News Release No. 373

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING SEPT. 15 ON PROPOSED OAK GROVE CLEANUP PLAN

Volume 33-373

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, SEPT. 9, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced a proposed cleanup plan for the Oak Grove Village Well Site. The department is inviting the public to review and offer written comments on the proposed cleanup plan from now until Sept. 27. The department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are also hosting a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 15, at the Oak Grove Village City Hall, 260 James St., Sullivan.

Oak Grove Village is a rural community located along I-44 just northeast of Sullivan. On June 10, 1986, trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected in Oak Grove Village's only public drinking water well (OGV01). TCE is a chemical used mainly as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts. TCE has been found in underground water sources and many surface waters as a result of the manufacture, use and disposal of the chemical.

Oak Grove Village closed OGV01 in July 1991 when additional groundwater sampling showed TCE levels above the Maximum Contaminant Level, or health-based standard, of 5 parts per billion. Oak Grove Village bought water from the City of Sullivan until their new public well (OGV02) became operational on April 22.

More groundwater sampling was performed to find and define the pollution source. The department conducted the Oak Grove Village Well Site investigation in a phased approach. Phase I began in June 2000 and ended in March 2002. Phase II began in April 2002 and ended in August 2005. Sampling results during the investigation showed measurable levels of TCE and other pollutants in other residential and commercial/industrial wells, Sullivan public wells and Meramec Caverns' water and air. As a result, the Oak Grove Village Well Site is currently described as an unattributed and undefined TCE groundwater plume(s).

On July 23, 1998, Missouri supported listing the Oak Grove Village Well Site on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is EPA's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term cleanup action under Superfund. A site must be on the NPL to receive federal money for cleanup. The Oak Grove Village Well Site was placed on the NPL on Sept. 5, 2002.

The department, with assistance from EPA, Region 7, has created a proposed cleanup plan to describe the cleanup options under consideration for the site. The plan identifies the preferred cleanup option and reasons for this preference. The public can review and copy the proposed cleanup plan and supporting documents from the Administrative Record at the following locations:

Sullivan Public Library
104 W. Vine St.
Sullivan, Missouri
Phone: 573-468-4372

Oak Grove Village City Hall
260 James St.
Sullivan, Missouri
Phone: 573-468-4500

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.---Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
9 a.m. to 8 p.m.---Wednesday
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.---Saturday

As mentioned before, the public is invited to review and offer written comments on the proposed cleanup plan from now until Sept. 27. Please send written comments to:

Candice McGhee
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Hazardous Waste Program
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176

The department is also hosting a public meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Oak Grove Village City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend the public meeting to ask questions, provide input, offer comments and share concerns with the department, EPA and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. People requiring special services or accommodations in order to attend the meetings can make arrangements by calling Candice McGhee at 573-751-1738 or 800-361-4827, or by writing to McGhee at the department address listed above. Hearing and speech-impaired persons may reach her through Relay Missouri at 800-735-2966.

At the end of the public comment period, the department will review all written comments and any comments mentioned at the public meeting. The department can change the preferred cleanup option, or choose another option, based on technical or legal issues brought up by the comments. The department will issue the final decision on the selected cleanup option in the Record of Decision for the site.

For more information, please contact McGhee at 573-751-1738 or 800-361-4827.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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