Plating Inc. Superfund Site, Great Bend, Kansas - Fact Sheet, February 2023
Completion of Remedial Design
Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing to address contamination at the Plating Inc. Superfund Site (site) in Great Bend, Kansas. This Fact Sheet provides updated information regarding the completion of the Remedial Design and the beginning of the Remedial Action.
Site History
The site was a chromium and zinc plating facility located at 8801 West Sixth Street in Great Bend, Kansas. The facility is situated within the airport industrial area in Barton County, 1.5 miles west of Great Bend and 2 miles north of the Arkansas River. (See location map below.)
In 1994, Plating Inc. signed a Consent Order with the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment (KDHE) to conduct a Comprehensive Investigation/Corrective Action Study and Corrective Action Plan/Correction Action that included investigation and remediation of chromium contamination at the site. From 1994 to 2004, Plating Inc. investigated the horizontal and vertical extents of contaminated groundwater in the site vicinity and identified a hexavalent chromium groundwater plume to at least a 60-foot depth and 2.25-mile length. Operations at the facility ceased on Nov. 4, 2005. The company filed for bankruptcy and the site was abandoned in 2006.
On July 26, 2006, KDHE referred the site to EPA Region 7. In October and November 2007, EPA performed a Time-Critical Removal Action (TCRA) that included removal of the chrome plating wastes and other hazardous and non-hazardous wastes that were discovered inside the facility in 2006. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) on March 19, 2008.
EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on Sept. 30, 2020, that selected Building Demolition/Excavation/Treatment/Disposal and Monitored Natural Attenuation of the groundwater.
Following the ROD, EPA completed the final Remedial Design on Oct. 4, 2022.
The Remedial Actions at the site are being funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL). Plans are being put into place to procure a BIL-funded Remedial Action contractor in June 2023. On-site construction activities for the Remedial Action are anticipated to begin in August 2023.
What is Superfund?
Superfund often refers to hazardous waste sites and EPA’s cleanup process. It is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This federal law authorizes EPA to clean up contaminated sites.
Scope and Role of the Action
This action will be the first and final action for the site. The Remedial Action Objectives for the cleanup are to prevent current and future exposure to contaminated media through a combination of treatment and disposal of soil and groundwater at the site. Through the use of treatment technologies, this response will permanently reduce the toxicity, mobility and volume of those source materials that constitute the principal threat wastes. (See aerial image of facility below.)
About the Plating, Inc. Superfund Site
EPA has selected a long-term remedy for the site. EPA has finalized the Remedial Investigation Report, Feasibility Study, Proposed Plan, and ROD (signed Sept. 30, 2020) to address the source of the contamination beneath the on-site building. A Public Meeting was held on May 19, 2020, to discuss the proposed remedy. The selected remedy to remove the building and the contaminated soil beneath the building was documented in the ROD on Sept. 30, 2020. A contract to design the remedy was awarded on July 17, 2021.
Domestic water supply wells for two businesses have been impacted by the contamination, and bottled water is being supplied to these businesses. A Remedial Action to remove the building and the hazardous soil beneath the building is planned to begin operations in fall 2023.
The Remedial Design for the excavation and removal of the contaminated source area has been completed. The next steps will be to find a contractor to complete the Remedial Action. EPA anticipates this work will begin in summer 2023.
Information Repositories
Site project information is available to the public at web repositories. You can access cleanup documents on EPA’s Site Profile page (see Site Documents & Data). Copies of site cleanup documents are available at the following location:
Great Bend Public Library
1409 Williams St.
Great Bend, KS 67530
620-792-2409
gbref@greatbendpl.info
What is Chromium?
Chromium is considered a contaminant of concern (COC) at the site. COCs are chemicals that need to be addressed by a cleanup action because they are a potential threat to human health or the environment. Chromium is a metal used mainly for making steel and other alloys. Chromium compounds are used for chrome plating, dye and pigment manufacturing, leather and wood preserving, and treating cooling tower water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has a series of online summaries about contaminants, called ToxFAQs, where you can find one about chromium.
EPA Contact Information
Clint Sperry
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. EPA Region 7 (SEMD/REMB)
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Phone: 913-551-7157
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
Email: sperry.clint@epa.gov
Pamela Houston
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA Region 7 (ORA/OPA)
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Phone: 913-551-7699
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
Email: houston.pamela@epa.gov