A view of the north Lawrence chemical plant now owned by Israel Chemicals Ltd. For much of its life, the plant was owned by FMC Corp, which then partnered with Solutia Inc. to form the joint venture Astaris LLC. In 2005, Astaris sold to ICL. FMC is working with KDHE on a plan to clean up arsenic that has contaminated nearby ground water. by Scott McClurg
Kansas Department of Health and Environment believes it has found a $2.7 million solution to clean up the arsenic-contaminated groundwater that has plagued a North Lawrence phosphorous plant for years.
KDHE is seeking public comment on FMC Corp.’s plan to keep high concentrations of arsenic from draining toward the Kansas River.
A cancer-causing agent, arsenic is a byproduct of commercial phosphate. In the 1950s and 1960s, FMC dumped its industrial wastewater, which contained arsenic, into an unlined, uncovered lagoon.
In the 1970s, the sludge was twice removed from the pond and the lagoon was covered. Years later, it was discovered that along with leaking into nearby ground water, elevated levels of arsenic were heading toward the Kaw.
In the mid-1990s, the company paid for nearby landowners to connect to the city’s water system. Around that time, the company also began working with the KDHE to create a plan to better contain the arsenic.
Since then, the plant has traded hands several times and is now owned by Israel Chemicals Ltd. FMC remains responsible for the cleanup.
Samples from this winter show that concentration levels at the site of the lagoon remain high. In fact, they are 300 times higher than the level federal regulations consider safe for drinking water.
But that doesn’t mean the arsenic contamination threatens Lawrence’s drinking water. The city pulls water from the Kansas River upstream from the plant and private wells on nearby properties routinely test negative for elevated levels of arsenic.
In 2000, FMC agreed to a consent order with KDHE that required the company to evaluate alternatives to clean up the site and then implement one of those alternatives.
Over the past decade, the company has tried to find a plan that worked. The major obstacle was using a chemical that was compatible with the high levels of orthophosphorus also found in the ground water.
“It makes the geochemistry a little more challenging,” said Natalie Burris, a KDHE environmental scientist and the site’s project manager.
In previous treatments, the chemicals FMC used to stabilize the arsenic were being saturated by the orthophosphorus. But FMC and KDHE believe they’ve found a solution that will work.
The company wants to create conditions on the contamination site so naturally occurring bacteria can thrive. The hope is that the microbes will do the same thing that the chemicals were intended to do: Fix the arsenic into place so it won’t leak into the ground water.
The company also would reinforce the cap that covers the lagoon and continue to monitor arsenic levels. The future use of the land also would be restricted to ensure homes or drinking wells are never built on the property.
The KDHE estimated the treatment would cost FMC about $2.7 million.
“This does seem to have promise,” KDHE site remediation unit chief E. Jean Underwood said of the solution. She also noted “it’s not a quick fix.”
How to comment
Public comment on the FMC’s proposal to clean up arsenic contamination can be submitted in writing to Natalie Burris, Environmental Scientist, KDHE Bureau of Environmental Remediation, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 410, Topeka, KS 66612-1367. Comments will be accepted until July 6. An outline of the proposal can be found here, or at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.
Tagged: KDHE, arsenic, FMC, enviornmental clean up
Comments
blindrabbit (anonymous) says…
Regarding arsenic contamination and it's potential effect on drinking water supplies! "That does not mean that arsenic contamination threatens Lawrence's drinking water supply; Lawrence draws it's drinking water supply upstream from the contamination site". A little bit arrogant to me, what about downstream communities including Eudora and DeSoto; apparently aresenic is not an issue for those folks!
ChristineMetz (Christine Metz) says…
Hi blindrabbit,
I should have included a little more detail on that point. The area where arsenic levels in groundwater are 100 times higher than the federal standard extends south toward the Kansas River and past North 1650 Road. Routine monitoring is done on nearby private wells and those wells haven't shown arsenic levels higher than the federal standard.
As for surface water, according to a KDHE report, the most recent water samples taken from the Kaw near the plant's discharge pipe show that arsenic levels are well below the federal standard.
Hope that helps clarify the story.
Christine