Summary
EPA Legal Notice - Proposed Reissuance of Corrective Action Permit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7, 11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219, is providing public notice regarding reissuance of a Corrective Action Permit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for the Monsanto Company/Bayer CropScience LP facility, 2500 Wiggens Road, Muscatine, Iowa (EPA ID# IAD005273594).
Monsanto Company notified EPA that the facility owner is planned to change to Bayer CropScience LP on or about Aug. 1, 2020. Both company names are provided in this notice; however, the permit will be issued to the owner/operator at the time of issuance.
EPA is hereby providing notice of its intent to reissue a Corrective Action Permit to Monsanto Company/Bayer CropScience LP. The facility formulates, manufactures and packages herbicides on the facility property located at 2500 Wiggens Road in Muscatine. The permit will require the facility to continue the following corrective actions: pump groundwater to maintain the contamination beneath the facility property; operate a pump and treatment system; and monitor contaminant concentrations to evaluate progress towards attaining cleanup goals. The groundwater monitoring program will continue until the groundwater cleanup goals are met and maintained for three consecutive years.
Changes from the previous permit include EPA approving a reduction in the frequency of sampling from semi-annual to annual for four of the 16 monitoring wells currently sampled. In addition, EPA is requesting periodic analysis for two chemicals detected at and associated with the facility, triallate and alachlor, that are not currently analyzed. Production Well 1 was replaced with Production Well 14.
The permit also imposes other restrictions and requirements on the facility property to be protective of human health and the environment. Residential use is prohibited. Significant change in use requires notice to EPA and evaluation of impact. Future construction must protect against the migration of chemical vapors from groundwater into buildings. The permit requires that physical controls, such as a fence and locks, be maintained to secure wells. Any construction projects at the facility must follow procedures to protect against exposure to contamination. EPA must be notified of any suspected contamination encountered during a project and such material must be handled appropriately. Red-stained soil that was encountered when sampling under a continually used tank must be addressed when the tank is removed.
The draft Corrective Action Permit and related Fact Sheet provide details on the corrective action required at the facility, and are included in the Administrative Record. To request further information, including copies of the draft permit, Fact Sheet or permit applications, contact Mary Grisolano by phone at 913-551-7657 or 1-800-223-0425, or as described below.
The Administrative Record includes all data submitted by the applicant and other documents that support the draft permit, and is available for review at the Musser Public Library, 408 E. 2nd Street, Muscatine, IA 52761 (phone: 563-263-3065); Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. 9th Street, 4th Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319 (phone: 515-725-8200); and EPA Region 7 Records Center, 11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219 (phone: 1-800-223-0425). EPA encourages the public to contact the record location prior to visiting. If the record is not physically available (e.g., due to COVID-19), an index or electronic copy of the record can be provided upon request.
EPA encourages the public to review the draft Corrective Action Permit, Fact Sheet, and other documents in the Administrative Record. Any interested person may submit written comments on the draft permit. All comments should be submitted in writing to Mary Grisolano, EPA Region 7 (LCRD/ROAG), 11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219; or by email at grisolano.mary@epa.gov. The 45-day public comment period begins July 15, 2020, and ends Aug. 28, 2020. Comments must be submitted before the end of the public comment period.
A formal Public Hearing is not scheduled at this time. However, if EPA receives requests that indicate significant public interest and raise substantive issues regarding the draft Corrective Action Permit, a Public Hearing will be scheduled. Any interested person may request a hearing. Requests for a hearing must be in writing to be received by Mary Grisolano by Aug. 28, 2020, at the address listed above and must state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing.
EPA will consider and answer all comments before reissuing a Final Corrective Action Permit to Monsanto Company/Bayer CropScience LP. If the decision is made to reissue a Corrective Action Permit that is substantially unchanged from the draft permit, EPA will notify all persons submitting comments or requesting a notice of the permit decision. If the Final Corrective Action Permit is substantially changed, EPA will issue another public notice indicating the changes.
For additional information, please contact Ben Washburn, EPA community involvement coordinator, toll-free at 1-800-223-0425.