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| PLATING, INC. | Great Bend, Kansas | |
| Barton County |
Site Location:
Plating, Inc. facility is a former chromium and zinc plating facility
located in Barton County, Great Bend, Kansas. The Plating Inc. facility
is located in an industrial area at the Great Bend Airport surrounded by
agricultural land. A contaminated ground water plume is migrating from
the Plating, Inc. facility in a north-easterly direction towards the
City of Great Bend, Kansas. The ground water contamination is
approximately 2 miles long.
Site History:
Plating, Inc. began chromium plating operations in 1968. Zinc plating
processes were added at the facility in 1975. In 1988 while conducting
an inspection of the facility, Kansas Department of Health & Environment
(KDHE) detected soil contamination and identified that the facility had
been operating without air pollution control systems. In 1989, KDHE
ordered the facility to address State and Federal violations for the
handling and storage of hazardous wastes and remove the contaminated
soil. Soil was excavated in 1990 under the guidance of KDHE. Also in
1990, the facility installed a chromium fume scrubber on the ventilation
system to prevent recontamination of the soil. In 1991, ground water
sampling was conducted and it was determined that the ground water was
contaminated with chromium. In 1994, the Plating, Inc. facility signed
an order with KDHE to conduct investigation and remediation of the
chromium contamination from the facility. In 1998, the facility
installed a shallow remedial well to contain and remediate the shallow
plume. In 2002 after determining the remedial well was not fully
containing the shallow plume, a new remedial well was installed. In
2005, the Plating, Inc. facility ceased operations. In 2006 while
conducting an inspection of the former Plating facility, KDHE discovered
several tanks of solutions that were abandoned and possibly leaking.
Site Contamination/Contaminants:
To date, one domestic well contains chromium above the maximum
contaminant level (MCL). KDHE is currently providing bottled water to
this business along with another business which has chromium in their
domestic well but documented below the MCL.
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:
Chromium ground water contamination attributable to the Plating, Inc.
facility is contaminating both private and municipal wells. KDHE has
identified at least three public water supply wells that are threatened
by the contamination from the Plating, Inc. facility. Also, domestic
water supply wells for two businesses have been contaminated. The
threatened public water supply wells and domestic wells are being
monitored.
Response Activities (to date):
KDHE requested Plating, Inc. to install a remedial well in the shallow
aquifer to protect public water supply well #8 from the chromium plume
as well as contain the plume. A remedial well was installed in the
shallow aquifer and began operation in 1998. In 2001, it was determined
the remedial well was not fully containing the shallow plume. An
additional remedial well was installed in the shallow aquifer in 2002.
Additionally, EPA is conducting a Removal Assessment of the Plating,
Inc. facility. Several thousand gallons of plating solutions (including
chromic acid, muriatic acid, and sulfuric acid) will need to be removed
from the facility.
[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent FR notices.]
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.