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Distler Farm

Distler Farm
EPA ID: KYD980601975
Location: West Point, Jefferson County, KY
Congressional District: 02, 03
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final 09/08/83
Project Manager
Documents:About Adobe Portable Document Format

Site Background:
The Distler Farm site is a 13-acre property in Jefferson County, Kentucky. It was discovered by EPA in 1977, during the development of an enforcement case against the owner of the Kentucky Liquid Recycling, Inc. who used the facility for industrial waste storage. It is located near a cultivated farmland, approximately one mile northeast of the Salt River and the Ohio River confluence. The site lies within the 10-year flood plain of the Ohio River. Based on the initial inspection of April 1977, EPA personnel reported that approximately 600 drums of waste were stored on ground surface. In December 1978, the Ohio River flooded and caused drums of waste to be scattered along the Stump Gap Creek. Following the flood, more than 800 drums containing chemicals characteristic of the paint and varnish industry were removed and properly disposed of by USEPA and the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet. During the emergency removal and site investigation activities, several waste burial locations were discovered on the property. Approximately 120 drums and more than 2600 small containers of hazardous wastes were excavated from the site and disposed of at a properly permitted waste processing facility. Subsequent studies of the site indicated that soil and groundwater were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as toluene and benzene, and heavy metals including chromium and lead. Approximately 3,000 people reside within four miles of the site.

Cleanup Progress: Construction Completed
EPA initiated remedial construction activities in September 1988. During the construction of access road, additional drums were uncovered. The drums primarily contained medical and laboratory waste, herbicides, and solvents. Approximately 25 drums, some of which were rusted out, were retrieved. Contaminated soil was then found and removed to a depth of 15 feet from a total area of approximately 150 square feet. The final cleanup of the contaminated soil at the site included the excavation and off-site incineration of nearly 300 tons of soil. The affected area was backfilled with top soil and seeded with grass. Groundwater remediation system for the site was installed in 1989, including extraction wells, pipes and a temporary storage tank. The work was completed in November 1989.  EPA conducted site groundwater remediation as a Long-Term Remedial Action between December 1991 and December 2001.  During the period,, EPA contractor extracted contaminated water from the site, stored it temporarily in an accumulation tank on-site, and periodically trucked the water to the Metropolitan Sewer District's facility for treatment and disposal.  In addition, the contractor monitored site progress by collecting water samples from the site and analyzing for contaminants of concern.  In January 2002, the State assumed responsibility for the rest of site cleanup as Operation and Maintenance.  Since then, the State has conducted the groundwater clean-up activities including extracting and disposing of the contaminated water and site monitoring.

Five-Year Reviews of the site were conducted in 1993, 1998, and 2003. Results of the 1993 Review indicated that site contaminants were reduced by soil removal activities and that groundwater extraction was progressing satisfactorily.  The 1998 Review concluded that additional clean-up progress was observed between 1993 and 1998, and that possible migration of contaminants from the site to private wells which prompted remedial actions at the site was no longer expected.  However, continued site monitoring was recommended by the Review.  The Review conducted in 2003, concluded that site monitoring data collected after 1998, indicated that clean-up goals for all contaminants of concern had been met.  Therefore, the Review recommended confirmatory sampling activities to validate its conclusion.  However, the five-Year review conducted in 2008 indicated that there were data gaps that must be addressed before final site status can be determined.  Therefore, the State will monitor the site and collect additional data for one more year and the results will be evaluated by December 2009, for final conclusion on site status.  The next Five Year Review is scheduled for September 2013 completion.

For information about the contents of this page please contact Donna Bledsoe

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