Tuesday, December 8, 2009

U.S. EPA Takes West Chicago Site Off National Priorities List

Today, U.S. EPA published in the Federal Register a direct final Notice of Deletion of the Kerr-McGee Reed-Keppler Park Superfund Site, located in West Chicago, Illinois, from the National Priorities List ("NPL").

The NPL is a statutorily-mandated list of "national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States."  EPA decided to remove the West Chicago site from the NPL after determining that all appropriate response actions have been completed.

In the early 1900's, the site was mined as a quarry to provide rock and embankment material for construction of the Chicago, Wheaton and Western Railway (now the Illinois Prairie Path embankment owned by Commonwealth Edison).  Later, the old quarry area was used for solid waste (household and commercial garbage) disposal from as early as 1939 until 1973.  Among the solid wastes found at the site were thorium mill tailings and other process wastes generated at the West Chicago Rare Earths Facility, which also operated in West Chicago from 1934 until 1973.

Today's Notice of Deletion is the culmination of a 10-year soil remediation and groundwater monitoring process by EPA.

Stay tuned to the Illinois Environmental Law Blog for more news and developments.

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