The Excelsior Springs FMGP (Site) was constructed in 1894 by the Excelsior Springs Gas, Light & Fuel Company. The Excelsior Springs Gas, Light & Fuel Company operated a plant at the Site for the manufacture of gas from coal and oil for heating, lighting, and cooking. The Site was owned and operated by a succession of companies until 1935 when the plant was closed. In the early 1960s, the Site was used as a storage yard by Missouri Power & Light Company until Site structures were demolished. In 1966, the Ruey-Anna apartment building, which currently occupies the Site, was built. In 1983, Missouri Power & Light merged into Union Electric Company, which later became AmerenUE, the present responsible party.
A site-sampling event was conducted on August 8, 2000, by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ (MDNR) Environmental Services Program personnel. Analytical results revealed that on-site soils were contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at concentrations above the Missouri Department of Health’s (DOH’s) Any Use Soil Levels (ASLs).
Ameren Services conducted a follow-up investigation in October 2002. This investigation detected the following hazardous substances at the Site: BETX compounds (Benzene; Ethylbenzene; Toluene, Xylene); PAHs; Arsenic; and RCRA Heavy Metals exceeding state advisory levels.
On November 12, 2002, MDNR conducted a second investigation and confirmed the presence of hazardous substances in subsurface soils at the Site.
In September 2003, EPA and AmerenUE entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for the performance of an engineering evaluation/cost analysis (EE/CA) at the Site. In conjunction with the EE/CA, Ameren Services conducted a comprehensive three-phased Site investigation during the period of October 21, 2002, through July 8, 2004.
In June 2005, Ameren Services submitted a draft EE/CA to EPA for review and approval. The EE/CA evaluated alternatives for responding to the presence of certain hazardous substances in Site soils and the groundwater. The EE/CA was revised and approved in September 2005, and a PRP lead removal action memorandum was approved in December 2005.
The site is bounded on the north/northwest by the Dry Fork of Fishing River, on the southwest by Excelsior Street, and on the east by the Ruey-Anna apartment building and its parking lot.
A business/commercial area is located to the south and west; residential areas are located across the Dry Fork of Fishing Creek to the north. The Site is readily accessible from all sides. The location of the FMGP is now a grassy area between the Ruey-Anna apartment building and the Dry Fork of Fishing River, and may be partially covered by a paved area north of the apartment building. Some of the residents have maintained a community-shared garden near the Site, located southwest of the apartment building in the vicinity of the coal tar remnants discovered during a Site reconnaissance. A shuffleboard pad is located in an area where a 30,000 cubic foot gas tank was located.
An open house was held on February 3, 2006, to inform the public of proposed removal actions. Soil excavation activities were initiated on February 7, 2006, and continued through the week of February 27, 2006. Site restoration actions occurred from March through May 2006. Approximately 1,900 tons of FMGP waste-impacted soil were excavated and hauled off the Site for disposal. Following the completion of removal activities, a post-removal human-health risk assessment was completed and documented that low levels of FMPG-related chemicals left in place on the Site were protective of human health. A Removal Action Completion Report was submitted in November 2006.
All removal actions have been completed. In May 2008, an Environmental Covenant that placed institutional controls on the property was executed between Ameren, the city of Excelsior Springs, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
No further actions are planned.
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