Background/ History
The AK Steel Corp. site is a 1,000 acre steel manufacturing facility located along the Blue River at 7000 Winner Road in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Bolt and Nut Co. first owned the property in 1888 and manufactured iron nuts and bolts from purchased iron. The company’s name changed to the Sheffield Steel Corp. in 1925 and then to Armco Inc., Midwestern Steel Division, in 1930, when Sheffield Steel Corp. became a subsidiary of Armco Steel Corp. Armco used open-hearth furnaces, and later electric arc furnaces, to produce carbon steel products from 100 percent recycled scrap iron and steel. Armco changed their name to AK Steel Corp. in October 1999.
An electric arc furnace produces dust, which is classified as a hazardous waste because it contains lead, cadmium and a high concentration of zinc. From 1962 to 1965, Armoco disposed of baghouse dust, mill scale and inert construction debris in an on-site landfill (South of Bar Fab Landfill). From 1965 to 1980, Armoco disposed of emission control dust in another on-site landfill (Old Blue River “W” Landfill). Over the next three years, Armoco disposed of baghouse dust in two on-site trenches, together referred to as the RCRA Landfill. Armco also leased part of its property to Amoco for use as a landfarm between 1973 and 1980. Petroleum refining waste and liquid and sludge from a fuel oil tank were applied to the property. Armco stopped storing and disposing of hazardous waste before the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) existed.
Cleanup Summary
Armco closed the South of Bar Fab and Old Blue River "W" landfills in 1980, and RCRA Landfill in 1983, with waste left in place. Armco is subject to the permitting requirements of the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Law and federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments for post-closure care because hazardous waste remained in place after closure. In 1984, the department placed the RCRA Landfill and the Old Blue River "W" Landfill on the Registry of Confirmed Abandoned or Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites in Missouri, under the name Armco. A Deed Notice, signed by the Jackson County Recorder of Deeds in 1984, was placed on the property in order to inform potential future buyers of the property that the site has been used for disposal of hazardous wastes. In May 1988, Armco became aware that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had removed the soil cap and some waste from the South of Bar Fab Landfill between 1984 and 1986, during channelization work along the Blue River. In December 1988, Armco and the City of Kansas City installed a concrete cap on the west side of the South of Bar Fab Landfill, along the Blue River.
Past operations at the site have led to contamination of the site’s groundwater and soil with lead, cadmium, zinc, arsenic, and various volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Armco is subject to corrective action because they completed closure after the effective date of the federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments. AK Steel, formerly Armco, is conducting post-closure and corrective action activities under two hazardous waste permits, one issued by the department and one issued by EPA, both effective Feb. 16, 1994. The department issued the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Facility Part I Permit, which requires long-term monitoring and maintenance of the RCRA Landfill. EPA issued the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments Part II Permit, which address the corrective action requirements for the remaining landfills and areas of concern. This process has become more complicated as parts of the original site are now owned by different owners and areas of concern cross property lines. AK Steel no longer holds any interest in the property. The Port Authority of Kansas City purchased the remaining 411.15 acres of the property in 2018 and the facility's hazardous waste permits were transferred to Port KC in August 2018.
AK Steel is currently performing a Corrective Measures Study to identify and evaluate possible remedial alternatives for the soil and groundwater contamination located on property owned by AK Steel. Additional corrective measures may be required on property no longer owned by AK Steel. When the study is complete, the department and EPA will review the possible remedial measures and select the best remedy given site-specific considerations. In June 2015, the department approved AK Steel's Class 2 Permit Modification request, allowing AK Steel to extend the landfill's post-closure care period until the final remedy for the facility is selected.
