A recycling plant operated on this nearly 4-acre site near Greenup, Illinois, from 1977 to 1980, processing waste oil, sludge, and sulfuric acid. Four storage lagoons overflowed during operations, sending contamination into surrounding soil and a drainage pathway leading to the Embarras River. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. The site has since been fully cleaned up and deleted from the NPL in June 2012.
Contaminants affected soil, sediment, and groundwater. Soil and sediment contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene, along with metals including lead, cadmium, and chromium. Benzene, toluene, trichloroethene, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and phenol were also found in soil and sediment. Groundwater held benzene, toluene, trichloroethene, metals, sulfate, total dissolved solids, and petroleum compounds. River sediments showed no substantial contamination.
Cleanup work began with removal actions as early as December 1980 and continued through the mid-1980s under EPA and Coast Guard oversight. Workers removed contaminated lagoon sludges, wastewater, oil, tank waste, drums, and soils from the site. They also installed dikes and trenches, demolished buildings and equipment, and capped consolidated sludge. The site was divided into two operable units (OUs). OU 01 addressed soil and sediment through excavation, demolition, offsite disposal, and revegetation. OU 02 addressed groundwater through monitored natural attenuation, institutional controls, and ongoing maintenance. The high flow rate through the sand and gravel aquifer helped flush residual contaminants naturally. By May 2010, all groundwater cleanup levels had been met and monitoring was no longer required.
EPA's 2010 five-year review confirmed that cleanup actions protect human health and the environment. Human exposure pathways are under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions, remain in place to prevent residential development and limit exposure to any remaining contamination. The site achieved sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse in July 2010 and was formally deleted from the NPL in June 2012.
Community members or interested parties can contact EPA's Remedial Project Manager. Site records, including 7 key documents and 179 administrative records, are available through EPA's Superfund records system.
