Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the final plan to clean up contaminated soil and sediment at the Hegeler Zinc Superfund site in Vermilion County, Illinois. In addition to zinc products, the former smelting facility produced sulfuric acid and cadmium which resulted in large amounts of slag, stored in piles on the site. Soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water are contaminated with cadmium, lead, arsenic and zinc.
EPA’s cleanup will involve excavating contaminated sediment and soil and adding it to the existing slag pile or disposing of it off-site. The agency will then install a low-permeability cover over the pile, reroute portions of a creek to ensure a safe distance from the slag pile, and continue monitoring groundwater and surface water.
EPA received six public comments on the proposed plan. The agency’s responses to the comments can be found in the Responsiveness Summary section of the Record of Decision, which is posted on EPA’s website for the Hegeler Zinc site.
The design phase of the clean-up will start in about six to eight months and will last approximately two years. After that, construction will begin. EPA anticipates the construction will take about three years.
To learn more, visit EPA’s website.
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