneys. Young children and developing fetuses are especially susceptible to these health effects.
To minimize the potential for future spills and associated health risks, the Bureaus of Environmental Field Services, Environmental Remediation and Waste Management, KDHE, will soon implement a statewide project to collect elemental mercury and provide for its safe disposal and/or recycling. The goals of the program are to: (1) raise the public awareness level that mercury can present dangerous health risks if spilled or mishandled and (2) eliminate as much of this material as possible from Kansas communities lessening the potential for accidents. All costs associated with the packaging, transportation, and disposal of collected mercury will be covered by the State of Kansas using solid waste landfill tipping fee revenue. Local governments will contribute staff resources to carry out the collection activities.
In cooperation with county officials, KDHE will consolidate mercury collected at hundreds of locations during a 60-day period running from May 1, 1998 to June 30, 1998. Mercury will be primarily collected at county run household hazardous waste facilities, but other local drop off sites may also be established. Mercury will be collected from homes, schools, and local governments. Businesses are not eligible for participation at this time, however, KDHE or county staff can provide information on safe disposal or recycling methods.
In early April, KDHE will implement a statewide public awareness effort to encourage participation in this collection program. Information will be disseminated through schools, newspapers, radio, and widely distributed posters. To be successful, good citizen participation is needed.
If you would like to help, please spread the word in your community that this event will be occurring soon. To find out where and when your county collection event will take place, contact your county officials or your KDHE regional office. You may also contact Mr. Jim Rudeen, KDHE's Topeka coordinator for more information about the program including local contacts and collection times and locations. His number is (785) 291-3132.
Bill Bider, Director, Bureau of Waste Management
Office of Pollution Prevention Reorganization
The KDHE Office of Pollution Prevention has been incorporated into the new Planning and Prevention Section. The telephone numbers have not changed. Call 785-296-6603 if you have P2 questions or need information.
Submit your Pollution Prevention Awards!
The deadline to submit your application for the 1998 Pollution Prevention Awards for Excellence is July 1 at 5:00. Whether you are from a large municipality, small business or a private citizen, there is a category for you!
The pledge category has been especially popular this year. We have already received a number of pledges; certificates will be mailed this summer. Congratulations to all who "took the pledge!"
If you have not received an application brochure, or need additional information contact the Planning and Prevention Section, 1-800-357-6087.
Salina Improves Water Treatment System
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) completed an agreement with the City of Salina to provide funds for improvements of the city's water treatment system. The improvements are necessary to address current and long-term groundwater contamination originating from petroleum storage tank sites and drycleaning facilities located within the central part of the city. The contamination has impacted several Public Water Supply (PWS) wells. The contaminants of concern are perchloroethylene (PCE), 1,2-Dichloroethane (1.2-DCA), and benzene. PCE is a nonexplosive degreasing solvent, commonly used in the drycleaning industry. Benzene and 1,2-DCA are constituents of refined petroleum products commonly found in gasoline.
Preliminary groundwater investigations conducted in 1989 and 1990, and an expanded site investigation conducted in 1993, determined the groundwater underlying an area in the central part of Salina was contaminated with chlorinated solvents and constituents of refined petroleum (gasoline). These investigations were conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund. KDHE contacted the City of Salina and the city agreed to voluntarily enter into an agreement with KDHE to complete a Remedial Investigation (RI) of the site to determine the potential threat to health or the environment posed by the hazardous substances at the site. The reason the city agreed to take responsibility for the area to avoid potential negative impacts of a Superfund site located in the central part of Salina.
The RI investigation and several site specific investigations conducted by the city and KDHE concluded that the major contaminant sources appeared to be originating from petroleum storage tank sites and drycleaning facilities. The contaminants from the petroleum storage tanks and drycleaning facilities were co-mingled throughout the area; individual treatment systems at each source area would be expensive to construct and maintain and, due to the scattered locations of the treatment systems, the water being treated would have to be discharged in the surface drainage and wasted.
KDHE determined it was more cost-effective for both the petroleum storage tank trust fund and the drycleaning trust fund to approach the City of Salina to provide a treatment system on the public water supply plant to be operated and maintained by the city. This proposal had an additional advantage that all the treated water would be used in a beneficial manner and the long-term quality of the city's water would be assured by the system.
This proposal was presented to the City of Salina and after negotiations on the public water supply treatment proposals, both parties agreed to this approach. The City of Salina and KDHE have entered into a Consent Agreement which addresses the funding and operation of a water treatment system to treat the PWS wells in the Salina PWS system. The treatment system approved will utilize air-stripping technology to treat 5,000 gallons per minute (gpm), with the treated water below the Maximum Contaminant Limit for drinking water standards.
