Site Narrative:
KDHE conducted an abbreviated Preliminary Assessment (PA) at the Thompson Hayward Chemical Company (THCC) site in Kansas City, Kansas. The THCC site has EPA identification number KST210010062. In 1998-1999, the Office of the Inspector General (IG) conducted an audit of sites in CERCLIS and RCRIS. The IG audit identified sites that were initially entered into CERCLIS and deferred to RCRA but remained on CERCLIS. The THCC site is one of the sites identified through the IG audit process and KDHE/BER was tasked to document that subsequent response actions were performed under other response programs. The purpose of this abbreviated PA is to provide a site evaluation to assist in developing a site disposition, and to determine if any additional response actions consistent with the NCP are necessary at the site. Pertinent KDHE and EPA documents were reviewed to compile data for this abbreviated PA.
The THCC site is located at 5200 Speaker Road in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas in Section 13, Township 11 South, Range 24 East (Reference 1). Another CERCLA site (archived) called Thompson Hayward Agriculture Nutrition (THAN) is located adjacent to the THCC site at 5150 Speaker Road. The geographic coordinates of the THCC site are 39.09495° north latitude and 94.69563° west longitude.
The THCC site is approximately 74 acres, bounded on the north by the Kansas River. The site contains nine Solid Waste Management Units (SWMU’s) and five areas of interest:
SWMU A - Pilot plant solvent recycling area
SWMU B - Area east of dike number 2
SWMU C - Series of trenches and gutters
SWMU D - Acid drainage area
SWMU E - Tank farm area
SWMU F - Sumps and lift stations
SWMU G - Tank car unloading area
SWMU H - Empty drum diposal area
SWMU I - Ponding area north of Kansas River levee
Closed surface impoundment
Central tank area
Drum storage pad
Solvent complex
Surface drainage ways
Prior to facility operations at the site, general land use in the area was agricultural. A sand plant operated in the area north of the current levee. In about 1958, Thompson Hayward Chemical Company (THCC) acquired the property and began construction of the facility. The facility became operational in December 1960. Facility operations included wholesale distribution of industrial chemicals and supplies, and production of phenoxy herbicides, primarily 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).
In 1961, THCC was sold to Consolidated Electronics Industries, which was owned by The Phillips Trust. The name of the parent company changed after the purchase.
In 1963, a process building was constructed to manufacture 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). In about 1965, an ethoxylation plant was built and surfactant agents such as industrial emulsifiers, wetting agents and antifoam agents were manufactured. In about 1967, the facility began to produce 2-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy) propionic acid (Silvex). Small amounts of tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxin) may have been present as a by-product in the processing of the pesticides. Also in 1967, the U.S. government directed THCC to produce Agent Orange II.
The facility produced Agent Orange II for about one and a half (1 ½) years. Other operations at the facility have included acid packaging, feed supplement binding, and solvent drumming. In 1977, manufacture of phenoxy herbicides at the facility ceased.
In 1981, H&C Acquisitions, Inc. purchased certain THCC assets including the right to the company name and approximately 76 acres of the facility at 5200 Speaker Road. Following the purchase, the old THCC changed its name to Thompson-Hayward Agriculture and Nutrition (THAN) and H&C Acquisitions changed its name to THCC.
From late 1982 to mid-1983, THCC operated a pilot solvent recovery operation in the Pilot Plant Complex. On October 5, 1988, THCC changed its na |