[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 151 (Monday, August 7, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40170-40171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19395]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Floodplain/Wetland Involvement Notification and Statement of 
Findings for a Proposed Removal Action at the Weldon Spring Site, St. 
Charles Co., Missouri

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of floodplain/wetland involvement and statement of 
findings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to conduct a 
removal action at the Weldon Spring site to remove radiologically 
contaminated soil from a vicinity property within a floodplain and 
wetland located within the heavily used State of Missouri Weldon Spring 
Conservation Area. The proposed action will eliminate any potential 
risk to the health of recreational users of the conservation area. In 
accordance with 10 CFR Part 1022, DOE has prepared a floodplain and 
wetlands assessment. The proposed action will be performed in a manner 
so as to avoid or minimize 

[[Page 40171]]
potential harm to or within the floodplain and wetland. Because of the 
location of the contaminated soil, there is no practicable alternative 
to the location of this action within the floodplain and wetlands. 
Because of the potential risk to human health and the environment, the 
DOE has combined the Notice of Involvement with the Statement of 
Findings in this Federal Register Notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS PROPOSED ACTION OR TO COMMENT ON THE 
ACTION CONTACT: Mr. Steve McCracken, U.S. Department of Energy, Weldon 
Spring Site Remedial Action Project, 7295 Highway 94 South, St. 
Charles, MO 63304, (314) 441-8978.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GENERAL DOE FLOODPLAIN/WETLAND ENVIRONMENTAL 
REVIEW REQUIREMENTS CONTACT: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of 
NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE is conducting response actions at 
its Weldon Spring Site under the direction of the DOE Office of 
Environmental Management. The Weldon Spring site is located in St. 
Charles County, Missouri, approximately 48 km (30 miles) west of St. 
Louis. As part of the overall cleanup of the Weldon Spring Site, the 
DOE is proposing to conduct a removal action at an area referred to as 
Vicinity Property 9 (VP 9). VP 9, which contains a small wetland area 
no larger than 1.5 acres, occurs within the 100-yr floodplain of the 
Missouri River, and is located within the heavily used State of 
Missouri Weldon Spring Conservation Area.
    The proposed action is necessary to remove radioactively 
contaminated soils within VP 9 that poses a potential risk to the 
health of recreational users of the conservation area. Because of the 
urgency to conduct this removal and in order to optimize resources that 
are immediately available (i.e., equipment and crew currently are 
conducting bulk waste removal in the immediate vicinity) in the nearby 
quarry area, the DOE has waived the 15-day public comment period for 
this notice of involvement, as permitted under Section 1022.18c of 10 
CFR 1022. Further information is available from the DOE at the address 
shown below.
    In accordance with the DOE regulations for compliance with 
floodplain/wetlands environmental review requirements (10 CFR 1022), 
the DOE has prepared a floodplain and wetland assessment describing the 
effects, alternatives, and measures designed to avoid or minimize 
potential harm to or within the floodplain and wetland, and has 
determined that the proposed removal action will not impact floodplain 
storage. Impacts to the wetland will be temporary and will not affect 
long term wetland function. Further information on the floodplain and 
wetland assessments is available from the DOE at the address shown 
below.
    The DOE proposes to remove radiologically contaminated soils from 
VP 9 by excavating soils to a depth of approximately 1 ft from an area 
of approximately 180 ft  x  380 ft (1.5 acres) in size. Prior to 
excavation, vegetation at the area would be cleared by grubbing, and a 
temporary excavation equipment access ramp to VP 9 would be installed. 
Good engineering practices such as hay bales and silt fences would be 
employed to control sedimentation and erosion to nearby surface waters 
and adjacent floodplain areas. Excavation would be accomplished using 
standard excavation equipment (e.g., backhoe), and the contaminated 
soils would be transported to the Weldon Spring chemical plant area for 
treatment and subsequent disposal. Following completion of the proposed 
action, the equipment access ramp would be removed and all excavated 
areas would be backfilled with clean fill, graded to original contours, 
and revegetated with native species previously occurring at the site.
    The no-action alternative with institutional controls was also 
evaluated. The no-action alternative is not acceptable because (1) The 
potential risk to human health from the contaminated soils would return 
in the event of loss of institutional control, (2) recreational 
activities at the conservation area would be disrupted, (3) potential 
risk to the environment would be largely unaffected by institutional 
controls, and (4) natural flood events could transport the contaminated 
soils to other portions of the floodplain and conservation area. 
Because of the potential risk to human health and to the environment, 
the DOE finds that there is no practicable alternative to the location 
of the removal action in the floodplain and wetland, and wishes to 
expedite the proposed removal of the contaminated soil and complete the 
removal action in as timely a manner as possible.
    The proposed action would conform to applicable federal, state, and 
local floodplain and wetland protection standards. Impacts to the 
floodplain and wetland would be minimized by the avoidance (to the 
extent practicable) of adjacent floodplain and wetland areas, and 
through the use of good engineering practices for sediment and erosion 
control. No impacts are anticipated to the 100-yr floodplain of the 
Missouri River. The removal of contaminated soils from VP 9 would not 
impact the storage capacity of the Missouri River floodplain. No 
permanent structures that could displace flood storage capacity would 
be constructed as part of the proposed action. Potential impact to the 
wetland would be restricted to removal of hydrophytic vegetation 
species that would be replaced following completion of the removal 
action. Upon completion of the action, the equipment access ramp would 
be removed and the excavated area would be backfilled and graded to 
original contours to restore the pre-excavation flood-storage capacity 
of the area.
Robert W. Poe,
Assistant Manager for Environment, Safety, and Quality.
[FR Doc. 95-19395 Filed 8-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P