The total cost of the groundwater treatment system and additional upgrades to the water treatment plant for the City of Salina is estimated at $5.3 million. The two KDHE trust funds, petroleum storage tank fund and the drycleaning fund, will each pay one-half of the $1,809,000 which is attributable to the groundwater contamination caused by the storage tank and drycleaning facilities. The balance of the cost will be financed by the state public water supply loan fund administered by KDHE.
Upon approval of the city's public water supply treatment design by KDHE, the city will contract, build and operate the PWS treatment system. This joint cooperative effort between the two available trust funds, KDHE staff, and the staff of the City of Salina resolves the immediate problem resulting from the groundwater contamination as well as providing long-term protection for future groundwater use.
This positive response by the City of Salina to join KDHE in a pro-active role to address the groundwater contamination affecting their public water supply system not only assures the City of a dependable water supply, but this also relieves the community of the severe economic impact and potential loss of businesses, tax revenues, and property devaluation commonly associated with sites being scored and designated as "Superfund Sites." This project can be used as an example of local and state governments joining forces and working to resolve a "long-term regional problem" to the satisfaction of both parties. KDHE applaudes the City of Salina's effort and cooperation in resolving this problem.
Larry Knoche, Bureau of Environmental Remediation
Secretary's Corner
Gary Mitchell
I'm sure every government regulatory program started with a genuine public need and the best intentions of the officials creating the program. But sometimes, when national government overlaps state government, which then deals with local government, the process gets more than a little confusing. That thought came to mind the other day when I got a 17 page letter from EPA Region 7 officials on the Surface Water Quality Standards.
The letter was in response to the Kansas Water Quality Standards Report we had submitted in 1994, a full 39 months ago. KDHE is now put in the position of "rewinding" our efforts to respond to questions from EPA based on information that is more than three years old. When it comes to water quality issues, there has been a lot of "water under the bridge" since 1994.
EPA's comments on Atrazine and ammonia in water were very interesting. They said that our Atrazine standard of 3 ppb was probably more restrictive than new federal draft guidelines and that they could live with our ammonia standards although the Kansas standards weren't as stringent as they liked.
However, the letter took Kansas to task for the way we deal with communities that are located on minimum or assumed stream flow situations. Kansas has many "streams" which receive municipal waste water that are dry part of the year and have no flow. KDHE uses a calculation of a base flow in a stream to include sources of flow other than precipitation or ground water, e.g., effluent discharge or irrigation return flow. In essence, what KDHE does is allow communities situated on a stream that may go dry to count the flow created by the waste water discharge as stream flow. EPA's letter says that relying on these base flow assumptions does not create any dilution and should not be allowed.
We have over 250 Kansas communities that rely on minimum or assumed stream flow assumptions in order to have a discharging waste facility. It would appear the options for these communities, if the EPA directive is met, is either to not discharge or to redesign their facility and spend millions of dollars so that any discharge is pure and doesn't need dilution. The practical and financial implications have raised many eyebrows in city halls and county commission chambers across the state.
The Letter said that EPA is concerned about communities that use waste stabilization ponds because we don't require the addition of chemicals to disinfect. Our current designs utilize natural disinfection. EPA wants chlorine added and continual testing. I'm not sure the environment needs more chemicals.
While I haven't covered all of the issues raised in the letter one particularly interesting issue is that EPA is proposing KDHE regulate private ponds and lakes as "waters of the U.S." KDHE is prohibited by Kansas statute from regulating farms ponds on private property. KDHE has asked for authority over farm ponds in the past and the legislature has rejected this authority.
Most important in the letter, nowhere did EPA say our water quality standards were a threat to public health. In fact, the letter said the standards "represented significant progress."
One could characterize the 17 page letter as an attempt by
In the spirit of turning the other cheek, I have written the Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA Region VII, asking to meet. It makes sense for our two agencies to put our heads together and solve problems. I'm confident that we will be able to work out our differences.
Topeka Business Seminar Successful
On March 12, several state and federal agencies provided an evening seminar at Washburn University, for individuals interested in starting or expanding a small business in the northeast Kansas area. Agencies involved included KDHE, Department of Commerce and Housing, Washburn Small Business Development Center, Department of Revenue, Department of Human Resources, Secretary of State's Office, Department on Aging, USDA, SBA, Topeka Chamber of Commerce and others.
Janet Neff, BEFS, facilitated the concurrent session "Working with State Agencies". Agencies participating in this panel were KDHE, Department of Commerce and Housing, Department on Aging, and Department of Human Resources, Julie Coleman, DEA, Lawrence, provided an excellent presentation on the role of the Northeast District Office, and Jerry Vornholt, BEHS, was available at the KDHE exhibit with information regarding restaurants, bed and breakfast establishments and other related businesses.
