Electronic Research Company (Former) Site

hasSite Background 

The former Electronic Research Company site (Site) is an industrial site located at 7616 and 7618 Wedd Street, Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas.  The public land survey description is the W ½ of the SW ¼ of Section 24, Township 12 South, Range 24 East, Johnson County, Kansas.  It is flanked by industrial properties to the north and south, Turkey Creek and Interstate 35 to the east, and residential to the west.  The residential setting is upgradient of the Site, and thus is not considered to be at risk for groundwater contamination originating from the Site.

The Electronic Research Company (ERC) occupied the current site location from 1962 to 2001, and was used for the manufacture of crystals, oscillators, hybrid oscillators, engaged in metal fabrication, printed circuit boards, and operated as a Qualified Product Laboratory.   ERC used a variety of chemicals in the manufacture of their products, including caustic solutions, metals, paint, petroleum products, plating solutions, and solvents.  Known chemicals contained tetrachloroethene (PCE), kerosene, xylene, isopropyl alcohol, vinyl chloride, chromic acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, ferric chloride, lead, copper, formaldehyde, soda ash, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).   The building located on the 7618 Wedd Street land parcel was razed in 2003, and three above-ground storage tanks on the same land parcel were properly cleaned and disposed of in January 2002.

The Site first came to KDHE’s attention when it was referred by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, following an industrial accident that occurred in December 1987 where facility employees were affected by a chlorine gas release.  After an initial site inspection of the facility in January 1988, there was an initial site cleanup.  Wastewater samples were collected from the Site in 1993, 1998, and 1999 and detected the presence of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including cis-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1-dichloroethene, PCE, and trichloroethylene (TCE) that exceeded Risk-based Standards for Kansas (RSK).  Soil samples taken in 2002, 2003, and 2005 detected heavy metals, such as arsenic, barium, chromium, and lead, at levels that were below their respective RSK limits.  Various site investigations have shown a drop in the VOC contaminant concentrations in groundwater from 2003 to 2020.

KDHE is requested public comments regarding proposed remedial corrective action.  No comments were received; KDHE has accepted the Draft CAD as final and a hard copy of the CAD w/ the signed Declaration of Remedial Action Selection will be made available at the Johnson County Central Resource Library.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please contact:

• Julie Manders, Geology Associate

Phone: 785-296-6437