By SALINA POST
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is proposing a Lead Maintenance Plan to revise the Kansas Air Quality State Implementation Plan (SIP) for part of Saline County. The area, which includes the Stryten Salina, LLC (formerly Exide Technologies) battery manufacturing facility, was designated a nonattainment area—a region where air pollution levels exceeded federal standards—for lead pollution by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011.
Over the years, air pollution control measures have been implemented, helping the region meet federal lead air quality standards for consecutive three-year periods from 2017 to 2021. Now, KDHE is requesting that the EPA redesignate the area to attainment status, meaning it meets air quality standards, and approve a maintenance plan to ensure compliance for at least ten years. The plan includes contingency measures in case lead levels rise above acceptable levels in the future.
The proposal to change the area's classification follows a large industrial fire at the Stryten Salina facility in August last year, which raised concerns among community members about environmental impacts and air quality in the area.
Public hearing and comment period
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Monday, February 24, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at the Kansas Highway Patrol Training Academy, 2025 E. Iron Avenue, Salina, KS 67401. However, if no public request for a hearing is received by 5:00 p.m. on February 13, 2025, the hearing will be canceled, and a notice will be posted on the KDHE Bureau of Air website by February 18, 2025.
How to submit public comments
KDHE is accepting public comments on the proposed plan until 5:00 p.m. on February 24, 2025. Comments can be submitted through:
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 785-559-4256
Mail: KDHE, Bureau of Air, Attention: Douglas Watson, 1000 S.W. Jackson, Suite 310, Topeka, KS 66612-1366
For more information, the proposed documents can be reviewed under the Planning tab on the KDHE Bureau of Air website. Additional inquiries can be directed to Douglas Watson at 785-296-6024.