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Superfund Redevelopment Initiative

Superfund Sites in Reuse in Illinois

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Alcoa Properties

The 400-acre Alcoa Properties site is in East St. Louis, Illinois. From about 1902 to 1957, Alcoa, Inc. refined aluminum at the site. Smelting wastes contaminated soil and groundwater. EPA is overseeing the potentially responsible party’s cleanup of the site. The site investigation began in 2001 and is ongoing. To manage the cleanup, EPA divided the site into three operable units (OUs), addressing smelting waste and soil (OU1), soil contamination (OU2) and groundwater (OU3). OU1 cleanup finished in the summer of 2016; it included consolidating and covering smelter wastes. A Record of Decision for OU2 is anticipated in the fall of 2019. A mix of commercial businesses continue to operate on OU2.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 3 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 187 people and generated an estimated $74,198,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Asarco Taylor Springs

The ASARCO Taylor Springs Superfund site is located in Taylor Springs, Illinois. Beginning in 1911, a zinc oxide production plant and a metals plant operated on the 533-acre site. Operators of the zinc oxide plant stored slag from zinc mining and processing in waste piles on site, which resulted in contamination of surface water and soil. This contamination also extended onto adjacent residential properties. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2006. In 2007, under EPA oversight, the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) removed contaminated soil from 36 residential properties. The PRPs completed cleanup and restoration of the properties in 2008. The site is not currently in use. The remedial investigation was finalized in 2017. EPA is working on finalizing the feasibility study and issuing a proposed plan for cleanup of the site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Beloit Corp.

The 175-acre Beloit Corp. Superfund site is located in Rockton, Illinois. From 1957 to 1999, industrial operators made machines that produced layered paper products from paper pulp on site. Manufacturing activities on site resulted in contamination of area soil and groundwater. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. EPA installed a groundwater treatment system and put land use controls in place to prohibit potable water wells on site. The Illinois Department of Environmental Protection has operated the treatment system since 2002. Chemtool relocated its distribution and field support operations to the site in 2008 and significantly upgraded the facility. Several other commercial businesses also operate on site. The site includes part of a residential neighborhood. EPA removed part of the site from the NPL in December 2018.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 6 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 96 people and generated an estimated $176,870,232 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Celotex Corporation Athletic Fields Reuse Green Infrastructure Reuse

The Celotex Corporation Superfund site is located in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. For decades, manufacturing facilities made asphalt roofing materials on site. These operations contaminated the property and nearby residential yards. After investigations by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Celotex Corporation removed on-site buildings. Celotex Corporation later placed gravel across 22 of the site’s 24 acres. The added gravel helped address flooding and off-site contamination. Cleanup of residential yards followed. As cleanup progressed, neighborhood residents and the city of Chicago began to consider reuse possibilities for the site. With few parks in the community, the site offered a valuable opportunity for new recreation facilities. After working with EPA to make sure potential recreational uses would remain protective of the site’s remedy, the Chicago Park District acquired most of the site property and worked with the community to plan for the future. La Villita Park opened to the community in December 2014. The recreational complex includes athletic fields, a skate park, basketball courts, community gardens, a playground, a picnic pavilion, concession areas, a multi-use trail with fitness stations and environmentally-friendly utilities.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Circle Smelting Corp.

The Circle Smelting Corp. Superfund site is located in Beckemeyer, Illinois. A zinc refinery operated on site from 1904 to 1994. Site operators discarded residual metals, coal cinders and slag from the smelting process in piles on the 28-acre property. Those disposal practices resulted in elevated concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium, nickel and copper in the soil. In 1996, EPA proposed listing the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Cleanup activities began in 1998 and are still ongoing for portions of the site. A local trucking company purchased a clean part of the site property and paved it for use as a parking lot. A prospective purchaser agreement (PPA) signed by the trucking company and EPA in 1999 made the acquisition possible. The PPA limits the company’s liability in exchange for sharing the costs of cleanup. The trucking company continues to operate on the site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 12 people and generated an estimated $1,500,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Depue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Corp. Green Infrastructure Reuse

The DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Corp. Superfund site is located in the village of DePue in Bureau County, Illinois. The 950-acre site includes Lake DePue and borders the DePue-Donnelly Wildlife Management Area. Starting in 1903, New Jersey Zinc operated zinc smelting facilities on a stretch of former farmland. New Jersey Zinc built additional facilities in 1967 to produce phosphate-based fertilizers. The Mobil Chemical Corporation began leasing these facilities in 1972 and purchased them in 1975. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) and U.S. EPA inspected the site and found heavily-contaminated surface water and groundwater. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1999. In 2000, the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) finished construction of a water treatment plant. The plant receives contaminated groundwater from the site, removes metals from the water and discharges cleaned water to the Illinois River. The PRPs also removed contaminated sediments from a drainage ditch and fenced off former facilities. Illinois EPA and PRPs continue to clean up affected residential properties around the former smelting plant and Lake DePue. With assistance from EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative, the village of DePue (the Village) developed a reuse plan for the site in 2004. The plan later informed the 2014 DePue Comprehensive Plan adopted by the North Central Illinois Council of Governments. Today, the Village hosts the National Power Boat Racing Association’s national races, held each summer on Lake DePue. Commercial and industrial businesses, public service and agricultural uses operate on site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 21 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 193 people and generated an estimated $8,693,230 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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DuPage County Landfill/Blackwell Forest Preserve Capped Site Reuse

