Cleanup Order Requires Investigation and Study to Address Groundwater Contamination at Pools Prairie Superfund Site
On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a unilateral administrative order (UAO) to the Boeing Company and TDY Industries, LLC. requiring the companies to conduct a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) on Operable Unit 7 at the Pools Prairie Superfund site in Neosha, Missouri. The Phase II RI/FS will further characterize the nature and extent of site related contamination and evaluate the potential remedial alternatives for the site. Since the parties were unable to resolve settlement issues, Boeing and TDY agreed that EPA issuing a UAO was the best option to keep the work moving forward. The value of the RI/FS UAO is $2.7 million.
The RI/FS will help the nearby community by providing more comprehensive indoor air evaluation and additional source area cleanup to address contaminated groundwater, resulting in further access to safe drinking water and providing clean water for those homes that opted to use well water rather than be connected to the public water system.
On this page:
- Information about the Companies
- Information about the Pools Prairie Superfund Site
- Contact Information
Information about the Companies
Boeing Company, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and employing 153,000 people worldwide, is the world’s largest aerospace company and manufactures commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems. From approximately 1957-1968, a plant at the site was used to manufacture and test rocket engines and related components for the U.S. Air Force. Boeing is the corporate successor to the company that was the contract operator of these manufacturing and testing facilities at the site.
TDY Industries, LLC, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, manufactures steel and produces finished steel products. From approximately 1968 to 1980, the plant was used to manufacture, test, and refurbish jet airplane engines for the U.S. Air Force. TDY is the corporate successor to the company that was the contract operator during this time period.
Information about the Pools Prairie Superfund Site
The Pools Prairie Superfund site, located in Neosho, Missouri, consists of a portion of 43,000 acres of land purchased by the Department of Defense in the 1940s to create a U.S. Army installation named Fort Crowder. Military and private operations contaminated the groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including trichloroethylene (TCE). The contamination is believed to originate from a former Department of Defense test site which was used to manufacture and test rocket and jet engines during the 1950s and 1960s. Jet engine overhaul and associated engine parts cleaning also took place. Site related contaminants consist of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE).
More information on the site is available from the Agency’s Pools Prairie Superfund site profile webpage.
Contact Information
For more information contact:
Cathie Chiccine
Attorney-Advisor
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 7
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, Kansas 66219
913-551-7917
chiccine.catherine@epa.gov
Karissa Roskind
Attorney-Advisor
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
202-564-0546
roskind.karissa@epa.gov