Illinois
Environmental
Protection Agency
Bureau of Land
1021 North Grand Avenue East
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
May 2004
IEPA/BOL/04-007
State Response Action Program
2003 Annual Report
Waverly Grain Elevator Fire
released asbestos
Response Actions Completed in 2003
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lewis Landfill (Beardstown) ......................................... 20
Prior Landfill (Centralia) ............................................... 29
Prior Blackwell Landfill (Centralia)................................. 7.75
Waverly Grain Elevator (Waverly) .................................. 1
S. Pekin Fertilizer (S. Pekin) ............................................ 2
Springfield Battery (Springfield) ...................................... 1
Chicago Heights Refuse Depot (Chicago Heights) ........ 29
Anna Municipal Landfill (Anna) ................................... 80
Bi-State Landfill (Belleville) .......................................... 40
H&L Landfill (Danville) ................................................ 56
Total Acres Remediated in 2003 = 265.75
Total Acres Remediated to Date = 1,008.25
In 2004, the Illinois EPA’s Response Action Program
continued its mission of cleaning up sites throughout the
state where the soil and groundwater are threatened by
abandoned industrial sites and landfills, and where no
viable party has been identified to fund the cleanup.
The hazardous substances present at many of these
sites not only present a risk to human health and the
environment, but they can be harmful to the economy
of the communties they’re in.
The accomplishments in 2003 were significant, with
important actions conducted at 87 sites throughout
Illinois. These actions ranged from an emergency
cleanup of the aftermath of a fire in which asbestoscontaining material was present, to the long-term
efforts of stabilizing old abandoned landfills. In all
cases, the Response Action Program maintains with our
fundamental goal of protecting our environment and the
health of the people of Illinois.
Renee Cipriano
Director, Illinois EPA
Table of Contents
2003 Achievements at a Glance............................................................................................................................................ 3
About the Program ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Our Environmental Partners ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Enforcement & Cost Recovery ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Funding Cleanup Activities................................................................................................................................................... 6
Abandoned Landfills Program.........................................................................................................................................7-10
Anna: Annal Municipal Landfill (80 acres)
Chicago: Paxton I Landfill (50 acres)
Danville: H&L Landfill (56 acres)
Other Response Actions Taken ..................................................................................................................................... 11-12
Waverly: Waverly Grain (1 acre)
Loves Park: Groundwter Study
The Future ............................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Where to Go for More Information...................................................................................................................................... 14
Page 2
2003 Achievements at a Glance
In 2003, the Illinois EPA conducted significant activities in the following communities:
Anna: Completed construction of final cover at Anna Municipal Landfill.
Beardstown: Worked closely with Illinois Department of Natural Resources to enhance the
cover system at the Lewis Landfill without disturbing the endangered and threatened species.
Belleville: Completed construction of final cover system at Bi-State Disposal, Inc. landfill.
Centralia: Completed construction of final cover systems at Prior and Prior Blackwell landfills.
Chicago: Conducted construction of final cover system at the Paxton I Landfill and operation
and maintenance activities at the Paxton II Landfill.
Chicago Heights: Completed construction of final cover system at the Chicago Heights Refuse
Depot.
Crystal Lake: Conducted gas migration investigation at McHenry County Sanitary Landfill.
Danville: Completed construction of final cover system at the H&L Landfill.
East St. Louis: Conducted investigation at the Lanson Chemical facility.
Lisle: Conducted oversight of investigation and cleanup activities by responsible parties at the
Lockformer facility and surrounding areas.
Litchfield: Conducted investigation to
prepare designs for the Bishop Landfill.
Lockport: Investigated leachate seeps at
Lockport Unnamed Site.
Loves Park: Conducted groundwater
investigation in Loves Park.
Mt. Morris: Conducted investigation
activities at the Modern Feed facility.
South Streator: Developed Feasability
Studies for the Smith-Douglas facility.
Waste was relocated at Anna Municipal Landfill
Waverly: Conducted remedial activities at the Waverly Grain Elevator.
See pages 8-12 for stories on noteworthy response actions conducted in 2003.
Page 3
About the Program
The Response Action Program cleans up
hazardous substances at sites that present an
imminent and substantial endangerment to
human health and the environment, but may
not be addressed by another federal or state
cleanup program.
