OVERVIEW OF A HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY LOCATED IN SEDGWICK COUNTY, KANSAS

The Hazardous Waste Management Facility (Facility) is a former commercial Resource Conservation and Recovery (RCRA) hazardous waste treatment storage and disposal facility located on an 80-acre parcel of land in Sedgwick County, Kansas that operated from April 1977 through January 1982. The Facility initially operated under an Industrial Waste Landfill Permit issued by the State of Kansas prior to RCRA interim status. The Facility operated under interim status until closure in 1982. During the active life of the facility a total of 68,530 cubic yards of wastes were received for treatment and disposal. The Facility consisted of two drum and bulk waste disposal areas, four treatment ponds, and two evaporation ponds. The discovery of groundwater contamination led to the closure of the facility. During closure, two composite-lined disposal cells were constructed to contain remediation wastes. Currently the Facility has been issued a Hazardous Waste Management Facility Permit for post-closure care and corrective action of the site administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Hazardous Waste Program.

Efforts to characterize the Facility utilized many techniques including soil boring, trenching, seismic reflection, seismic refraction, electronic conductivity, remote sensing, and pump testing. The site geology consists of loess overlaying the Wellington Formation. The Wellington Formation is a series of alternating shale and evaporite beds with some argillaceous limestone and dolomites in the lower section. Locally, the remaining section is about 150 feet thick.

The Facility has implemented several remedial technologies over the life of the project to reduce groundwater migration and remediate the site including pump and treat, phytoremediation, enhanced bioremediation, surface drainage improvements, soil excavation, and monitored natural attenuation. The total combined effects of the remediation efforts have led to 62-97% decreases in total volatile organic compound concentrations in groundwater samples. The facility also appears to have obtained hydraulic control of the aquifer, preventing future migration of contaminated groundwater from the site.