Case Summary: Kellwood Company Agrees to Conduct Cleanup at the Riverfront Superfund Site in New Haven, Mo.

On August 24, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri approved a settlement agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Missouri, and Kellwood Company to clean up contamination associated with the Riverfront Superfund Site, a former metal fabrication plant in New Haven, Mo.

The settlement requires Kellwood to clean up soils and ground water contaminated with tetrachloroethylene, also known as PCE, a common industrial degreaser, at the site's operable units 2 and 6. Kellwood has also agreed to pay past and future response costs incurred by EPA and the State of Missouri associated cleanup activity with those two operable units (OUs). The cleanup work is estimated to cost at least $5.920 million and address over 176 million yards in contaminated soil and groundwater.

Information about the Company

Kellwood Company, based in St. Louis, Missouri, designs, manufactures, and markets apparel.

Information about the Riverfront Superfund Site

The Riverfront Superfund Site was listed on EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000 and consists of six Operable Units. Operable Unit 2 is the site of a former metal fabrication plan, owned and operated by Kellwood from approximately 1973 until 1985. Operable Unit 6 is the ground water contaminant plume emanating from OU 2 which has contaminated residential drinking water wells in the area. Kellwood has supplied whole house water filtration systems for the affected homes. More information on the Riverfront Superfund Site is available on Region 7's website.

Overview of the Consent Decree

The consent decree provides for the performance of a remedial design/remedial action (RD/RA) for operable units 2 and 6 at the site. OU2 involves a PCE/TCE soil source area and OU6 involves the groundwater plume that emanates from the source area. The remedies for OU2 and OU6, as selected in a record of decision issued by EPA on May 13, 2011, include DNAPL recovery and in situ chemical oxidation treatment for OU2, and the installation and operation of a line of groundwater treatment wells within OU6 which will be used for the injection of chemical oxidants designed to “break down” the contamination.

Comment Period

The consent decree was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on July 6, 2012. Following a 30-day public comment period, the federal district court approved and entered the CD on August 24, 2012.

Contact

David A. Hoefer
Attorney
Office of Regional Counsel
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, Kansas 66219
913-551-7503
hoefer.david@epa.gov