Kem-Pest Laboratories

Overview

Kem-Pest Laboratories operated a pesticide formulation plant on about six acres near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1965 to 1977. The site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 after inspections found pesticides leaching from an on-site lagoon into surface soils and groundwater. Cape Girardeau draws its drinking water from the Mississippi River less than one mile downstream, which made the contamination a public health concern. About 200 people live within a mile of the site.

Contaminants found at the site include the pesticides aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, lindane, DDT, and toxaphene. Soil and sediment also contained 1,2-dichloroethane, 2,4-dichlorophenol, arsenic, ethylbenzene, lead, pentachlorophenol, and xylene. These substances were found across soil, sediment, surface water, and building structures.

Cleanup was carried out in two main operable units (OUs). OU 01 addressed soil and sediment contamination. Workers excavated about 6,075 cubic yards of contaminated material and disposed of it off-site, then replaced it with clean soil. That work ran from September 1991 through September 1993. OU 02 addressed the formulation building. The original plan called for sealing and treating the building, but a 1993 amendment changed the approach to full demolition and off-site disposal. That work ran from February 1993 through September 1997, with overall construction finished by September 1996. Groundwater monitoring was selected as the long-term remedy. A Five-Year Review completed in September 1999 confirmed that cleanup actions protected human health and the environment. The EPA deleted the site from the NPL in September 2001. No additional sampling, monitoring, or Five-Year Reviews are required.

The site is no longer considered a threat to human health or the environment. Human exposure is under control across the entire site, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. All cleanup goals have been met for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses, and all required controls are in place. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in June 2006.

Community members with questions can contact the designated Community Involvement Coordinator.