by Jbs020709 e3 — February 9, 2009—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the city of North Chicago, IL, recently completed a $2 million Superfund cleanup at the former Vulcan Louisville/Fansteel property. The site is at the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Sheridan Road near Naval Station Great Lakes.
Funds from Fansteel’s 2002 bankruptcy paid for the cleanup. Fansteel ceased operations at the site in 1990, and the city now owns the property. North Chicago and a developer partner are planning an entertainment, retail, and hotel complex for the 14-acre site and an adjacent 18-acre property.
Work completed in December 2008 included the removal and safe disposal of 5,000 tons of TCE-contaminated soil (trichloroethylene is a metal degreaser commonly used in industry, explains EPA), 60,000 gallons of contaminated water, 70 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and five rolloff boxes of non-hazardous soil. Most of the hazardous material removed was found in “hot spots” scattered across the site and the adjacent property.
Currently, some residual low-level contamination remains at the Vulcan/Fansteel site, primarily heavy metals and volatile organic compounds. EPA says these can be safely managed when the site is redeveloped by relying on a mix of institutional and engineering controls, such as deed restrictions, vapor intrusion controls, and ground water monitoring.
