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WILL COUNTY
JOLIET
Congressional District # 11
JOLIET ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (LOAD-ASSEMBLY-PACKING AREA)
EPA ID# IL0210090049Last Updated: September, 2006
Site Description
The Joliet Army Ammunition Plant Load-Assembly-Package (LAP) Area, located in Will County, Illinois, covers 22 square miles of an inactive Army munitions facility in Joliet, Illinois. The site, which is adjacent to the Manufacturing (MFG) Area [another National Priority List (NPL) site], is 10 miles south of Joliet, Illinois. From the early 1940s through 1977, high explosive artillery shells, bombs, mines, and small arms ammunition were loaded, assembled, and packaged on the site. Other activities included testing of ammunition, washout and renovation of shells, and burning and demolition of explosives.Approximately 1,200 people live within three miles of the site. The surrounding area is used primarily for agriculture, and a substantial amount of farming and grazing is carried out on uncontaminated portions of the installation.
Site Responsibility
This site is being addressed through federal actions. The Army has the lead responsibility at the site.Threats and Contaminants
There are:
- 12,400 cubic yards of soils contaminated with explosives, primarily trinitrotoluene (TNT), Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX, also known as cyclonite or hexogen), and Octogen (HMX)
- 9,400 cubic yards of soils contaminated with metals, primarily lead and arsenic
- 17,500 cubic yards of soils contaminated with both metals and explosives
- two landfills on the site, each containing approximately 36,000 cubic yards of waste
- relatively minor soil contamination by oils and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- several small areas containing unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Four separate onsite groundwater plumes, contaminated with explosives, have also been identified.
Cleanup Progress
During 1996, the Army, using Superfund removal authorities, removed two PCB-contaminated oil pits from the burning pad area. More than 18,000 tons of contaminated soils were removed and approximately 40,000 pieces of UXO, about half of which contained explosives, were also removed. During 1997, removal actions were taken to decontaminate the portion of the site to become the Will County landfill area. In the process, 710 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil and 3,750 cubic yards of hydrocarbon contaminated soil were removed.
A Record of Decision (ROD) was signed for the entire Joliet Army Ammunition Plant in November 1998. The ROD presented both final and interim response actions for contaminated soil and final response actions for contaminated groundwater. Final actions for the LAP area include excavation and onsite bioremediation for explosives contaminated soil, excavation and offsite treatment and/or disposal for one of the landfills and other contaminated soil, capping the other landfill, and natural attenuation with deed restrictions for the groundwater plumes.
Final remedial alternatives for the interim component of the soil remedy were developed and presented in a proposed plan. A final ROD was signed in the fall of 2004. Final site cleanup by 2009 is possible if adequate funding is available.
Remedial activities conducted in Fall 1999 resulted in the excavation and offsite disposal of 3,950 cubic yards of soil, contaminated with PCBs. A bioremediation treatment (composting) facility was built in fall 1999 to treat explosives' contaminated soil. See the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (Manufacturing Area) NPL fact sheet for more details. Between July 2005 and July 2006, approximately 25,300 cubic yards of explosives'-contaminated soil was excavated and delivered to the composting facility for treatment. Excavation of contaminated soil in the LAP Area is planned to continue in fiscal year 2007. In late 2005, a small landfill was excavated (18,400 cubic yards) from the LAP Area and send to the Will County Landfill for disposal.
A basewide Five-year Review was completed in May 2004.
Community Involvement
The Restoration Advisory Board, involved at the arsensal for over 10 years, represents the community's interest in the environmental cleanup to the Army and the other government agencies.Congressional Interest
Both former Congressman Sangmeister and Congressman Weller have worked with stakeholders on developing and implementing a balanced plan for the reuse of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant.
Property Reuse
Future land use at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant is prescribed in the Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995. The LAP Area is designated to become a portion of the national tallgrass prairie, a municipal landfill for Will County, and an industrial park.
In November 1996, the Army transferred 9,822 acres to the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Forest Service for the creation of what will eventually be the 19,000 acre Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. In September 2005, an additional 2,600 acres were transferred for incorporation into the prairie.
In August 2000, the Army transferred 706 acres to the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority, a state agency created to oversee the conversion of the former munitions plant to an industrial park. An additional 89 acres were transferred to the industrial park in August 2003. Approximately 280 acres were transferred for the industrial park in 2004 after being cleaned up by the Army.
In April 2002, the Army transferred 455 acres to Will County for the establishment of a municipal landfill, which opened in January 2004.
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPAthomas barounis (barounis.thomas@epa.gov)
(312) 353-5577
Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
stuart hill
(312) 886-0689
Aliases
US ARMY JOLIET ARMY AMMO PLTJOLIET ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (LAP AREA)
JOLIET ARMY AMMO PLT LAP AREA
JOLIET TRAINING AREA