AGCO MFG Group

Background/ History

The AGCO site is located on 30 acres at 627 S. Cottage in Independence. AGCO Corp. has been an active farm implements manufacturing facility since 1985. Past storage of paint residuals and petroleum products in underground storage tanks led to releases of contaminants to soil and groundwater at the site. The contaminants of concern in soil are arsenic, beryllium, chromium, lead, TPH, PAHs, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene. The contaminants in groundwater/surface water are TPH, benzene, 1,1-dichloroethene, and trichloroethene.

Cleanup Summary

From 1985 to 1990, ten underground storage tanks were either removed or properly closed in place. A small amount of contaminated soil was also removed from these areas. KHD Deutz of America Corp., a subsidiary of the AGCO, entered into a Consent Agreement with the department in September 1994. This agreement required KHD to design and implement a closure plan for the site. The majority of the site is now overlaid by asphalt or compacted gravel, preventing exposure to contaminated materials. To address groundwater contamination, a groundwater treatment system was installed. AGCO is required to submit Quarterly groundwater monitoring reports to the department.

AGCO’s plan had been to have the site remain under the guidelines of the Uniform Cleanup Standards. For the first eight years, the AGCO property was enrolled in the department’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. In 2002, the department advised AGCO that cleanup of the site would be subject to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations. ACGO is reviewing the department’s position to remove the site from VCP. It is the department’s understanding that the area around the building was leased and the building has been sold to a third party, with AGCO retaining responsibility for historical subsurface contamination at the site.