This seminar was very successful, with well over 50 participants and 12 exhibitors. The seminar featured an opening session, counseling with state, federal and private agencies, and concurrent sessions dealing with financial issues, planning, customer relations and working with state agencies. Seminars are planned for Hutchinson, Fall, 1998 with additional seminars planned for Hays and Pittsburg following next year. For information about future seminars, contact Janet Neff, 6-0669.
Focus on...The Southwest District Office
Greetings from the far west--southwest Kansas that is! KDHE's southwest district office is located in Dodge City known for its colorful past. Remember Gunsmoke and Matt, Doc, and Kitty? What you probably don't realize it was home to Dr. Samuel Crumbine at the turn of the century. Dr. Crumbine was the founder of the original Board of Health. He worked tirelessly to spread the words "Don't Spit on the Sidewalk" and "Swat the Fly", to eliminate the use of the common drinking cup at public/community water supply wells and was successful in effecting the adoption of the first statewide sanitation laws and regulations to protect the public health.
The Southwest District provides environmental services to 25 counties, approximately 250,000 people, and extends from Pratt to the Colorado border. The district is primarily agricultural with industrial and service related businesses structured accordingly. Essentially crop production, oil and gas, and livestock enterprises are the regions economic bedrock. The region is home to large scale/mega feedlots--both beef, hogs, and dairies; has four large beef slaughter plants; over half of Kansas irrigable cropland; and the Hugoton natural gas field which delivers gas throughout the upper Midwest and quite possibly your home.
The concentration of the ‘commercial' livestock industry and recent rapid development of large dairy and hog operation presents District Office staff with some unique challenges and has resulted in the addition of a satellite office in Ulysses last year. Five counties within the district have beef feedlot production capabilities exceeding 1 million head one time capacity and I would estimate 3 out of every 4 cattle marketed originate from a feedlot located within our district. Additionally, six dairies ranging in size from approximately 2500 to 4500 head presently produce approximately 20% of the state's milk, and Seaboard's and Murphy's existing and proposed hog production facilities respectively will account for approximately 1/4 of our states pork output. Clearly livestock production is big business and was the impetus for developing the Ulysses satellite office which is primarily devoted to environmental issues involving the livestock industry.
Southwest Kansas is in the high plains where the climate is semi arid with average annual rainfall typically 20 to 25 inches; sunshine frequent, wind normal (average wind speed in Dodge--14 mph), and standing surface water and flowing streams relatively rare except following thunderstorms. Although the Arkansas River is presently flowing at Dodge City as a consequence of abnormal summer and fall precipation, flow is normally dependent upon release from John Martin Reservoir in Colorado. During the floods of 1993 in eastern Kansas, the Arkansas River was dry in Dodge City. In contrast to surface water, groundwater is readily from the Ogalla aquifer which underlies a large portion of the region which enabled intensive development of irrigation systems. Consequently, availability and quality of groundwater is typically of greater local interest than surface water quality.
The regions agricultural crop production, readily available feedgrains and forage, abundant groundwater resources, favorable climate, and sparse population are conducive to the continued growth and development of the livestock industry. The recent and pending development of large scale swine operations has served as an environmental wake up call and is resulting in increased interest and concern by the public in protecting groundwater resources. Its encouraging to see the increased public awareness that groundwater resources are finite, vulnerable, and warrant protection to ensure usability by future generations.
The Southwest District Office is available to provide assistance to area residents. Whether it is a complaint, or a new small business, citizens are encouraged to call the District Office first. District Offices were placed strategically throughout the state to enhance customer service, so take advantage of the expertise and local convenience!
Al Guernsey, District Environmental Administrator
Southwest District Office
112(r) Assistance Available
Anhydrous ammonia, propane and chlorine. These are common chemicals regulated under EPA's new accident prevention or risk management planning (RMP) rule. Facilities that handle, process or store more than certain quantities of EPA-listed chemicals on-site at any given time will be required to submit a risk management plan to EPA. They will need to develop programs at their facilities to prevent and prepare for accidental releases. Kansas facilities most likely to be impacted include anhydrous ammonia retailers, propane marketers and users, municipal water and wastewater treatment systems using chlorine, and facilities with ammonia refrigeration systems. The deadline for being in compliance with the rule is June 20, 1999.
The Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program
(SBEAP) has been preparing for the new
For anhydrous ammonia retailers, KFCA has available model RMP Guidance, which walks retailers through the RMP rule, shows how to complete the paperwork for EPA, and provides useful checklists and materials for developing a risk management program. Model RMP Guidance is also being developed for Propane Retailers and Users (National Propane Gas Association), Drinking Water Systems (American Water Works Association Research Foundation) and Wastewater Treatment Systems (Environmental Protection Agency).
