Story in The Morning Sun on expanded clean-up in St. Louis

“More cleanup planned at former Velsicol site,” Morning Sun, by Greg Nelson  gnelson@medianewsgroup.com

 Remediation efforts at the former Velsicol Chemical Co. plant site in St. Louis appear to be never ending.

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a new cleanup project at the contaminated 52-acre parcel that’s due to begin later this year.  “The EPA is preparing a proposal to excavate and off-site disposal of approximately 100,000 tons of contaminated material from areas of the former plant site designated as Potential Source Areas 1 and 2,” the agency’s Community Involvement Coordinator Diane Russell stated in a press release.

 The area where work will take place borders Watson Street and M-46, she added. A portion of the section due for cleanup was where oil loading docks were once located.

The soil is contaminated with both petroleum and chemical compounds, including chlorobenzene, xylene, phosphates, and the fire retardant TRIS, among others.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will oversee the construction of a support wall along the Watson Street side of the property.

 The structure is needed to prevent cave-ins because excavation will extend to a depth of at least 25 feet below the surface, EPA Project Manager Tom Alcamo said.

Also, the pumping of groundwater will be necessary when the digging goes below the water table. About 22,000 gallons of contaminated water a day will be extracted and taken off site for treatment, he added.

 Temporary roads will need to be constructed to support excavation.   Trucks transporting materials from the property will use the gate on M-46 and will not need to travel through the adjacent residential neighborhood.  All of the excavated soil will be nonhazardous to local residents, however, there will be a rancid oil odor and noise while work is taking place, Alcamo said.