Remedial Section
The Remedial Section works to protect and preserve one of the most important natural resources of our state - our water supply, both groundwater and surface water, and to protect the human health and welfare of the citizens of Kansas, both current and future generations, from environmental contamination.
The team manages various types of cleanup programs by working in partnership with the public, industry, and federal/state and local governments. The programs are responsible for the successful remediation of hundreds of environmentally contaminated properties and the provision of safe drinking water to citizens and communities with contaminated water supplies in Kansas.
The Remedial Section is responsible for the assessment, investigation, cleanup, and monitoring of state-lead contaminated sites, federal facility sites, and state-lead federal Superfund sites throughout Kansas. The team investigates and evaluates potentially contaminated sites that have been reported by individuals, businesses, governmental entities to assess the immediate and long-term health and environmental risks.
Remediation at contaminated sites may involve removal actions such as the excavation of soil or drum removal; on-site cleanup; off-site treatment; and/or containment of the identified contamination by capping or hydraulic control. Threats to human health can be addressed by providing alternate drinking water supplies such as bottled water, in-house filters, or connection to an unimpacted public water supply, as well as source removal, and containment systems.
The Remedial Section encourages parties responsible for the contamination to work with the department in a cooperative manner to achieve an appropriate cleanup. Generally, an agreement may be negotiated between the department and the responsible party regarding the investigation and possible cleanup at the site. When a responsible party cannot be identified, cannot bear the financial burden of cleanup, or is recalcitrant, the section can seek appropriate federal funding through Superfund or other funding sources to investigate and clean up the contamination problem.