Sauget Area 1 sits in St. Clair County, Illinois, covering three closed waste disposal areas, a backfilled impoundment, an inactive borrow pit, and about 3.5 miles of Dead Creek. EPA proposed the site for the National Priorities List in 1996. It has not yet been finalized on that list. The site is in active remediation across several distinct sections, with full construction not yet complete.
EPA has identified 13 contaminants of concern. Soil contamination includes 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dieldrin, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, chlorobenzene, antimony, barium, manganese, and phosphorus. Groundwater contains benzene, chloroform, and naphthalene. These substances were selected for cleanup based on their threat to human health and the environment.
Cleanup work has been underway since the mid-1990s. In 1995, EPA excavated and covered 75 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Starting in 1999, potentially responsible parties removed 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from Dead Creek and surrounding areas. A containment cell was built in 2001, and Dead Creek and Borrow Pit Lake cleanup finished by 2008. EPA approved a long-term cleanup plan for the site's first phase in September 2013. That plan includes pulsed air biosparging, a method that pumps air into soil and groundwater to treat contamination underground. A pilot study ran from January 2020 to January 2021, and results were submitted to EPA in May 2021. EPA is currently reviewing those results.
On-site industrial, construction, and utility workers may face potential risks from the landfills. The landfills do not appear to create an unacceptable vapor intrusion risk to nearby municipal buildings or businesses. Groundwater in the area is not used for drinking water, and new drinking water wells are prohibited. Residents with non-drinking-water wells nearby should not use those wells for drinking water. EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways exist at this time. Groundwater migration control status remains uncertain due to insufficient data.
Final remedial action is estimated to start between December 2027 and February 2028. One on-site business was operating as of December 2024. Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly using the contact information below.
