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Fact Sheet
November 2005
BUILDING DISMANTLEMENT PLANNED - PCB Treatment, Inc. Superfund Site (PTI), Kansas City, Kansas
INTRODUCTION
SITE UPDATE
In accordance with the settlement agreement for the PCB Treatment, Inc. (PTI) site in Kansas City, Kansas, the Steering Committee representing former customers of the former PTI operation has submitted draft design documents for the controlled demolition and site cleanup of the 45 Ewing Street building. These draft design documents are being reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
The proposed approach described in the draft design documents is very similar to the one very successfully used earlier this year at the former PTI location in Kansas City, Missouri. The process ensured public safety throughout the removal process by controlling the physical and contamination-related hazards associated with dismantling a building in a populated area. Once these design documents are formally approved, EPA will issue a notice to proceed to the Steering Committee and work will begin.
PUBLIC AVAILABILITY SESSION
EPA, KDHE, and the PTI Steering Committee will hold a public availability session on Monday, November 21, 2005 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the:
Hilton Garden Inn
Eisenhower “A” Room
520 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas
Parking is available across Minnesota Avenue or in back of the building, and the facility is American Disability Act approved. The purpose of this session is to provide information to citizens and answer any questions.
PLANNED ACTIVITIES
The dismantlement contractor for the Ewing Street building has not been selected. The successful contractor will be required to have extensive experience with this type of response work. The work will be performed under a supervising contractor retained by the Steering Committee, Hard Hat, Inc. All work will be done with oversight by the EPA to assure that building dismantlement is conducted safely and effectively, in accordance with final approved design documents.
The initial work at the site will involve removing pigeon wastes and asbestos materials from the interior of the building and exterior wall cleaning. After these tasks are complete, it is anticipated that the contractor will erect construction fencing and move office trailers to the site.
Dismantlement of the building will be performed from the roof down. The building will be cut into individual sections of a manageable size. Water misting will be performed as necessary to control the release of contaminated dust. All water contacting contaminated portions of the building will be collected, sampled, and treated, if necessary, prior to discharge into the municipal sanitary sewer system.
The building sections will be conveyed to the bottom floor of the building through interior shafts present in the existing structure. Non-contaminated materials will be managed separately from PCB-containing materials. Building debris will be transported from the site in covered trucks. Non-contaminated building debris will be transported to the BFI Courtney Ridge Landfill in Sugar Creek, Missouri for disposal.
PCB-contaminated materials will be carefully managed and transported to the Clean Harbors Lone Mountain Disposal Facility in Waynoka, Oklahoma, for disposal. Following dismantlement of the building, underlying soils which became contaminated will be excavated and disposed off-site. Soil sampling will confirm that contamination has been removed. The site will be backfilled with clean soil and graded to provide for drainage.
During construction activities, continuous air monitoring will be performed to assure that public health is not threatened. If air monitoring shows airborne contaminants approach a level of concern, additional measures (such as increased water suppression or additional containment) will be performed to prevent conditions that could threaten public health.
Following completion of construction activities and confirmation sampling, the property will be available for unrestricted development. The property is currently privately owned. Sale and development of the property will proceed through private transactions. EPA and KDHE will not be directly involved in arranging for the future use of the property.
EPA plans to have a public information center nearby to provide access to materials relating to the building dismantlement and site cleanup. This center will be staffed by an EPA employee.
BACKGROUND
PCB Treatment Inc. (PTI) began operations at 2100 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri in 1982. A portion of the operation moved to 45 South Ewing Street, Kansas City, Kansas in 1984. Initial operations included decommissioning and storage of PCB-containing items. PCB oils and PCB-contaminated components were shipped offsite for incineration. Reusable metal was salvaged. PTI also performed a de-chlorination process for PCB-contaminated oils.
PTI operated on all floors of the five-story building at 45 Ewing Street from 1984 until 1987, authorized by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Decommissioning and PCB removal activities were terminated in 1987, after TSCA authorizations were not renewed by EPA. Between 1987 and 1991, the owner of the building attempted different methods to decontaminate the building. None of these attempts were successful at reducing PCB concentrations to required levels.
Site investigations have concluded that portions of floors and walls remain PCB-impacted in excess of acceptable levels. Soils adjacent to the facility were also found to contain PCBs.
SUPERFUND INVOLVEMENT
The PTI Site was referred to the EPA Superfund program in 1995. Superfund is the federal program with authority over the cleanup of abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites throughout the country.
Under the Superfund law, EPA is able to require those parties deemed responsible for the site contamination to perform cleanup work at the site. Responsible parties at the PTI site include owners, operators, and transporters and generators that sent hazardous materials to the facilities for treatment or disposal. The more than 1,500 customers of PTI included the federal government, rural electric cooperatives, utility companies, cities, states, and large and small businesses.
In accordance with the EPA agreement for the Site, the selected remedy will be implemented by the Steering Committee with the oversight of the EPA and state agencies. The Steering Committee consists of eleven customers of the now defunct PTI Corporation who have agreed to perform the cleanup work.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
EPA encourages community members to review the Administrative Record for the site. Documents related to the facility, including design documents for the building removal, will be made available by EPA as part of the Administrative Record. The Administrative Record is available for public review at the following locations during normal business hours:
Kansas City, Kansas
Main Public Library
625 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri
Main Public Library
14 W. 10th Street
Kansas City, Missouri
EPA Region 7
Records Center
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas
If you have additional questions about this fact sheet or the Site, please contact:
Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551-7003
Fax: 913-551-7066
E-mail: himes.beckie@epa.gov
Pauletta France-Isetts
Remedial Project Manager
EPA Region 7
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551-7701
Fax: 913-551-9701
E-mail: france-isetts.pauletta@epa.gov
Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