The 40-acre DuPage County Landfill/Blackwell Forest Preserve Superfund site is located within the 1,200-acre Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois. DuPage County established the landfill with the goal of creating a hill to serve as a recreational amenity. The landfill accepted waste between 1965 and 1973. Known as Mt. Hoy, the resulting mountain of waste and soil rises 150 feet above the original ground surface. EPA identified contamination in groundwater at the site. As a result, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. EPA’s cleanup repaired the landfill cap, installed an extraction system, treated and disposed of the landfill leachate, and installed additional landfill gas vents. EPA continues to monitor the natural breakdown of groundwater contamination. Use controls restrict land and groundwater use at the site. Close cooperation between EPA, Illinois EPA and the site’s potentially responsible party enabled the Forest Preserve to address potential risks efficiently while maintaining public access to recreation and conservation activities. An on-site recreation area features restored native prairie vegetation, picnic areas, trails, an observation area and a snow tubing run on Mt. Hoy. Other recreational and educational activities – including two lakes used for fishing, an archery range and an urban stream research facility – are located next to the site within the larger Blackwell Forest Preserve.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Galesburg/Koppers Co.

The 105-acre Galesburg/Koppers Company Superfund site is located in Galesburg, Illinois. Since 1907, operators at the wood-treating facility have treated railroad ties with heat, pressure, creosote and coal tar. Past waste practices led to contamination of soil and groundwater on and around the site. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. Cleanup activities included treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater. Wood-treating operations remain active on site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 48 people and generated an estimated $19,411,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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H.O.D. Landfill Athletic Fields Reuse Capped Site Reuse

Playground equipment at Osmond Sports ComplexH.O.D. LandfillThe 121-acre H.O.D. Landfill Superfund site in Antioch, Illinois, includes a former landfill and 70 acres of undeveloped land that served as a buffer area for the landfill. From 1963 to 1984, the landfill accepted municipal and industrial wastes. In 1984, Waste Management closed and capped the landfill. Landfill operations resulted in groundwater contamination. In 1990, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Cleanup included repairs to the landfill cap and upgrades to the landfill’s gas and leachate extraction system. The site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) also began monitoring groundwater and placed land use restrictions on the site property. Initial site reuse discussions began in the community in 1998. Community interests focused on recreational reuse opportunities, including sports fields. Remedy construction finished in 2001. EPA worked with the community on a site reuse plan in 2002. EPA issued a recreational Ready for Reuse Determination for the site in 2003. The school district also expressed interest in using methane gas produced by the landfill. Following construction of a methane co-generation plant, methane gas from the landfill supplied heat and electricity to Antioch Community High School from 2003 to 2013. Today, recreation resources at the site include athletic fields, a Frisbee golf course, a running trail, sledding hill, pavilion and playground equipment. Area schools use on-site wetlands as an environmental education resource.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Hegeler Zinc

The 100-acre Hegeler Zinc Superfund site is in Danville, Illinois. From 1906 until about 1954, Hegeler Zinc operated a zinc smelter at the site. The company stored smelter waste materials on site, leading to contamination of soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2005. EPA has divided cleanup into three parts or operable units (OUs). OU1 will address soil and groundwater contamination at the former Hegeler property, which is currently vacant. OU2 will address surface water and sediment contamination off the Hegeler property. OU3 addressed soil contamination in the Hegeler residential area. EPA completed OU3 soil cleanup in 2015 and 2016. In 2019, the remedial investigation /feasibility study was started for OU1.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Johns-Manville Corp.

The 150-acre Johns-Manville Corp. Superfund site is in Waukegan, Illinois. From the 1920s to 1998, an asbestos manufacturing facility and landfill operated at the site. Disposal practices resulted in air, groundwater and surface water contamination. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup completed in 2017-2018 included putting barriers in place to prevent contact with contamination. The barriers included paving, a vegetated soil cover, fencing and signage. Following cleanup, sampling identified seven additional areas of asbestos contamination outside of the Johns-Manville fence line. Cleanup of these areas has been completed with the exception of a 1-acre disposal area that extends into an adjacent nature preserve. Site inspections, maintenance and groundwater monitoring are ongoing. A utility corridor is located on site. In 2016, several piping plovers, rare birds protected by the Endangered Species Act, established a nesting area at the site. This inspired a community-led exploration of ecological reuse opportunities for the site. The site now serves as a buffer between the nature preserve to the north and industrial land use to the south.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company

