The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised its asbestos cleanup strategy for a section of the Johns-Manville Superfund site within the Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in Waukegan, Illinois. The updated plan involves removing asbestos with hand tools instead of using methods that might harm the ecosystem. Originally, the plan involved covering contaminated areas with two feet of compacted clean soil. However, this approach was reconsidered for a one-acre area known as operable unit 6, located in a dedicated nature preserve requiring special legal and technical considerations.
After reviewing the original proposal, the EPA concluded that burying plants with soil would damage existing vegetation and alter the landscape permanently. Excavation was also ruled out due to potential harm to root structures essential for perennial plants in the dune and swale ecosystem. Instead, licensed workers will periodically inspect and remove asbestos-containing materials using hand tools. Inspections and cleanups will be scheduled around controlled burns and wildfires.
The plan includes updates on air monitoring timing and extent while restricting site access. Developed with public input, it has received approval from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA will assess cleanup effectiveness during its five-year review process.
More details about the Johns-Manville Superfund site can be found on EPA's Johns-Manville website. This section of the site was added after the initial cleanup plan in 1987 and is the last part needing remediation. The Johns-Manville facility operated from 1928 to 1998, using asbestos until 1985 before being demolished in 2001. It was listed on Superfund’s National Priority List in 1983 due to contamination concerns including asbestos.
