Site Narrative:
The Neodesha Refinery Site is located in Neodesha, Kansas. The 320-acre site is located on the west side of town, near the Fall River. From approximately 1897 to 1970, an oil refinery operated at the Site. The facility consisted of refinery-processing areas, bulk storage tanks, an oil separator pond, settling basins, and a waste disposal area. Past releases of petroleum hydrocarbons from the refinery resulted in soil and groundwater contamination within the footprint of the former refinery. Over time, contaminated groundwater migrated away from the former refinery property onto residential and industrial properties in Neodesha. Contaminants present at the site include volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), semi-volatile organic compounds, and a number of heavy metals including lead and arsenic. Media impacted by contamination at the site include surface and subsurface soils and groundwater. Light non-aqueous phase liquid and dissolved phase contaminants are present in groundwater.
Contamination at the site is the subject of a Consent Agreement between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Amoco Oil Company (now BP Products North America, BP) (Case Number 90-E-53A) effective in 1990. An Amendment to the CAFO was signed on May 21, 1996. Under the Consent Agreement, BP is required to investigate contamination at the site, evaluate remedial actions to address the contamination, and implement approved remedial actions. The final remedy for the Neodesha Refinery Site has not been determined. This determination will be made based on KDHE’s review of the Revised Corrective Action Study and subsequent input from the community during the corrective action decision process. A Community Involvement Plan was completed in October 2008 by KDHE.
Interim measures were implemented at the Neodesha Refinery Site to address immediate risks and to prevent further off-site migration of the groundwater plume. Based on earlier investigations, wastes were disposed, treated, solidified, and capped at the North Site. Materials from the settling basin bottoms were removed, dried, stabilized, consolidated in Basin #4 and capped. Hydrocarbon seep areas were excavated and disposed off-site. Interim measures for groundwater include a trench at the former tank site to recover petroleum product; several dual phase extraction wells that remove contaminated groundwater, petroleum, and vapors; and two systems that introduce sulfate to the aquifer to encourage natural breakdown of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater. Groundwater and vapors which are recovered by the existing remedial systems are treated to remove contaminants before being released to the environment. Semi-annual long-term monitoring of groundwater began in 1991 and still continues. In Sept. 2003, deed restrictions limiting future use were voluntarily placed on many of the properties formerly occupied by the refinery. Vapor Intrusion Assessment of three schools indicated that the air quality is not being impacted.
A Supplemental Investigation report approved in March 2015. Pre-design soil sampling for lead took place in March 2017. Based on the results of the investigation, more investigations are underway. A pre-design soil sampling plan for hydrocarbons was approved by KDHE. Sediment and surface water sampling took place in July/August 2017. Revised CAS in review – awaiting pilot testing. The PDI and Pilot Testing work plan were approved with comments in April 2019.
On March 19, 2020, the Biosparge Pilot Test and Amendment Injection Workplan was approved and DPE On-Site and Sulfate Off-Site was shut off for pilot investigations. The biosparge pilot system operated from November 2020 to June 2023, identified as not suitable for current remediation goals. On-site pilot sulfate injections occurred June 2021 to June 2022 and was deemed as not suitable for current remediation goals. During pilot test operations, a H ydraulic Investigation was conducted in conjunction with the University of Kansas on in-well point velocity probes (IWPVP) to characterize the groundwater velocity. A Pilot Test Evaluation Report was submitted in September 2024 and approved March 10, 2026.
A Remedial Excavation Work Plan was approved April 6, 2026.
Groundwater monitoring continues on a semi-annual basis as of 2026.
A Lead Remedial Action Work Plan and revised CAS are expected to be issued in 2026 or 2027.
|