The Interstate Pollution Control, Inc. site covers 2.8 acres in Rockford, Illinois. It operated as a sand and gravel quarry, waste disposal facility, auto salvage yard, and hazardous waste storage site from 1974 to 1982. Poor waste handling during those years contaminated both soil and groundwater. The site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL), a federal list of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country, in March 1989.
Investigators found 73 chemicals of potential concern in soil and 33 in groundwater. The soil contaminants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and trace metals. Groundwater contains similar groups of chemicals. The EPA identified 34 of these substances as contaminants of concern, meaning they pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. Specific contaminants include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, beryllium, heptachlor epoxide, PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Between 1976 and 1992, crews carried out short-term removal actions, hauling away more than 2.9 million pounds of waste. They removed an incinerator, bulk tankers, surface impoundment materials, 2,100 drums of contaminated materials, over 1,400 tons of solid and hazardous waste, and all tanks and structures. Longer-term cleanup included placing an impermeable barrier cover over remaining surface contamination and using monitored natural attenuation for groundwater, a process where naturally occurring conditions reduce contaminant levels over time. Construction of the cleanup remedy was completed in September 2006. Zoning restrictions are now in place to prevent residential uses that would be inconsistent with cleanup levels.
The EPA has determined that human exposure at the site is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Groundwater migration is also stabilized, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Monitoring continues to confirm that contaminated groundwater stays within the original contamination area. The site has not been deleted from the NPL and has not yet achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status, though redevelopment may be possible on portions of the site. The most recent five-year review was completed on March 26, 2021, and the next is estimated for March through May 2026.
Community members who want to learn more or ask questions can contact EPA staff directly. Records related to the site are also available for public review at the Rockford Public Library at 215 N. Wyman Road.
