A monitoring well, presently being drilled and installed at Schuman Park, will test and measure any residual ground contamination that may be left over from a former dry-cleaning business, which was located across the street from the park 20 years ago.
According to a worker who was drilling on Thursday at Schuman Park, his company, Sunbelt Environmental Services, Inc., of Springfield, was hired to take boring samples and drill one hole at the park and two holes across the street on the property of the Busy Bee Laundry on 13th Street.
Ken Kwantes, Rolla’s park director, said the city had granted Triangle Environmental Science & Engineering a “Special-Use Permit” to test the ground at Schuman Park.
Triangle’s owner, John Cable, then confirmed that his company was contracted by the owner of Busy Bee Laundry to complete a “Phase Two” environmental site assessment.
A “Phase One” assessment already had been completed, Cable said, and based upon the fact that a dry cleaning business had operated in the Busy Bee Laundry 20 years ago, the Busy Bee owner made a decision to go ahead with Phase Two.
“An initial field screening showed all soil borings came back clear, but the analytical results are pending,” Cable explained.
Cable said the environmental assessment has been an ongoing project since spring.
Phase I of the assessment consists of a 50-year search of what types of businesses previously resided in the location before the present business.
The Department of Natural Resources provides funds to conduct environmental assessments on dry cleaning facilities through its DERT Fund (Dry Cleaners Environmental Response Trust Fund). The fund essentially pays for assessments and environmental clean-ups, minus a deductible, according to the DNR Web site.
The DERT Fund is sustained by surcharges, which are paid by the manufacturers of dry-cleaning chemicals. Additionally, dry cleaning facilities that use perchloroethylene also are required to pay an annual fee in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's national perc air emissions standard for dry cleaning facilities.