03/29/9: ON MARCH 18, 1999, THE SUPERFUND DIVISION, EMERGEN CY AND FUND-LEAD REMOVAL BRANCH (EFLR), EXECUTED AN ADMINIST RATIVE SEARCH WARRANT AND CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION PURSUANT TO CERCLA AND RCRA ON PROPERTY OWNED BY GILBERT THOMAS LOCAT ED IN ALTOONA, IOWA. THIS SITE, AS WELL AS ANOTHER SITE OPE RATED BY GILBERT THOMAS IN DES MOINES, WAS SUBJECT OF AN OPA-LEAD CLEANUP WHICH WAS RECENTLY CONCLUDED. THE CLEANUP AT THIS SITE REQUIRED THE DISPOSAL OF 14,000 TONS OF SOIL CO NTAMINATED WITH OIL AND COST APPROXIMATELY $800,000. THIS SEARCH WARRANT WAS ECECUTED AS A FORMER RELATIVE BY MARRIAGE TO THE THOMAS' INFORMED EPA THAT TWO SEMI TANK TRAILERS FULL OF HAZARDOUS WASTES MAY HAVE BEEN BURIED BY GILBERT THOMAS BELOW TWO POLE BARNS CONSTRUCTED AT THE SITE. THE OSC IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THESE ALLEGATIONS BY US E OF GROUND PENETRATING RADAR AND GEOPROBE. THIS IS THE SEC OND TIME THAT EPA HAS OBTAINED AN ADMINISTRATIVE SEARCH WARR ANT TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF WASTE DISPOSAL AT THE SITE WHEN WE LAST EXECUTED A WARRANT AT THE SITE (IN AUGUST OF 19 1998), EPA UNCOVERED EXTENSIVE UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE FIELD BE HIND ONE OF THE POLE BARNS WHERE PETROLEUM AND SEPTIC WASTES HAD BEEN DISPOSED OF OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.