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Sandoval Zinc Company

Background

Sandoval Zinc Company operated as a primary and secondary zinc smelter for 85 years in Sandoval. Zinc smelting is the process for converting ores that contain zinc into pure zinc. The company closed in 1985 and then claimed bankruptcy. Waste emissions from the plant were metal laden cinder/slag and windblown ash. Large amounts of the cinder/slag from the smelting were used in constructing and surfacing secondary roads in the plant and for fill material on the property. The cinder/slag material that was not used by the plant was offered to the public and Village of Sandoval to construct surface roadways, driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. Many areas exhibit evidence of using cinder/slag, some of which has been covered with concrete.

As part of an expanded site inspection of the Sandoval Zinc Company, EPA asked residents for permission to test their property for lead. The purpose of the sampling was to find out how much and where pollutants may have moved from Sandoval Zinc into surrounding neighborhoods. Once permission was received, EPA sampled about 90 properties during a few week period in August 2010. For properties that show a level of lead that requires removal, EPA will take action to remove the lead-containing soil and replace it with clean soil.

Site Updates | Latest Update | News Releases | Fact Sheets

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Site Updates

July 2012

EPA staff will be in Sandoval, Illinois to talk with its residents, local officials, community leaders, media representatives, and potentially responsible parties about community concerns regarding the Sandoval Zinc site. These community interviews will help the EPA site team learn how and when Sandoval residents want to be involved so EPA can prepare a meaningful community involvement plan (CIP).

Typically, these interviews are conducted one-on-one in the person‘s home or office. When it is completed, the CIP will specify outreach activities that the EPA expects to undertake in the coming years to involve Sandoval residents as the cleanup project progresses.

The Sandoval interview dates are July 31, August 1 and August 2. EPA invites you to participate in these interviews by calling Heriberto León, Community Involvement Coordinator at 312-886-6163 or 800-621-8431, ext. 66163 or at leon.heriberto@epa.gov.

September 2011

The Sandoval Zinc Company site has been added to the Superfund program National Priorities List. The National Priorities List is EPA's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified for long-term cleanup. EPA will try to identify any local parties potentially responsible for the contamination. For sites without a viable responsible party, EPA investigates the full extent of the contamination before starting any significant cleanup. When a site is added to the NPL it is eligible for financial resources to fully characterize the extent of the contamination and develop a cleanup plan.

News Releases

• EPA adds Sandoval, Illinois, site to Superfund National Priorities List - September 15, 2011
• EPA Adds 10 Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List / Fifteen additional sites proposed to be included on the NPL - March 8, 2011

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Fact Sheets

• EPA Planning New Round of Yard Sampling (PDF) (2pp, 485K) July 2010

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