The 160-acre Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company Superfund site is located in La Salle, Illinois. From 1858 until 1978, a zinc smelting and rolling facility was located on site. La Salle Rolling Mills continued its operations until the firm’s bankruptcy in 2001. Investigations identified contamination in slag piles remaining on site from smelting activities. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2003. The site’s potentially responsible parties removed contaminated waste piles, asbestos and storage tanks from the site. In 2009, EPA demolished a contaminated building on site. Carus Chemical Company’s chemical manufacturing facility remains active on site. The firm employs about 100 people. Site investigations have finished. EPA selected a site remedy in 2017.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 123 people and generated an estimated $48,798,913 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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North Shore Gas South Plant

The 20-acre North Shore Gas South Plant Superfund site is located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Illinois. The former manufactured gas plant includes parts of the Waukegan Port District, Akzo Nobel Aerospace Coatings facility, and Elgin, Joliet and Eastern (EJ&E) railroad tracks. The site also includes a city of Waukegan right of way.?The Waukegan Pipeline Service Company constructed the North Shore Gas South Plant in 1897. North Shore Gas purchased the plant in 1900. On-site features included a coal gas condensing building, a purifying building, a generator building and a laboratory. Four tar wells and five gas and oil storage tanks were also located on site. Groundwater samples collected at the site from 2001 to 2003 contained volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, cyanide and metals. The site is not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) but is considered an NPL-caliber site and is following the Superfund Alternative Approach. The site is being addressed through potentially responsible party actions under federal and state oversight. Tar is being recovered from monitoring and recovery wells located on site and on the Port District property. Public water supplied to the area is not affected by the site because it is drawn from Lake Michigan. Parts of several businesses are active and operating at the site. They include Waukegan Port District administrative maintenance facilities, marina parking and storage, and a specialty coatings manufacturer. In 2016, the Waukegan Marina and Harbor approved a lease agreement to use part of the site as an indoor boat sales and storage facility. Developer Bay Marine is developing the Chicago Yachting Center, a state-of-the-art facility with heated indoor and outdoor storage, repair capacity, and yacht sales and brokerage services. Construction of the indoor boat storage building finished in 2018. 
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Ottawa Radiation Areas

The Ottawa Radiation Areas Superfund site is located in LaSalle County, Illinois. It consists of 16 areas scattered throughout the city of Ottawa. The Radium Dial Company (from 1918 to 1936) and Luminous Processes, Inc. (from 1937 to 1978) made glow-in-the-dark dials for clocks and watches on site using radium-based paint. Fill material in the Ottawa area consisted of site building demolition material and soil polluted with radioactive waste from the plants. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1992. Cleanup involved removing contaminated soils and installing radon reduction systems. Institutional controls are also in place to ensure the long-term protection of human health. The Frontage Property portion of the site is in commercial use. The Illinois Power Building sub-area, another part of the site, includes a commercial building that is currently leased by a law office. The city of Ottawa uses the Luminous Processes, Inc. Adjacent sub-area, another part of the site, as a gravel parking lot. YMCA of Ottawa Illinois is located in the NPL-1 sub-area. A printing business is located in the IPB sub-area.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 4 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 38 people and generated an estimated $2,493,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Parsons Casket Hardware Co.

The 6-acre Parsons Casket Hardware Company Superfund site is in Belvidere, Illinois. From the early 1900s until 1982, the Parson’s Casket Hardware Company made decorative metal fittings for caskets at the site. Poor chemical storage practices and spills contaminated soil and groundwater. Illinois EPA began cleanup in 1985. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. Soil cleanup finished in 2002. EPA is currently sampling and planning for the site’s groundwater cleanup. The area of groundwater contamination is about 75 acres. Deveco, a company that supplies industrial chemicals, operates on the site. The company is under an Illinois EPA closure plan to manage hundreds of containers of waste. State Street Auto Rebuilders, an auto repair and maintenance facility, operates over a part of the plume. A residential neighborhood also overlies part of the plume.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 10 people and generated an estimated $2,200,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Tri-County Landfill Co./Waste Management of Illinois, Inc. 

The 66-acre Tri-County Landfill Co./Waste Management of Illinois, Inc. Superfund site is in Elgin, Illinois. Two landfills at the site received commercial and industrial waste from 1961 to 1976. Landfill operations contaminated groundwater, surface water, sediment in a nearby wetland, and surface soil at the landfills. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. Cleanup included installing a cap over the landfills, collecting and burning landfill gas, and treating contaminated groundwater. Due to low levels of contamination in groundwater, EPA deferred active treatment in 1996 to see if the landfill gas removal and cap stopped further contamination of groundwater. Active treatment could be required in the future if groundwater contamination increases. A part of the site is currently used for vehicle storage.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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