• Post-construction activities (e.g., groundwater monitoring)
• Administrative activities (e.g., enforcement
and cost recovery)
State Procured Contractor Information
The Illinois EPA has contracts with
Architectural & Engineering (A&E) firms and
Corrective Action Contractors (CAC). The
The sites handled by the Response Action
A&E firms conduct investigations, develop
Program include abandoned landfills, old
design plans and conduct oversight at sites
manufacturing plants, former waste oil
recycling operations, contaminated agricultural with hazardous substances. The CACs conduct
response actions at state-funded
facilities and other areas where surface water,
groundwater, soil and air may be contaminated projects with hazardous substances.
The A&E firms were procured through a state
with hazardous substances.
process known as “Quality Based Selection.”
Before response actions are conducted at
This means the engineering firms met the
contaminated sites, the Illinois EPA considers
Illinois EPA’s quality requirements. The CACs
many factors including:
were procured under standard “request for
• Nature and extent of contamination
proposals.” Both procurements provided full
• Risks to human health
notice to the public. Both sets of contracts
• Ecological concerns
required professional staff with several years
• Releases or threatened releases at other
of experience working with hazardous
sites with greater urgency
substances, and the appropriate technical
• Benefits of the investigation or cleanup
credentials.
(e.g., potential for redevelopment)
State Procured
• Public concerns about the site
Architectural and Engineering Consultants
Effective through June 30, 2006
• Availability of state funds
• Potential for cost recovery
Harza Environmental Services, Inc. - Chicago
Response actions that may be taken by the
Earth Tech, Inc. - Oak Brook
Illinois EPA at contaminated sites include:
Patrick Engineering - Lisle
• Investigations to determine the nature and
extent of contamination
• Performance of corrective actions to
eliminate or stabilize a threatening
situation (e.g., constructing a fence to limit
access to the site and prevent direct contact
with hazardous substances)
• Removal of hazardous substances from the
site (e.g., removing hazardous waste drums
or contaminated soil)
• Containment of hazardous substances
(e.g., installing and maintaining a landfill
cap and leachate collection system)
• Treatment of hazardous substances (e.g.,
neutralizing contaminated soil)
Page 4
Clayton Group Services - Downers Grove
Harding Lawson Associates & ESE - Oak Brook
Tetra Tech, EM Inc. - Chicago
Camp, Dresser and McKee, Inc. - Chicago
Parson Engineering Sciences Inc. - Oak Brook
Ecology and Environment - Chicago
State Procured
Corrective Action Contractors
Effective through June 30, 2006
Bodine Environmental Services - Decatur
ENSR - Warrenville
Heritage Environmental Services - Lemont
ReAct Environmental Engineers - St. Louis
WRS Infrastructure & Environment, Inc. - Tampa
IT Corporation - Chicago
Our Environmental Partners
The Illinois EPA relies on partnerships when administering the Response Action Program. Below
are some examples of these services provided by some of our environmental partners:
Governor and General Assembly
• Appropriate funds for the Response Action
Program activities
• Enact, amend or repeal environmental laws
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Provides assistance in conducting response
(remedial and enforcement) actions at the
request of the state
Illinois Attorney General
• Seeks cost recovery on behalf of the state
• Seeks orders requiring the responsible party to
the perform response actions
Court System
• Hears environmental cases, including those
cases involving cost recovery
• Issues orders requiring responsible parties to
perform the response actions
• Provides injunctive relief
Illinois Pollution Control Board
• Adopts environmental rules and regulations
• Hears environmental cases, including those
cases involving cost recovery
• Issues orders requiring responsible parties to
perform the response actions
Local Government Agencies
• Provide funding, information and other
resources
Citizens and Other Public Interest Groups
• Offer input on the development and
implementation of response actions
Enforcement & Cost Recovery
One of the major goals of the Response Action
Program is to ensure responsible parties pay for
and conduct cleanups. The Response Action
Program accomplishes this directive using the
following enforcement process:
Identify Responsible Parties
Illinois EPA begins searching for responsible
parties when a contaminated site is discovered.
These searches include reviewing state and
federal records, conducting title searches,
interviewing property owners and site operators,
and other information gathering activities.
