WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) - The federal Environmental Protection Agency is pitching a $10 million plan to pump tar-like liquids from the groundwater near the Waukegan Port District’s lakefront property.
The liquid is left over from operations at the North Shore Gas South Plant, which was shut down in 1946, the Chicago Tribune (https://trib.in/1PyLmvU ) reported.
EPA remediation project manager Ross del Rosario said the public isn’t in immediate danger, but says removal is needed partly due to the polluted groundwater being within 600 feet of Lake Michigan.
“There’s always hazards in a Superfund site, but in this particular situation, the material is below the site,” del Rosario said. “But there is the potential for hazards from contact if the ground is disturbed by construction workers on a future project.”
Environmental officials began conducting soil tests at the site in 1991 to check for wastes, including coal tar and wastewater sludge. A recent EPA report says those contaminants have been found in the site’s soil, groundwater and adjacent surface water and sediment.
The EPA studied seven different remediation processes, but ultimately chose to recommend a seven-year process of pumping groundwater. The collected water would be filled into containers for off-site treatment and disposal.
Del Rosario said the cost of the cleanup is expected to fall on North Shore Gas as the responsible party. It’s a process that would involve not only sitting down with the company to negotiate a settlement but also striking a consent decree through the court system.
An email seeking comment was left with the company on Thursday afternoon.
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Information from: Chicago Tribune, https://www.chicagotribune.com
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