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Southeast Rockford Ground Water Contamination Site
Site Information
- Rockford, IL (Winnebago County)
- EPA ID# ILD981000417
- NPL Site Narrative
- NPL Factsheet
- CERCLIS listing
- Alias(es): N/A
Contact Information
Community Involvement Coordinator
Susan Pastor (pastor.susan@epa.gov)
312-353-1325 or 800-621-8431, ext. 31325
Remedial Project Manager
Timothy Drexler (drexler.timothy@epa.gov)
312-353-4367 or 800-621-8431, ext. 34367 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. weekdays
Illinois EPA Community Relations Coordinator
Michelle Tebrugge
(Michelle.Tebrugge@Illinois.Gov)
217-524-4825
Illinois EPA Project Manager
Doyle Wilson
(Doyle.Wilson@Illinois.Gov)
217-782-7592
Repositories
(where to view written records)
Rock River Branch
Rockford Public Library
3128 S. 11th St.
Rockford Public Library
215 N. Wyman St.
EPA Region 5 Records Center
Seventh floor
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Ill.
Background
This Superfund site consists of an approximately 7.5-square-mile area in southeastern portion of the city of Rockford. Ground water investigations performed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency between 1981 and 1988 showed that many private and municipal wells were contaminated at levels higher than federal health standards. Further investigations determined that the contaminants were used by local industries and were released into the environment from storage tanks and improper disposal practices.
In 1989, residents with high ground water contamination in their drinking water wells were given bottled water by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a temporary measure and the site was added to EPA's National Priorities List. In order to provide residents with a permanent supply of uncontaminated drinking water, EPA hooked up 547 homes to Rockford's municipal water system in 1991.
As the result of a cooperative agreement with the State of Illinois, the Illinois EPA is the lead agency for the cleanup of three sources of the ground water contamination in southeast Rockford:
- Area 4 (near Harrison Avenue and Marshall Street),
- Area 7 (Ekberg Pine Manor Park at the east end of Balsam Lane) and
- Area 11 (northeast corner of Eleventh Street and Harrison Avenue).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the lead agency for the one source of ground water contamination, Area 9/10.
Most of Area 9/10 is located on the property of the Hamilton Sunstrand Plant near the corner of Eleventh Street and Harrison Avenue. Historically, Area 9/10 has been used for industrial activity since about 1926 when the Rockford Milling Machine and Rockford Tool companies merged to become the Sundstrand Machine Tool Company.
Site Updates | Fact Sheets || Technical Documents || Five-Year Reviews || Legal Agreements || Public Meetings
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Site Updates
May 2013
EPA has completed a status review of the cleanup. This type of review is required at least every five years where the cleanup is complete but hazardous waste remains managed on-site. These reviews are done to ensure that the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment.
The review evaluated:
- Background information and cleanup requirements
- Current cleanup actions
- Effectiveness of the cleanup
- Future actions
- Maintenance and monitoring efforts
EPA has determined that the municipal water provided to homes is protecting residents’ health and the environment. However, more information needs to be collected regarding the ground water cleanup.
EPA plans to study the soil to see if vapors are affecting certain residential and commercial properties. A study of the nearby Rock River will also be done to see if wildlife is being harmed by the discharge of contaminated ground water into the river. EPA and Illinois EPA will continue to evaluate which homes and businesses still use private wells and offer them city water. Plans will also be put in place to accommodate homeowners in the future if anyone declines the hookup. When these measures are implemented and the cleanup actions are completed, the site will be considered “protective.”
The next scheduled review will be in 2018.
Fact Sheets
- EPA Announces Changes to Cleanup Plan for Superfund Site (PDF) (2pp, 268K) March 2009
Technical Documents
- Explanation of Significant Differences (PDF) (20pp, 870K) February 2009
- 2002 Record of Decision (PDF) (133pp, 845K) June 2002
- 1995 Record of Decision (PDF) (42pp, 92K) September 1995
- 1991 Record of Decision (PDF) (51pp, 172K) June 1991
Five-Year Reviews
- Third five-year review (PDF) (66pp, 2.2MB) May 2008
- Second five-year review (PDF) (79pp, 573K) May 2003
- First five-year review (PDF) (3pp, 19K) November 1998