The Le Mars Coal Gas Site (Site), in Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa, is a non-time-critical removal action. The Site is a former manufactured gas plant (FMGP). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is removing coal tar wastes containing benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the Site area. The Action Memorandum for the Site was signed on September 26, 2003. The complete Administrative Record for the Site can be found at the record repository located at the Le Mars Public Library.
On Wednesday, May 12, 2004, an Action Memorandum Amendment was signed allowing all of the contaminated soil to be sent off-site to a thermal treatment facility.
The Site is located at 331 1st Street Northeast, Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa, and is a 1.6-acre, right-triangle-shaped property, which is bordered on the northwest by the Union Pacific and Canadian National railroads, on the east by 4th Avenue Northeast and on the south by 1st Street Northeast. The area surrounding the Site is occupied by residential and commercial properties. The Site is in Section 9, Township 92 North, Range 45 West (U. S. Geological Survey [USGS] 1985). The geographic coordinates of the Site are latitude 42°47'40" north and longitude 96°09'37" west.
On May 12, 2004, representatives from DCI Inc. visited the Site in the afternoon to discuss details for the upcoming transportation and disposal phase of the project. Discussions involved the conditions of the state-issued permit and expectations involving delivery schedules and total tonnage.
Four different samples that represent some of the most contaminated material on the Site were analyzed for ignitability and were found to not exhibit that characteristic. These sample results were shared with the DCI Inc. facility to assure their compliance with the state-issued permit.
On Wednesday, May 12, 2004, an Action Memorandum Amendment was signed allowing all of the contaminated soil to be thermally treated.
This amendment was needed due to the denial of three Iowa Subtitle D landfills in accepting the coal-tar contaminated waste. There is one Nebraska Subtitle D landfill located in Jackson that is willing to accept the waste. However, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) requires a public notification period that would result in Site personnel de-mobilizing at a significant cost to the EPA and also would present a hardship to the city of Le Mars Street Department personnel who have re-located during the removal action. Also, due to seasonal fluctuations, the EPA is not encountering the water table at 14 feet below ground surface (bgs). This seasonal fluctuation was not entirely unexpected but was also noted in the amendment.
On Friday, May 14, 2004, the EPA began shipping the contaminated soil to the the DCI Inc. facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Initially, there will be 5 "end dump" trucks utilized the first day, however, up to 20 trucks per day will eventually be used to complete the approximately 540 mile round trip.
The thermal treatment facility in Cedar Rapids is specifically located on a portion of NW4, Sec 34, T83N, R7W abutting former Burlington Street, SW (approximately 7 acres) Linn County, Iowa.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Thermal Adsorption Soil Management Facility (Sanitary Disposal) Project Permit Number is 57-SDP-31-02P-SMF.
A complete round of air sampling will be initiated next Monday utilizing the PS-1 high volume samplers and the Summa canisters. Close attention is being given toward the air quality both on the site and off of the site. The placement of these sample stations are based on sensitive population location and prevailing wind patterns.
This is the second round of air sampling that will be sent for laboratory analysis in addition to baseline air sampling that was performed before excavation started. Daily "real-time" air monitoring is also on-going.
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