cherokee county

SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE STATE OF KS

The Cherokee County site is a former mining area covering about 115 square miles. It is part of a larger area sometimes called the Tri-State Mining District, which encompasses approximately 2,500 square miles in southeastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri, and northeastern Oklahoma. Over one hundred years of widespread lead and zinc mining created piles of mine tailings which covered over 4,000 acres in southeastern Cherokee County. The mine tailings contain lead, zinc, and cadmium which have leached into the shallow groundwater. Run-off from the waste piles also moves contaminants into nearby streams. The EPA has divided this mega-site into seven subsites that correspond to seven general mining locations: Galena; Baxter Springs; Treece; Badger; Lawton; Waco; and Crestline. These subsites have been divided or grouped into the following seven operable units: OU-1, Galena Alternate Water Supply; OU-2, Spring River Basin; OU-3, Baxter Springs subsite; OU-4, Treece subsite; OU-5, Galena Groundwater/Surface Water; OU-6, Badger, Lawton, Waco, and Crestline subsites; and OU-7, Galena Residential Soils. Cleanup work under existing Records of Decision (RODs) is complete at the three operable units (OU-1, 5, 7) of the Galena subsite in the east-central portion of the entire site. This 25 square mile area had large tracts of mine and mill wastes, water filled craters where the ground collapsed, open mine shafts, and pits, all of which have now been remediated as part of a 900 acre mine waste cleanup (OU-5). Residential soils in the town of Galena were impacted by mining and milling wastes in addition to wind deposited smelter wastes from a former operating smelter. The residential areas were remediated by excavating and replacing the soils at over 700 p roperties (OU-7). Wastes have affected the quality of the shallow groundwater which was a p rimary drinking source for rural residents of the area. A rural water supply district was built (OU-1) and is now serving over 500 residential hook-ups. Surface water and surficial soils were impacted by mining wastes, several heavy metals were found in water samples from private wells, and residential soils were impacted with metals prior to completion of remedial activities to address all of these problem areas. Surrounding lands are used for residences, business, light industry, farming, and grazing. Of the approximate 23,000 p eople living in Cherokee County, 3,800 of them reside in Galena. Residential and mine waste cleanup work under a Consent Decree with responsible parties is complete at the Baxter Springs (OU-3) subsite and residential cleanup work is complete at the Treece subsite (OU-4). The completed OU-3 work transitioned to the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) p hase in 2004. A ROD Amendment was released in 2006 for the remaining non-residential mining wastes at OU-3 and OU-4. The EPA Phase 1 fund-lead remedial design process began in 2007 for select areas of OU-3 and OU-4 and was completed in 2008 followed by the initiation of cleanup activities in late 2008. Phase 1 cleanup activities are ongoing and the Phase 2 remedial design for additional mine waste cleanups at the Baxter Springs and Treece subsites began in 2009 and is ongoing. The final phase of remedial design (Phase 3) for the Baxter Springs and Treece subsites will begin in 2010. Air monitoring resumed at the Treece subsite in 2009 and is continuing in 2010. A Consent Decree for the PRP portion of the Treece subsite was successfully negotiated and lodged in 2008 with final entry expected in 2010. An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was completed in 2010 for the adjacent Tar Creek Superfund site in Oklahoma. This ESD is for voluntary residential relocations at the Treece subsite portion of the Cherokee County Superfund site due to impacts in Kansas resulting from wastes in Oklahoma. Residential relocation trust board members have been named/confirmed and initial work will begin in 2010. It should be noted that the general site conditions described for the Galena area were similar throughout the Cherokee County site prior to completing environmental cleanups in different locations of the site. Characterization and cleanup work at all of the subsites have many common elements. The cleanup decision document (ROD) was released in 2004 for the Badger, Lawton, Waco, and Crestline subsites of OU-6. The Badger and Lawton subsites are currently being addressed by EPA and the Crestline subsite is being addressed by potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The Waco subsite has been jointly addressed by EPA and PRPs. N egotiations with PRPs for the p erformance of remedial design and remedial action at the Crestline and Waco subsites resulted in two remedial design/remedial action (RD/RA) Consent Decrees in 2007. The PRP remedial design for the Crestline subsite was completed in 2007 and the subsequent cleanup began in 2007 and was completed in 2010 with the exception of the sediment remediation portion which will occur in 2011 and 2012. The PRP remedial design for the Waco subsite began in 2007 and was completed in 2009 followed by the start of a PRP-lead cleanup which has been completed.. A portion of the Waco subsite is currently being addressed by EPA as a fund-lead action because there are no viable PRPs for the entire Waco subsite. The EPA fund-lead remedial design for the non-PRP portion of the Waco subsite was completed in 2007 and the cleanup began in 2008. This clean-up was completed in 2011. The EPA fund-lead remedial design for the Badger and Lawton subsites began in 2007 and was completed in 2009. The EPA fund-lead cleanup at the Badger and Lawton subsites began in 2009 and is ongoing. OU-2 will be one of the final areas to be addressed at the site. Characterization activities (Spring River and Empire Lake studies by the U.S. Geological Survey) were conducted in 2004 to 2007 and select Tri-State Watershed study results were released in 2006 to 2008. Tri-State Watershed work related to the selection of appropriate clean-up numbers continued in 2009 and 2010. A floodplain characterization study began in 2009 and is currently in its second phase. A draft report of this study should be available in the fall of 2012. The floodplain study is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey on behalf of EPA. Work is in a preliminary stage at this operable unit and potential cleanup alternatives will be assessed following the completion of most remedial activities in the other areas. Wastes from many locations drain or migrate to the Spring River basin thus creating a need to cleanup the contributing areas prior to the Spring River.