NDEQ has scheduled a Feb. 10 public hearing and is inviting public comment on the proposed Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for the former Nebraska Solvents Company site located at 1200 Highway 30 East in Grand Island.

Public hearing: The hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. February 10 at the Grand Island City Hall, 100 East 1st St. The public is invited to provide testimony on the Remedial Action Plan during the hearing. An informal public information session with NDEQ staff will be held at the same location from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Public comment period: The public comment period begins on January 10 and is open through February 10. During this time, the public may review the plan and related documents at the Lincoln NDEQ Office, 1200 “N” Street, Suite 400, or at the Edith Abbott Memorial Library, 211 North Washington Street, Grand Island. Much of this information is also available at NDEQ’s web site (see “web access” instructions below). The public may submit written comments regarding the proposed Remedial Action Plan to the attention of David Haldeman at: Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922. Comments must be submitted by Feb. 10.

Background: The soil and groundwater at and near the site are contaminated with chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbons. Contaminated groundwater extends some three miles northeast of the site, impacting homes with private drinking water wells. The proposed plan involves soil excavation at the site, active treatment of contaminated groundwater at the site, provisions to provide drinking water to residents who have been or are likely to be impacted by the contamination, a study to determine if remaining contamination will naturally subside to cleanup levels in a reasonable timeframe, and restrictions on installing new drinking water wells in the affected area.

The proposed Remedial Action Plan was prepared by Union Pacific Railroad, owner of the property, and contains site investigation information as well as the proposed remedial actions. The draft plan was submitted to NDEQ on Feb. 1, 2010, and has been subsequently revised following NDEQ’s review and comments. The revised plan was submitted to NDEQ in December, 2010.

Web access: The main text of the plan, a fact sheet and related information can be found on NDEQ’s web site https://dee.nebraska.gov/home, by selecting “Topics of Interest” and then selecting “Nebraska Solvents site in Grand Island: An Overview”. Or, the direct URL to this information is: https://dee.nebraska.gov/former-nebraska-solvents-site-grand-island.