[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
