Future sampling plans announced for those near former Kerr-McGee Plant
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — On Thursday night, environmental officials met with the community that was affected by contamination left behind by a railroad tie manufacturer that closed in 2006.
The Kerr-McGee wood treatment plant previously treated railroad ties but the process and disposal of the treatment contaminated the soil and groundwater.
At Thursday's meeting, people were able to have one-on-one conversations with people at the Multistate Environmental Trust and what these future projects are going to entail
"As part of that work and to address the community members' concerns, we will be sampling about 25 residential properties from Golden Avenue down to Clifton Avenue and we will be collecting surface soil samples," Tasha Lewis, the program director said.
During a public information meeting the Multistate Environmental Trust Response held last year, a concerned citizen mentioned the impacts of stormwater flooding in the area.
"I just feel like there's this there's a part of the neighborhood that hasn't gotten investigated thoroughly and that they deserve the same chance that we did."
Tiffany Pascoe's parents have lived near the former treatment plant for nearly twenty years and after voicing her concerns, the trust created a plan to further survey and sample the neighborhood.
"They've talked to me. We walked through the neighborhood and they've been very cooperative with me, cooperating with me and my objections, and that can be very controversial," Tiffany Pascoe said.
The Multistate Trust has already removed thousands of gallons of contaminants from underground the facility.
"Nearly 100 million gallons of contaminated water has been extracted from beneath the ground, treated and discharged to the sanitary sewer under permit," Lewis said. "And additionally, 7,300 gallons of creosote has been recovered from the subsurface."
After those samples are collected, they will be sent to a lab for further testing.
"At that point, we'll take that information, compare it to the EPA regional screening levels," Lewis said. "Certainly if there were concentrations that were above those, one possibility would be to have to excavate and remove those soils from that residential property."
Pascoe encourages all people who receive a sample request from the trust to fill out and return the form.
"You should definitely get your soil tested. You should definitely know what's in the ground. And if there's special protocol for utility workers, then why would be safe for your children to dig in the dirt?" said Pascoe.
The Trust is still waiting for the permit and paperwork to be completed before any sort of sampling will begin. They are looking towards starting in the first quarter of 2025.