Negotiate with Responsible Parties to Perform
the Cleanup
When Illinois EPA has enough information to
identify a party as potentially responsible for
a site, Illinois EPA issues a notice to the party
identifying his or her responsibility. The letter
provides information on site conditions, the
party’s alleged responsibility for site conditions,
and information on other responsible parties.
The notice also identifies necessary response
actions and provides the responsible party the
opportunity to perform those actions.
If the responsible parties complete the identified
response actions, the Illinois EPA monitors the
progress of the cleanup to ensure that actions are
performed properly.
Recover the Costs from the Responsible Parties
If the responsible parties are unwilling or unable
to complete the identified response actions, the
Illinois EPA will perform the response actions by
spending money from the Hazardous Waste Fund
(45 ILCS 5/22.2). Recovery of costs incurred
by the state are then sought by the Illinois
Attorney General from responsible parties who
fail, without sufficient cause, to conduct the
identified response actions. All costs recovered
and all punitive damages are paid back into the
Hazardous Waste Fund.
Alternatively, the Illinois EPA may seek
injunctive relief for violations of Illinois laws and
regulations. Alleged violations and the scope of
the response actions requested by the Illinois EPA
are frequently resolved through consent orders,
with settlement amounts paid to the Hazardous
Waste Fund.
Page 5
Funding Cleanup Activities
In 1984, the General Assembly appropriated $19 million from the General Revenue Fund
to create a state-funded cleanup program. Between 1985 and 1991, the General Assembly
appropriated an additional $33 million to the Program through the sale of bonds. After 1991,
the Program was funded primarily from cost recovery from past response actions. In 1999, the
General Assembly appropriated $10 million per year, for the next five years, to clean up 33
abandoned landfills. The table lists state funds spent in 2003 for site-specific response actions.
Site Name (City)
Investigation & Remedial
Action Taken
Cost
Anna Municipal Landfill (Anna)
Completed construction of final
cover system
$1,677,030
Chicago Heights Refuse Depot
(Chicago Heights)
Completed construction of final
cover system
$1,205,839
H&L Landfill (Danville)
Completed construction of final
cover system
$4,817,269
Lewis Landfill (Beardstown)
Completed construction of final
cover system
$276,744
Lanson Chemical (East St. Louis)
Investigation of residual PCB and
VOC contamination
$97,432
Loves Park Groundwater Study
(Loves Park)
Investigation of potential source of
gorundwater contamination
$106,699
McHenry Sanitary Landfill
(Crystal Lake)
Conducted gas migration
investigation
Paxton II Landfill (Chicago)
Operation and maintenance of gas
and leachate systems
Prior & Prior Blackwell Landfills
(Centralia)
Completed construction of final
cover system
Smith-Douglas (S. Streator)
Development of Feasibility Study
for the acidic ponds/gypsum stacks,
former production plant area and the
old landfill
Waverly Grain Elevator (Waverly)
Conducted removal action of
asbestos contaminated material
Waste at Chicago Heights Refuse Depot
Page 6
$96,652
$460,164
$2,055,238
$273,115
$70,609
Gas Monitoring at McHenry Sanitary Landfill
Abandoned Landfills Program
The Abandoned Landfills Program began when
thirty-three of the worst abandoned landfills
in the state were identified. State funding was
necessary to address these landfills and to
assure the protection of public health and the
environment. In 1999, the Illinois legislature
provided funding in which $50 million was
appropriated to the Illinois EPA for the next
five years (1999-2003). Through 2003, $40
million has been appropriated out of the total
$50 million allotted. Although these landfills
stopped accepting waste, they were not properly
closed. Resulting risks included contaminated
drinking water, surface water pollution runoff,
disease carrying animals, explosions from methane
buildup, potential exposure to hazardous materials
present in the exposed refuse, and landslides due
to differential settling or unstable slopes.
