Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begins a 30-day public comment period on its proposed plan to clean up the Sandoval Zinc Company Superfund Site in Illinois.
The Sandoval Zinc Co. operated as a smelter at its property a quarter mile east of the Village of Sandoval, Ill., for 85 years. The company closed the smelter in 1985, filing for bankruptcy. During operations, air emissions from the plant included metals and wind-blown ash. Contaminated smelting wastes were used to make roads and fill low areas at the property. The company also offered excess material to the public and the Village of Sandoval as fill which was used at residential and non-residential properties as well as village roadways. Following short-term cleanups to protect human health and the environment, EPA is proposing a comprehensive long-term remedy to address contaminated materials in the Village of Sandoval and at the former smelter property.
EPA is recommending a plan to excavate contaminated material from both the Village of Sandoval, the former smelter property, and adjacent areas. The contaminated material would be contained and stored in a covered structure built at the former smelter property. The most highly contaminated soil from the Village would be treated and disposed of off-site. The on-site containment structure would feature a cover that prevents water from infiltrating the contents. Groundwater would be monitored long-term to assess the effectiveness of the cover in reducing the spread of contamination into groundwater. EPA is also recommending land use restrictions to restrict access to and use of the groundwater at the former smelter property as a temporary measure until a final groundwater remedy is selected.
EPA will make its plan final only after reviewing all comments submitted during the public comment period. The proposed cleanup plan may be modified based on new information or public comments, so your opinion is important.
Written and oral comments on the proposed plan can be sent between January 3 and February 2 in the following ways:
- By email to leon.heriberto@epa.gov
- By mail to Heriberto León, Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 5, 77 W. Jackson Blvd. (RE-19J), Chicago, IL 60604
- Go to www.epa.gov/superfund/sandoval-zinc and click on the link to the public comment form; or
- By phone, call 312-886-6662 to leave a voice comment.
To read the proposed plan, see a video presentation, or find out more information about the site, visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/sandoval-zinc.
