[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 84 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23290-23291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10686]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Availability of the Feasibility Study and Proposed Plan for the 
St. Louis North County Site for Public Review and Comment

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 
in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 
proposes to cleanup contaminants at the St. Louis North County Site 
resulting from uranium manufacturing and processing activities 
conducted during the early years of the nation's atomic energy program. 
This site is one of several being addressed under the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

[[Page 23291]]

Alternatives, which identify the range of potential final site 
remedies, have been developed and evaluated in the St. Louis North 
County Feasibility Study (FS). USACE has identified Alternative 5, 
Excavation with Institutional Controls Under Roads, Bridges, Railroads 
and Other Permanent Structures, as the preferred alternative in the 
Proposed Plan (PP) based on the information available at this time. The 
final remedy will be selected and identified in a Record of Decision 
(ROD) only after consideration of all comments received and any new 
information presented.

DATES: The FS and PP will be available for public review from May 1, 
2003 through May 30, 2003. Written comments must be received before 
June 1, 2003. A public meeting, regarding all of the alternatives 
presented in the FS/PP, will be begin at 6 p.m. at the Hazelwood Civic 
Center--East at 8969 Dunn Road in Hazelwood, MO on May 29, 2003. Oral 
and written comments will be accepted at the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comment to Ms. Sharon Cotner, FUSRAP Program 
Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, 8945 Latty 
Avenue, Berkeley, MO 63134 before June 1, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jacqueline Mattingly at (314) 260-
3924 or (314) 260-3905, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Proposed Action

    The USACE, St. Louis District, is issuing the St. Louis North 
County FS and PP for public review and comment. The North County Site 
became contaminated as a result of activities supporting the nation's 
early atomic energy program. From 1942 to 1957, the Mallinckrodt 
Chemical Plant extracted uranium and radium from ore at the St. Louis 
Downtown Site in St. Louis, Missouri. From 1946 until 1967, radioactive 
process byproducts were stored at an area adjacent to the Lambert-St. 
Louis Airport, which is now referred to as the St. Louis Airport Site 
(SLAPS). In 1966, the SLAPS wastes were purchased, moved to, and stored 
at a property on Latty Avenue. This property later became known as the 
Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS) and the Futura property. During 
this move, handling and transportation of the contamination resulted in 
the material being spread along haul routes and to the adjacent 
vicinity properties, which are referred to as the SLAPS Vicinity 
Properties (VPs). The North County Site, which generally consists of 
SLAPS, HISS/Futura, and the VPs, is being managed by the Corps of 
Engineers under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program 
(FUSRAP). The alternatives to address contamination at this site are 
evaluated in the FS and are summarized in the PP.

2. Project Alternatives

    a. Alternative 1--No Action. Required by CERCLA for baseline 
comparison. Requires periodic environmental monitoring. No soils 
excavated.
    b. Alternative 2--Partial Excavation and Capping at SLAPS and HISS/
Futura. Excavate impacted soils only from the VPs for out-of-state 
disposal. Cap SLAPS and HISS/Futura with stone and clean soil. Use 
institutional controls to restrict future land use at SLAPS, HISS/
Futura, and to control soils beneath roads, bridges, railroads, and 
other permanent structures.
    c. Alternative 3--Partial Excavation and Treatment at SLAPS. 
Excavate impacted soils from HISS/Futura and VPs. Consolidate excavated 
soils at SLAPS for treatment (soil sorting and washing). Use soils 
meeting supplemental standards as backfill at SLAPS and cover site with 
clean soils. Soils not meeting supplemental standards disposed out-of-
state. Use institutional controls to restrict future land use at SLAPS 
and to control soils beneath roads, bridges, railroads, and other 
permanent structures.
    d. Alternative 4--Institutional Controls. Limit future land use at 
SLAPS, HISS/Futura, VPs, and for soils beneath roads, bridges, 
railroads, and other permanent structures using deed notices, land use 
restrictions, and zoning restrictions. Institutional controls and site 
maintenance would be implemented to prevent unacceptable exposures to 
site contamination.
    e. Alternative 5--Excavation with Institutional Controls Under 
Roads, Bridges, Railroads, and Other Permanent Structures. Excavate 
impacted soils from SLAPS, HISS/Futura and VPs for out-of-state 
disposal. Use institutional controls to control soils beneath roads, 
bridges, railroads and other permanent structures.
    f. Alternative 6--Excavation at all Properties. Excavate impacted 
soils from all locations, regardless of accessibility, for out-of-state 
disposal. Based on available information, the Corps of Engineers' 
preferred alternative is Alternative 5, Excavation with Institutional 
Controls Under Roads, Bridges, Railroads, and Other Permanent 
Structures. Although Alternative 5 is preferred at the present time, 
public comments are welcome on all alternatives.

3. Availability of the FS and PP

    Copies of the FS and PP are with the site Administrative Record 
File and may be reviewed at the following locations: U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, St. Louis District, FUSRAP Project Office, 8945 Latty 
Avenue, Berkeley, MO 63134 between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday thru 
Friday; or the St. Louis Public Library, Government Information Room, 
1302 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 during normal business hours. 
Electronic copies of these documents are also available at: http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/engr/fusrap/home2.htm.

Sharon R. Cotner,
FUSRAP Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-10686 Filed 4-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-55-P