Background/ History
The Modine Manufacturing Co.’s Joplin site is located on 39 acres at 3300 W. Seventh St. in Joplin. Since it opened in 1978, the facility has manufactured oil coolers, charged air coolers, and a variety of fittings. Facility operations include metal cleaning, component fabrication, assembly and painting. A variety of hazardous wastes were produced as part of the facility operations, including wastewater sludge, paint residues and filters, 1,1,1,-trichloroethane (TCA) degreaser and waste oil. The wastewater sludge was treated and discharged to the City of Joplin Publically Owned treatment works. The other wastes are stored in drums until shipped off-site for disposal.
Until 1991, Modine stored the drums on a concrete storage pad. Also located at the facility are a 4,000-gallon wastewater settling tank, a 1,1,1-TCA Degreaser and Recovery Still, two lagoons used to treat paint overspray, a degreaser containment pit, a wastewater treatment plant clarifier. Two waste slag piles containing metal shaving and pieces and mining wastes were scattered on the southern part of the property. Modine operated the hazardous waste container storage area under the “interim status” portions of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
Cleanup Summary
Modine is subject to corrective action because they completed closure of the interim status hazardous waste management units after the effective date of the federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments. Initial investigations identified several additional areas that required further investigation. Modine has met with department staff to discuss voluntarily entering into a Letter of Agreement, in an effort to simplify and streamline the corrective action process.