Illinois EPA investigating Bishop Landfill
In 2003, response actions were completed at
the Lewis Landfill (Beardstown), H&L Landfill
(Danville), Anna Municipal Landfill (Anna), BiState Landfill (Belleville), Prior Landfill (Centralia),
Prior 1,2,3,4 Landfill (Centralia) and Chicago
Heights Refuse Depot (Chicago Heights). A Site
Investigations was conducted at Bishop Landfill
(Litchfield). Operation and maintenance activities
continued at Carlinville Landfill (Carlinville),
Steagall Landfill (Galesburg), Multi-County Landfill
(Villa Grove), Western Lion and Service Disposal
Landfill (Mattoon), Paxton II (Chicago), Waste
Hauling Landfill (Decatur), Bath Landfill
(Decatur) and Centralia Environmental
Services (Centralia).
In 2004, final cover systems are proposed
to be constructed at Triem Landfill (Chicago
Heights), Bishop Landfill (Litchfield),
Paxton I Landfill (Chicago) and Delta Landfill
(Mounds).
Leachate at Quincy Municipal Landfill #1
Site investigations are proposed at Morrison
City Dump (Morrison City), Dowty Landfill
(Lawrenceville), Quincy Municipal #1
(Quincy) and the Ocoya Sanitary Landfill
(Ocoya). The completion of these actions will
depend on the availability of funding.
Page 7
Anna: Anna Municpal Landfill (80 acres)
This 80-acre site is located approximately one mile
northwest of Anna. From1975 to 1992, the city
operated a landfill at the site and received about
31,000 cubic yards of refuse a year. Since the refuse
was not properly managed, large piles accumulated.
Burning of refuse, trees, and brush often occurred
at the site. When the landfill closed, the western
portion was left with only six inches of cover over
the waste. Erosion gullies formed resulting in many
environmental problems (e.g., exposed refuse,
leachate seeps, landfill gas emissions, groundwater
contamination, surface water contamination).
Erosion Problems
Corrective action began in July 2003 and ended in
December. During construction, a three-acre waste
area was discovered that was not contiguous with
the landfill. Portions of this waste area extended onto
a neighboring residential property. The waste was
moved to the landfill and a low permeability cover
was installed over the area. This area was eventually
covered with erosion blankets and seeded.
A gas venting system and
monitoring network was
installed on the landfill to
control landfill gas. The
Construction Begins
system includes 27 single point
gas vent wells, 18 of which contained passive gas flares. The waste limit
at the landfill is near the Union County animal shelter and adjacent to
a residential property. Landfill gas has not been detected at either of
these locations. The Illinois EPA conducts monthly monitoring of the gas
probes to ensure early detection of gas migration towards these nearby
Gas Flare
properties. Two additional gas flares installed specifically to aid in venting
the landfill area closest to these adjacent properties,
together with the 27 original flares, will cause gas
levels to drop, reducing gas migration towards the
animal shelter and neighboring resident.
Other construction activities on the landfill included:
repairing existing erosion areas, regrading the
landfill, patching leachate seeps, installing a low
permeability cover over the western portion of the
landfill, repairing the existing cover over the eastern
portion, seeding the final cover and installing a fence
around the perimeter to restrict access.
Construction Complete
Page 8
Chicago: Paxton I Landfill (50 acres)
Before Construction
Soil Being Delivered
Regrading Complete
Prior to 1971, the Paxton I Landfill operated as
an unregulated landfill with waste dumped into
20 to 40 foot deep trenches. In 1971, the Illinois
EPA issued a permit to the landfill operators
requiring them to design and operate the landfill
in accordance with Illinois’ new environmental
standards. Illegal disposal of waste was first
cited by Illinois EPA inspectors in 1973. Over
the years, violations have included the dumping
of wastes in unpermitted areas, acceptance of
liquid hazardous waste and sludges, inadequate
soil cap and vegetative cover, and improper
leachate management. Wastes within this landfill
are contiguous with wastes in the neighboring
58-acre Paxton II Landfill (also a State Response
Action Program project in the Abandoned Landfills
Program).
Corrective action activities undertaken in 2003
at Paxton I include hauling more than 250,000
cubic yards of soil to regrade the site, applying a
clay cap that is designed to minimize precipitation
infiltration and control storm water runoff, planting
a vegetative cover and perform- ing partial leachate
collection utilizing the system designed for Paxton
II. Construction is scheduled to end at Paxton I by
2004. Paxton I Landfill is a part of the Illinois EPA
abandoned landfill program and is receiving state
funds to support the cleanup. The State Response
Program has saved money by utilizing a free source
of clean fill for use in capping the landfill. Other
City construction projects saved money by sending
excavated or unneeded soil to Paxton I Landfill
rather than to a landfill that would charge for
disposal. All fill is analyzed prior to acceptance and
cannot contain wastes.
