Notice of Floodplain Involvement for the St. Louis Airport Site, St. Louis, Missouri

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]

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