10/6/00: THIS IS A SUPERFUND COST RECOVERY CASE PURSUANT TO SECTION 107(A) OF CERCLA TO RECOVER APPROXIMATELY $5,903,48 8.55 IN PAST RESPONSE COSTS INCURRED BY EPA IN ITS REMOVAL A CTIONS AT A DRUM RECLAMATION FACILITY IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI , FORMERLY OPERATED AS NORTHWESTERN COOPERAGE CO. (NWCC) AND ALSO FORMERLY OPERATED AS GREAT LAKES CONTAINER CORPORATION (GLCC). THE COST RECOVERY ACTION IS SUBJECT TO A THREE YEA R STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS WHICH BEGAN RUNNING ON OCTOBER 16, 1998, THE DATE OF LAST ON-SITE ACTIVITIES OF COMPLETION OF B ACKFILLING EXCAVATION AREAS AND DEMOBILIZING EQUIPMENT. THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR THIS CASE LAPSES ON OCTOBER 16, 2001. THE GLCC SITE HAD A LONG HISTORY WITH MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (MDNR) FROM 1980 UNTIL 1995. ON OCTOBER 31, 1995, THE GLCC SITE CAUGHT FIRE AND AS A RESULT, ON NOVE MBER 17, 1995, MDNR REQUESTED THAT THE EPA CONDUCT A REMOVAL ACTION AT THE GLCC SITE MDNR COMPLETED AN EXPANDED SITE INS PECTION (ESI) ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1995 WHICH SHOWED SAMPLING RESULTS FOR LEAD IN SOILS AS HIGH AS 8,520 PARTS PER MILLION (PPM). RESULTS FR OM EXTENSIVE SOIL SAMPLING AND SCREENING DURING EPA'S REMOVA L ASSESSMENT CONDUCTED IN APRIL 1996 DETECTED LEAD CONTAMINA TION IN SOILS AS HIGH AS 8,000 PPM DOWN TO A DEPTH OF TWO FE ET AND POLY-CHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS) CONTAMINATION IN SO ILS AS HIGH AS 800 PPM. DURING JANU