Paxton I Landfill is one of many contaminated
sites located within the Lake Calumet Region. This
Region is poised for a dramatic comeback through
the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago and the
U.S. EPA’s joint partnership for sustainable growth
and ecological reclamation. The State Response
Program’s actions at Paxton I Landfill will help to
accomplish this goal by stabilizing an uncontrolled
landfill.
Page 9
Danville: H&L Landfill (56 acres)
H & L Disposal Company and the city of Danville
conducted landfilling operations at this former
strip mine from 1941 until 1974. During this time,
many solid waste and hazardous substances were
stored or disposed of at the 68-acre landfill. In
1985, the Illinois EPA discovered five monitoring
wells east of the site were contaminated. A
leachate collection system was installed to stop
the flow of leachate across private property and
Leachate Seeps on Slope
into the nearby Vermilion River. Due to the threat
of contaminated groundwater, a water line was installed to connect five nearby homes to city
water. The City agreed to construct the leachate collection system that collected 65,000 gallons
of leachate per day and sent it to the Danville Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Despite collection efforts, the leachate seeps continued and the Illinois EPA determined an
impermeable clay cap should be installed over the entire site to minimize infiltration.
Construction of the new cap began in the spring
of 2002. A gas venting system was installed to
prevent gas buildup and subsequent damage to the
clay cap due to pressure. The Illinois EPA utilized
shredded tires from the State’s largest known dump
of waste tires, also located in Danville, in place of
the customary gravel used in the venting systems.
Approximately 5,000 tons of tires, the equivalent of
more than 400,000 passenger tires, were removed
from the dumpsite, shredded and placed in two gas
collection trenches at the landfill. This innovative
approach saved the Abandoned Landfill Program
approximately $175,000 and reduced the cost of
the waste tire cleanup by more than a third.
Installation of Gas Venting System
Illegal accummulations of dumped white goods, such as refrigerators and water heaters, along
the landfill’s boundaries were removed and relocated on the landfill prior to construction, and
the remaining area was backfilled and seeded. In addition to the installation of the gas venting
system, the site was stripped of all vegetation, regraded, and an impermeable cap consisting of
two feet of compacted clay and one foot of topsoil was constructed. The cap was then seeded
with a native prairie plant mixture. Construction at the landfill was finalized in the fall of 2003.
Construction Complete
Other Response Actions Taken
Waverly: Waverly Grain (1 acre)
On September 4, 2003 an abandoned grain elevator
with asbesto-containing siding was destroyed by a
fire in Waverly. During the fire, asbesto-containing
debris fell on residential properties located to the
south of the elevator. The State Response Action
Program was tasked with controlling or eliminating
health hazards associated with asbestos.
Grain Elevator on Fire
Grain Elevator on Fire
On October 3, 2003, a state contractor was directed
to conduct soil sampling of nearby residential yards,
secure the site, remove asbestos-containing material
and debris, backfill of the foundations and survey
the property boundaries. All debris was wetted with
water to prevent release of airborne asbestos fibers.
The wetted debris was moved into dump trailers
lined with polyethylene and then sealed before
leaving the site. Thirty (20 cubic yard) truckloads of
debris were removed and disposed into a Taylorville
landfill. The concrete basement walls of the elevator
were broken up and used as backfill material for
the elevator basement. Gravel was used to bring the
former basement to ground level. Removal work
was completed October 22nd. Soil samples from the
nearby residents’ yards detected no asbestos. Air
monitoring in place during removal did not detect
any unsafe levels of asbestos in the air.
Illinois EPA Removal
The mayor, the Honorable Ernie Cleveland,
assisted the State Response Action
Program in scheduling activities to reduce
disturbances that could occur during the
removal. Ownership of the property is yet
to be determined.