The SBEAP has prepared a Fact Sheet providing an overview of the risk management rule in addition to the new anhydrous ammonia retail facilities Fact Sheet. A Fact Sheet for propane marketers is under development. To receive any of these publications, or for a list of chemicals regulated under this
Tim Piero, SBEAP, Kansas State University
State Environment Staff Take Unique Customer Service Approach
What do you do when your efforts to educate underground storage tank (UST) owners about a compliance deadline are not reaching all of your audience? You try something new. In the case of the Kansas UST program, you mail a videotape to each storage tank owner affected by the deadline.
"Initially, we thought the cost of duplicating and mailing the videotape would be too high," said Juan Sexton of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Environmental Remediation. "But when we compared it to the cost of staff time, travel, and expenses for the seminars we'd previously been involved in, the videotape approach was much more cost effective."
By partnering with Tank Management Services, a Topeka storage tank loss prevention firm, department staff reduced the cost even further. TMS paid to duplicate the 1,950 copies of the 17 minute videotape, obtained free from the State of Tennessee UST program. KDHE staff stuffed the mailers and paid for the postage.
KDHE staff and TMS had been conducting seminars for tank owners -- many of whom are service station owners -- for years. However, attendance was dropping.
"We realized, if we wanted to communicate with tank owners, who couldn't take a day off from work, we'd have to find a different way to deliver the message," said Sexton.
The videotape details requirements tank owners will need to meet by December 22, 1998. The requirements address corrosion protection, spill protection and overfill protection, as well as, the options available to the tank owners.
Once the remaining tank owners meet the new requirements, the risk from underground storage tank releases and spills will decline appreciably. That is good news for the environment and for the health and safety of Kansans.
Kansas began phasing in new underground storage tank requirements in 1990. Since then, 7,683 UST sites have been investigated with 3,845 releases being confirmed. Cleanups have been initiated at 3,319 locations and 1,850 of those have been completed.
Cleanups have been financed largely by the Petroleum Storage Tank Trust Fund, based on a gasoline tax of $0.01 per gallon. Tank owners pay a per tank deductible as their share of the cleanup.
"The role of the regulator can be a difficult one," said KDHE Secretary Gary Mitchell, who has pledged to make the agency more customer friendly. "The fact that almost half of the storage tank owners are in compliance with the 1998 requirements, indicates that Kansans want to do right for the environment. This innovative approach to sharing information, shows we're willing to work with the remaining tank owners to achieve compliance."
For more information about the UST requirements, tank owners can call either KDHE at 785-296-8061 or TMS at 800-530-5683.
Greg Crawford, Office of Public Information
EPA's Waste Wi$e National Satellite Forum
The WasteWi$e Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning a national satellite forum to be presented June 17, 1998. Organizations are invited to sponsor sites for this forum entitled "Waste Prevention Pays - Businesses Cut Cost by Cutting Waste." The live interactive program will be broadcast on June 17 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (that's 10 to noon for us!) Participants will learn how businesses of all types and sizes have cut costs through waste prevention activities.
Local governments, Chambers of Commerce, bussinesses and environmental groups can support both the business community and the environment by hosting this program. The broadcast is free of cost to downlink hosts who may charge a fee to participants to cover any expenses. Call 1-800-EPA-WISE for a free coodinator's kit, including complete information on locating a site, and organizing and promoting the forum.
WasteWi$e is EPA's voluntary program to assist anc recognize businesses that commit to reducing solid waste. Partners include small, medium and larger organizaitons in more than fifty sectors. One Partner save $55,000 with "send-'n-return" envelopes for billing and recieving payments. Others reduced waste by switching from paper manuals to CD-ROMs ($95,000 saved); switching to reusable cloth rags ($38,000 saved); and printing bills on two sides ($2.5 million postage saved). Other creative waste reduction activities have included purchasing reusable HVAC filters ($4,700 saved); using shredded business documents in place of foam packaging peanuts ($2,000 saved); and redesigning pallets ($380,000 saved).
Waste Prevention Pays will provide business decision-makers with a framework for identifying cost savings throughout their operations. It will feature companies that have improved the bottom line by implementing specific waste prevention practices. Participants will receive tools for locating and calculating potential savings at their facilities.
Strong networks of public and private organizaitons are the foundation of effecitve waste prevention programs. Hundreds of local governments, Chambers of Commerce, colleges and univerisities, environmental organizations have instituted environmental programs for the business community.
For further WasteWi$e program information, call 1-800-EPA-WISE or visit the WEB site at http://www.epa.gov/wastewise/.
David Flora, US