[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45403-45405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22781]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Floodplain Involvement for the St. Louis Airport Site, 
St. Louis, Missouri

AGENCY: Former Sites Restoration Division, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of floodplain involvement.

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SUMMARY: DOE proposes to remove soil containing elevated levels of 
uranium-238, radium-226, and thorium-230 from a floodplain in St. Louis 
County, Missouri. In accordance with 10 CFR 1022, DOE will prepare a 
floodplain and wetlands assessment and will perform this proposed 
action in a manner so as to avoid or minimize potential harm to or 
within the affected floodplain resource.

DATES: Comments are due to the address below no later than September 
11, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS PROPOSED ACTION OR TO COMMENT ON THE 
ACTION, CONTACT: Mr. Steve McCracken, St. Louis Site Manager, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 9170 Latty Avenue, Berkeley, MO 63134, Phone: 
(314) 524-4083, FAX: (314) 524-6044.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: From 1942-1967, the St. Louis Airport Site 
(SLAPS) was used to store process by-products from the Mallinckrodt 
Chemical Plant in downtown St. Louis. These radioactive by-products 
were created during uranium and thorium extraction processes performed 
from 1942 to 1957 for the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and Atomic 
Energy Commission (AEC). DOE has authority at the site for the 
remediation of media containing elevated levels of radionuclides 
associated with MED/AEC activities; however, activities are being 
coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 
VII and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The 
proposed removal action will serve to provide a clean buffer zone 
adjacent to Coldwater Creek and to protect the creek by further 
controlling surface water migration of contaminants. Coldwater Creek 
flows approximately 0.6 miles along the western boundary of SLAPS and 
flows into the Missouri River approximately 20 miles downstream.
    The removal actions would involve activity in the Coldwater Creek 
100-year floodplain at SLAPS. In accordance with DOE regulations for 
compliance with floodplain and wetlands environmental review 
requirements (10 CFR 1022), DOE will prepare a floodplain and wetlands 
assessment for this proposed DOE action. Remedial actions may include: 
no action, or removal of soil at SLAPS between McDonnell Boulevard and 
Banshee Road, behind the gabion wall which extends along that portion 
of Coldwater Creek. This excavation would extend approximately 70 feet 
to the east and approximately one foot below original grade 
(approximately 2-4 ft. below the existing land surface). The excavated 
area would be backfilled with clean soil and a berm would be 
constructed on the eastern edge of the excavation to minimize runoff 
into the excavated area. Sediments in the ditch between the SLAPS fence 
and McDonnell Boulevard would be removed from the confluence with the 
creek to 70 feet east of the confluence in order to provide a clean 
buffer zone between SLAPS runoff and the creek. Drainage on the 
northern end of SLAPS would be rerouted through an engineered channel 
to prevent mobilizing sediment in the ditches during storm events prior 
to discharge into Coldwater Creek. DOE would temporarily store 
excavated material near the southeast corner of SLAPS prior to 
transport to an off-site, licensed waste disposal facility. A 
floodplain and wetlands assessment that incorporates the values of the 
National Environmental Policy Act will be included in the final 
engineering evaluation and cost analysis (EE/CA) being prepared for the 
proposed project. Upon completion and approval of the assessment, DOE 
will publish a floodplain statement of findings in the Federal Register 
that describes the proposed action and measures that DOE would 
implement to prevent environmental damage to floodplain resources at 
SLAPS.

    Issued in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on August 17, 1997.
James L. Elmore,
Alternate NEPA Compliance Officer.

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[FR Doc. 97-22781 Filed 8-26-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-C