Removal Complete
Page 11
Loves Park: Groundwater Study
Groundwater investigations in DuPage County* have demonstrated the importance of
coordinating activities among governmental agencies so that groundwater contamination is
investigated and health threats are identified. The Interagency Coordinating Committee on
Groundwater, comprised of local, state, and federal officials, recommended reevaluation of the
groundwater in the Loves Parks area, since contamination had previously been detected in two
community supply wells and could potentially affect private drinking water systems. One of the
contaminated community supply wells was closed in 2001.
In May 2002, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and State Response Action
Program (SRAP) identified 39 private drinking water wells near the closed community supply
well. The IDPH and SRAP sampled 12 of these wells to assess the extent of contaminant
migration. The analytical results detected chlorinated solvents in three of the wells sampled.
In June 2002, a second sampling event was conducted. IDPH and SRAP resampled the three
contaminated wells and sampled another 15 private drinking water wells. Contamination was
detected in an additional seven wells. Of the 27 private drinking water wells sampled in May
and June, 10 were contaminated.
In February 2003, a state contractor was directed to perform further groundwater investigations
to help delineate the extent of the contamination and to identify the likely source(s). The
contractor collected 74 groundwater samples from four piezometers (i.e., small-diameter wells),
12 private drinking water wells, and 58 Geoprobe borings. Of the 74 samples, 41 were
confirmed to be contaminated by laboratory analysis.
The investigation identified three areas of localized groundwater contamination. Additional
groundwater investigations are planned to further delineate the vertical and horizontal extent of
contamination and potential sources contributing to the groundwater contamination in the three
*Response Action Program 2001 Annual Report
areas.
Loves Park
City Boundary
Groundwater
Investigation Area
Loves Park Groundwater Investigation Area
Page 12
The Future
In 2004, the Illinois EPA will conduct response actions at the following locations:
Belleville: Conduct remedial activities at Hoeffken Cleaners.
Chicago: Construct final cover system at the Paxton I landfill*. Conduct investigation at the U.S.
Scrap facility.
Chicago Heights: Construct final cover system at the Triem Landfill.*
Havana: Conduct remedial actions at the Prairieland Steel site.
Kinmundy: Remove hazardous waste drums and batteries from Fulk property.
Lawrenceville: Conduct investigation at Dowty Landfill.*
Litchfield: Construct final cover system at Bishop Landfill*
Loves Park: Conduct additional groundwater investigation in Loves Park.
Morrison City: Conduct investigation at Morrison City Landfill.*
Mounds: Construct final cover system at the Delta Landfill*.
Ottawa: Conduct oversight of responsible parties constructing final cover system at the
Brockman #1 Landfill.
Quincy: Conduct investigation at the Quincy Muni #1 Landfill.*
Rock Island: Conduct investigation at the Moreco facility.
Springfield: Conduct landfill gas migration investigation at the Buerkett #2 Landfill.
Sterling: Conduct investigation and construct final cover system at the Northwest Steel & Wire
landfill.
*Supported by the Abandoned Landfill Program.
Leachate at Quincy Municipal Landfill
Drums at Morrison City Dump
Page 13
Where to Go for More Information
For questions about the Response Action Program:
Illinois EPA - Bureau of Land, State Sites Unit
1021 North Grand Avenue East
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62702
Phone: 217/782-6761
Fax: 217-782-3258
www.epa.state.il.us/land/cleanup-programs/cleanups-state-authority.html
To obtain information about individual Response Action sites:
Illinois EPA - Freedom of Information Act Unit
Phone: 217/782-9878
Fax: 217/782-9290
e-mail: [email protected]
For more information on the Illinois EPA’s 33 Abandoned Landfill Program, See the following Publication:
Bureau of Land, 2000
Illinois FIRST Abandoned Landfill Program
Publication IEPA/BOL/00-021.
www.epa.state.il.us/land/cleanup-programs/
33-abandoned-landfills-book/abandoned-land-book.pdf
Credits
The Response Action Program Annual Report is produced by the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Renee Cipriano, Director, and is published by the
Agency’s Office of Public Information, Dennis McMurray, Manager.
Editors: Neelu Reddy, Jody Kershaw and Mike Morgan
Layout: Shirley Baer and Neelu Reddy
Printed by the authority of the State of Illinois
May 2004
Printed on Recycled Paper