Floodplain/Wetland Involvement Notification and Statement of Findings for a Proposed Removal Action at the Weldon Spring Site, St. Charles Co., Missouri

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Floodplain/Wetland Involvement Notification and Statement of

Findings for a Proposed Removal Action at the Weldon Spring Site, St.

Charles Co., Missouri

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of floodplain/wetland involvement and statement of

findings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to conduct a

removal action at the Weldon Spring site to remove radiologically

contaminated soil from a vicinity property within a floodplain and

wetland located within the heavily used State of Missouri Weldon Spring

Conservation Area. The proposed action will eliminate any potential

risk to the health of recreational users of the conservation area. In

accordance with 10 CFR Part 1022, DOE has prepared a floodplain and

wetlands assessment. The proposed action will be performed in a manner

so as to avoid or minimize

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potential harm to or within the floodplain and wetland. Because of the

location of the contaminated soil, there is no practicable alternative

to the location of this action within the floodplain and wetlands.

Because of the potential risk to human health and the environment, the

DOE has combined the Notice of Involvement with the Statement of

Findings in this Federal Register Notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS PROPOSED ACTION OR TO COMMENT ON THE

ACTION CONTACT: Mr. Steve McCracken, U.S. Department of Energy, Weldon

Spring Site Remedial Action Project, 7295 Highway 94 South, St.

Charles, MO 63304, (314) 441-8978.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GENERAL DOE FLOODPLAIN/WETLAND ENVIRONMENTAL

REVIEW REQUIREMENTS CONTACT: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of

NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800)

472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE is conducting response actions at

its Weldon Spring Site under the direction of the DOE Office of

Environmental Management. The Weldon Spring site is located in St.

Charles County, Missouri, approximately 48 km (30 miles) west of St.

Louis. As part of the overall cleanup of the Weldon Spring Site, the

DOE is proposing to conduct a removal action at an area referred to as

Vicinity Property 9 (VP 9). VP 9, which contains a small wetland area

no larger than 1.5 acres, occurs within the 100-yr floodplain of the

Missouri River, and is located within the heavily used State of

Missouri Weldon Spring Conservation Area.

The proposed action is necessary to remove radioactively

contaminated soils within VP 9 that poses a potential risk to the

health of recreational users of the conservation area. Because of the

urgency to conduct this removal and in order to optimize resources that

are immediately available (i.e., equipment and crew currently are

conducting bulk waste removal in the immediate vicinity) in the nearby

quarry area, the DOE has waived the 15-day public comment period for

this notice of involvement, as permitted under Section 1022.18c of 10

CFR 1022. Further information is available from the DOE at the address

shown below.

In accordance with the DOE regulations for compliance with

floodplain/wetlands environmental review requirements (10 CFR 1022),

the DOE has prepared a floodplain and wetland assessment describing the

effects, alternatives, and measures designed to avoid or minimize

potential harm to or within the floodplain and wetland, and has

determined that the proposed removal action will not impact floodplain

storage. Impacts to the wetland will be temporary and will not affect

long term wetland function. Further information on the floodplain and

wetland assessments is available from the DOE at the address shown

below.

The DOE proposes to remove radiologically contaminated soils from

VP 9 by excavating soils to a depth of approximately 1 ft from an area

of approximately 180 ft x 380 ft (1.5 acres) in size. Prior to

excavation, vegetation at the area would be cleared by grubbing, and a

temporary excavation equipment access ramp to VP 9 would be installed.

Good engineering practices such as hay bales and silt fences would be

employed to control sedimentation and erosion to nearby surface waters

and adjacent floodplain areas. Excavation would be accomplished using

standard excavation equipment (e.g., backhoe), and the contaminated

soils would be transported to the Weldon Spring chemical plant area for

treatment and subsequent disposal. Following completion of the proposed

action, the equipment access ramp would be removed and all excavated

areas would be backfilled with clean fill, graded to original contours,

and revegetated with native species previously occurring at the site.

The no-action alternative with institutional controls was also

evaluated. The no-action alternative is not acceptable because (1) The

potential risk to human health from the contaminated soils would return

in the event of loss of institutional control, (2) recreational

activities at the conservation area would be disrupted, (3) potential

risk to the environment would be largely unaffected by institutional

controls, and (4) natural flood events could transport the contaminated

soils to other portions of the floodplain and conservation area.

Because of the potential risk to human health and to the environment,

the DOE finds that there is no practicable alternative to the location

of the removal action in the floodplain and wetland, and wishes to

expedite the proposed removal of the contaminated soil and complete the

removal action in as timely a manner as possible.

The proposed action would conform to applicable federal, state, and

local floodplain and wetland protection standards. Impacts to the

floodplain and wetland would be minimized by the avoidance (to the

extent practicable) of adjacent floodplain and wetland areas, and

through the use of good engineering practices for sediment and erosion

control. No impacts are anticipated to the 100-yr floodplain of the

Missouri River. The removal of contaminated soils from VP 9 would not

impact the storage capacity of the Missouri River floodplain. No

permanent structures that could displace flood storage capacity would

be constructed as part of the proposed action. Potential impact to the

wetland would be restricted to removal of hydrophytic vegetation

species that would be replaced following completion of the removal

action. Upon completion of the action, the equipment access ramp would

be removed and the excavated area would be backfilled and graded to

original contours to restore the pre-excavation flood-storage capacity

of the area.

Robert W. Poe,

Assistant Manager for Environment, Safety, and Quality.

[FR Doc. 95-19395 Filed 8-4-95; 8:45 am]

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