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WILL COUNTY
JOLIET
Congressional District # 11
JOLIET ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (MANUFACTURING AREA)
EPA ID# IL7213820460Last Updated: February, 2007
Site Description
The Joliet Army Ammunition Plant Manufacturing (MFG) Area located in Will County, Illinois, covers 14 square miles of an inactive Army munitions facility in Joliet, Illinois. The site, which is adjacent to the Load-Assembly-Package (LAP) Area [another National Priorities List (NPL) site], is 10 miles south of Joliet, Illinois. From the early 1940s through 1977 more than 4 billion pounds of explosives, primarily trinitrotoluene (TNT) and tetryl, were made in the MFG Area. The production facilities are located in the northern half of the MFG Area. The southern half of the MFG Area is occupied by extensive explosives storage facilities. No production has occurred since 1977.The MFG Area includes:
- the explosives manufacturing lines
- the TNT ditch complex, where process wash and waste waters were discharged or transported for treatment
- the Red Water Area consisting of storage tanks, incinerators, evaporators, and a lined lagoon
- incinerator ash piles
- landfills
- the Flashing Grounds, used for flash burning material to remove explosive residues
- an area formerly used for the production of lead azide.
Approximately 1,200 people live within three miles of the site. The nearest residence is less than one mile away, and there are water supply wells in use within a one-mile radius of the site. The surrounding area is primarily used 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
The area contains 139,500 cubic yards of soil, contaminated with explosives, primarily TNT, tetryl, and dinitrotoluene (DNT). There are also 13,500 cubic yards of soil, contaminated with metals, primarily lead, and 15,700 cubic yards of soil, contaminated with explosives and metals. There are two landfills, covering approximately 90 acres; two large ash piles, covering approximately 15 acres; and a number of onsite groundwater plumes, contaminated with explosives, volatile organic compounds, and/or metals.Cleanup Progress
During 1996, the Army, using Superfund removal authorities, removed more than 1,200 electrical switch boxes that were filled with oil and were potential sources of contamination. They also placed a membrane cover over an eight-acre ash pile in order to control leaching from the pile.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 soils and final actions for contaminated groundwater. Final actions for the MFG Area include: excavation and onsite bioremediation for explosives-contaminated soil; excavation and onsite or offsite treatment for other contaminated soil; excavation and offsite disposal of the two ash piles; capping the two landfills; 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 September 2004. Final site cleanup by 2009 is possible if adequate funding is available.
Composting was chosen to bioremediate explosives-contaminated soil. The bioremediation facility was built in fall 1999. The 20-acre bioremediation facility consists of three 25,200-square foot treatment buildings, each housing two concurrent windrows or elongated piles; an 80,000 cubic yard stockpile area; and a one-million gallon stormwater basin. It's considered the world's largest bioremediation facility for explosives-contaminated soil.
Excavation of explosives-contaminated soil began in July 1999. Approximately 192,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil have been successfully bioremediated as of January 2007.
In December 2005, excavation of one of the ash landfills began. By March 2006, the landfill was completed excavated and over 55,000 cubic yards of material were excavated and sent to the Will County landfill for disposal. In May 2006, excavation began at the remaining ash landfill. Complete removal of the landfill materials is scheduled for completion in spring of 2007.
A basewide five-year review was completed in May 2004.
Community Involvement
The Restoration Advisory Board, involved at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant for over 10 years, represents the community's interests in the environmental cleanup to the Army and other government agencies.Congressional Interest
Both former Congressman Sangmeister and Congressman Weller have worked with stakeholders in developing and implementing a balanced reuse plan for the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant.Property Reuse
Future land use at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plan is prescribed in the Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995. The MFG Area is designated to become a portion of a national tallgrass prairie, a national veterans cemetery, and an industrial park.
In November 1996, the Army transferred 5,264 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.
The Army transferred 982 acres to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) in December 1996. The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery was dedicated by DVA on October 3, 1999. It will be the country's second largest veterans cemetery and the most expensive ever built.
In August 2000, the Army transferred 1,300 acres to the State of Illinois for development of an industrial park. The propery was subsequently transferred to CenterPoint Properties to build the $2 to $3 billion Deer Run Industrial Park, with an intermodal rail facility and 17 million square feet for light industry. Construction of the industrial park, estimated to take 10 to 12 years, began immediately. CenterPoint estimates the project could generate approximately 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent jobs upon completion. The intermodal rail yard opened in October 2002. An additional 218 acres were transferred for the industrial park in 2001 after being cleaned up by the Army. An additional 13 acres were transferred for the industrial park in August 2003.
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
JOLIET ARMY AMMUNITION PLANTJOLIET ARMY AMMO PLT MFG
US ARMY JOLIET ARMY AMMO PLT
JOLIET ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (MFG AREA)