Jones Travel Mart

A Triad planning exercise for the Jones Travel Mart, Cameron, Missouri.

In September 2006, a systematic planning meeting was held in Jefferson City, Missouri, about the Jones Travel Mart, Cameron, Missouri. Attendees included MDNR, the state contractor administering the PSTIF, a Jones Travel mart consultant, MDNR, and EPA and Argonne representatives.

The consultants for the site owners defined the problem at the site by using the conceptual site model (CSM) available (information available on the Jones Travel Mart QuickPlace site). An exit strategy was developed assuming the following:

The potential site purchaser will replace the existing tank/UST pit or the existing owner will replace the existing tank/UST pit by February 2007. At that time, soil contaminated above DTLs will be removed.
Free product in the tank pit can be periodically removed to the extent practicable pending basin/tank replacement.
Prior to February 2007, the extent of groundwater contamination will be determined.

By February 2007 or upon transfer of ownership, a work plan to determine the extent of contamination in the vadose zone will be prepared and implemented. After implementation of the vadose zone characterization effort, an RMP, if needed, will be conceived and implemented.

During the brief systematic planning session, several goals to be achieved were discussed:

Expeditious removal of free product from the tank pit to the extent practical.
Underground utility investigation/characterization since petroleum-related products had discharged to a surface water feature south of the site and a notice of violation (NOV) is in process.
Site characterization: The status of closure reports for gasoline and used oil USTs at the site groundwater characterization followed by vadose zone soil characterization.
Implementation of an RMP involving active remediation or alternative use restrictions.

The critical components for developing future decision logic were:

The need for the immediate removal of free product from the tank pit to preclude releases to the surface water feature south of the site.
Prevention of infiltration of groundwater into the tank pit from a stormwater sewer that either transects the pit or is otherwise associated with the pit.
The phasing of first the groundwater and then the vadose zone investigation because of the pending sale and reconfiguration of the site by the new owner; and,
Because of poor water quality or low yield, groundwater is not usable as a water supply source at the site.

Participants used QuickPlace Jones Travel Mart Web site and teleconferences led by EPA TII and Missouri PSTIF as a resource for communicating and critiquing and strengthening planning documents during the plan development stage. There have been two field mobilizations to date.

Site Progress

Site investigators utilized a number of Triad principles to characterize the site. RTMS (in this case a MIP and a DWS) was used to characterize the Jones Travel Mart Site. The Jones Travel Mart site has not been sold or redeveloped, to date but the Triad principles employed as part of the site characterization appear to have assisted the MDNR, PSTIF staff, and Jones Travel Mart representatives in refining the CSM for the site. However, to some extent, investigation approaches and agreements established during systematic planning sessions were not honored by all participants, thus detracting from the value of the highly dense data set that RTMS(s) are capable of generating. The perceived disconnect between the quality of the data generated by the RTMS used and archival data (in some cases, 2 to 3 years old) caused MDNR to view the MIP data as less trustworthy. As a result, participants had a natural tendency to default to standard practices and sample and analyze environmental media samples at each MIP sample location rather than using fixed laboratory sample results to augment the dense data set the MIP is capable of generating.

The status of the project since January 2008 is unknown.