Savanna Army Depot Activity

Overview

Savanna Army Depot Activity sits on 13,062 acres along the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, seven miles north of Savanna, Illinois. The U.S. Army bought the property in 1917 and used it to proof and test artillery. From 1918 until the depot closed in 2000, operations involved storing and processing military munitions, explosives, and industrial chemicals. Those activities left behind contamination in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. The site was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of priority Superfund sites, in 1989.

Contaminants found at the site include explosive residues such as TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene in soil and groundwater. Heavy metals including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and chromium are present in soil. Chlorinated pesticides such as aldrin, dieldrin, and DDT compounds appear in soil and sediment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated dioxins and furans, PCBs, and volatile organic compounds including trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene have also been identified. Unexploded ordnance at the site poses a risk of explosion, and contamination may affect bald eagles in the nearby Upper Mississippi Valley National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

The U.S. Army leads cleanup under a three-party federal facility agreement with the EPA and Illinois EPA, signed in September 1989. The site is divided into 37 operable units, each targeting a specific contaminated area such as TNT washout lagoons, open burning grounds, or abandoned landfills. Completed work includes landfill capping, leachate and gas collection and treatment, public water supply extensions, groundwater treatment, and removal of drums and tanks. Several units finished cleanup in the 2010s and early 2020s, but five operable units have record of decision milestones estimated between 2027 and 2028. Human exposure is not yet confirmed to be under control, and groundwater migration status is also uncertain due to insufficient data. Construction completion sitewide has not been achieved, and the site has not been deleted from the NPL.

Portions of the former depot have already been transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and are managed as part of the Upper Mississippi Valley National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The industrial area has been leased to the Jo Carroll Depot Local Redevelopment Authority, with a long-term goal of full transfer for local economic development.

Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Both contacts can also direct people to the site's Administrative Record and Public Information Repository.