Properties on both the north and south side of Gartside Street in Murphysboro were previously operated as the Greenberg Junkyard and as a railyard. Battery plates and other debris found there suggested that lead contamination deposited in this area was from battery cracking at the junkyard and other operations at the railyard. Illinois EPA investigated the site at the request of the Jackson County Health Department and conducted initial soil testing in June 1999.
While working with the Exelon Dresden nuclear power plant in the fall of 2004, where tritium was detected in some on-site wells, Illinois EPA became aware of the potential for tritium contamination in groundwater at this type of facility. At the same time, the Agency was involved in the pending renewal of the industrial discharge permit for the Braidwood facility. Comments received from the Godley Park District alerted Illinois EPA to tritium detected in a shallow sand point well at the Park District. The printable map mentioned in the fact sheet will be included in a separate pdf attachment.
Cleanup is set to begin in November at one of two Gilberts-area sites where the soil is contaminated with lead. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to remove nearly 12,000 tons of soil and other lead-contaminated materials. The project is expected to take about four months.
Investigations at two Fox Lake are dry cleaner operations one currently operating and one closed have identified contamination in shallow groundwater that could pose a potential health threat to private well users in the area. Bavaros Cleaners is located at 41 E. Grand Avenue, which has been the location of a dry cleaning operation since approximately 1986. The site is approximately 5400 square feet, on which a one-story brick building currently houses the dry cleaning business at the north end and a restaurant at the south end.
The Formosa Plastics Corporation plant is located near Illiopolis, between Springfield and Decatur along I-72. Since the April 23, 2004 explosion and resulting fire occurred at the plant, Illinois EPA, along with other agencies, have worked to test air quality during and after the fire, water quality in creeks and streams near the site and the safety of the drinking water supply. Additional sampling has been performed by the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), an environmental firm hired by Formosa. This fact sheet is a summary of all the environmental sampling data gathered to date. The printable map referenced in the fact sheet will be included as a separate pdf attachment.
On Friday night, April 23, 2004, an explosion occurred at the Formosa Plastics Corporation plant in Illiopolis, located between Springfield and Decatur along I-72. Illinois EPAs Emergency Response Unit staff were on site before midnight and began monitoring the air around the plant and in the community. During the weekend and the next week, other Illinois EPA staff worked with the Village of Illiopolis public water supply operator to test and insure the safety of the drinking water supply. Additional sampling was done along an unnamed creek just south of the site property, which continues east to the Long Point Slough and the Sangamon River. Since then, Illinois EPA has determined that a long-term presence at the site is needed in the form of oversight regarding site investigation and proper cleanup of contamination.
Additional testing performed in February 2007 by the McHenry County Health Department confirmed the results from the January 2007 well testing and identified two wells contaminated with vinyl chloride. The well owners were advised by county and state health agencies not to drink the well water. Both of these wells were west of the Inverse Investments site. Five other wells had detections of vinyl chloride or cis-1,2-Dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE), which are breakdown products of solvents. Two private wells showed gasoline-related contamination at low levels, and nine wells showed no VOC contamination. The printable map referenced in the fact sheet will be included as a separate pdf attachment.
Groundwater contamination appears to extend beyond the boundaries of both properties to the west towards the Fox River. The contamination is located in mixed industrial, commercial and residential areas. Most of the homes and businesses in the areas use private wells for their water source, since a public water supply is presently available only to a limited number of properties along Route 120. McHenry County Health Department conducted extensive sampling in 2007-2008 of area private wells for site-related contaminants. Illinois EPA conducted an investigation and additional sampling in 2008. The printable map referenced in the fact sheet will be included as a separate pdf attachment.
In 2004, both Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA investigated the location of a former battery cracking and recycling operation in Gilberts. The main site is located immediately north of the intersection of Railroad and Mill Streets bounded by Galligan Road on the east and the Chicago and Northwestern Railway on the west. It is in an area that is mostly wooded near both industrial and residential properties. Lead acid batteries were cracked open to recover the lead. Some of the lead seeped into the ground along with the acid contained in the batteries. Extensive environmental sampling last summer identified a six-acre area of gross contamination (mainly lead). Later, a second area of contamination was discovered to the southwest, where the Village of Gilberts Public Works building is now located, west of the railroad tracks - this is known as the Tower Hill Road site.
The City of Murphysboro, the Illinois EPA, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Jackson County Health Department held two public availability sessions on October 15, 1999 (Friday), at City Hall, 202 North 11'" Street, Murphysboro, Illinois, 62966. Representatives from the city, county, state, and local government agencies were on hand to discuss and answer questions about the site investigation and soil sampling results; health concerns and exposure to hazardous substances; remediation efforts and site assessment; and blood lead sampling for children. Representatives also met with the media prior to the sessions.