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BUREAU COUNTY
DEPUE
Congressional District # 11
DEPUE/NEW JERSEY ZINC/MOBIL CHEMICAL CORP.
EPA ID# ILD062340641Last Updated: November, 2009
Site Description
The DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Site is located in the Village of DePue, Bureau County, Illinois, and consists of approximately 950 acres. According to the 2000 Census, the Village of DePue's population is 1,842.
The primary zinc smelting facility on the site began operations in 1903 on 175 acres of farmland, but expanded to more than 860 acres over the years as additional plants were added. The original plant produced slab zinc, used in the automobile and appliances industries, and sulfuric acid. Zinc dust was also produced and used as an additive to produce corrosive-resistant paints. In 1967, in response to the increase in the demand for phosphate fertilizer, DePue/New Jersey Zinc constructed a diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer plant. Mobil Chemical leased the DAP and sulfuric acid plants from New Jersey Zinc in 1972 and later purchased the plant in 1975. Due to economics, Mobil ceased manufacturing operations at the plant in August 1987 and the plants were demolished in April 1991.
Two preliminary site assessments were completed in 1980 and 1983, followed by site inspections in 1984 and 1987. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) conducted an expanded site inspection in March 1993 to gather additional soil, sediment, wastewater, and surface water samples. Based on those evaluations and sampling results, IEPA signed an Interim Consent Order with a group of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) known as the DePue Group on November 6, 1995, to perform various investigations and cleanup actions at the site. The DePue Group, which represents former owners and/or operators of the site, consists of ExxonMobil and CBS Corporation (formerly Viacom). In 1999, U.S. EPA formally added the DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Superfund Site to the National Priorities List.
To facilitate the investigation and cleanup of contamination, the site has been broken into five (5) areas known as Operable Units, as follows:
• Operable Unit 1, The South Ditch
• Operable Unit 2, Phosphate/Gypsum Landfill
• Operable Unit 3, The Former Plant Site Area
• Operable Unit 4, Off-Site Soils
• Operable Unit 5, DePue Lake Sediments and Floodplain
IEPA is the lead enforcement agency for the site.
Site Responsibility
The site is being addressed through IEPA and potentially responsible parties' (PRPs') actions.
Threats and Contaminants
Several sources for the contaminants have been identified: a residue pile, a waste pile, lithopone waste material ridges, a cinder fill area, contaminated soils, lagoons/cooling ponds, and the gypsum stack. All sources were found to contain elevated levels of metals including zinc, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and copper. Contamination of a fishery, state wildlife refuge, and wetlands has been documented in Lake DePue.
Cleanup Progress
The November 1995 Interim Consent Order required the DePue Group to conduct some limited response actions and a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the site. The limited response actions included securing the previous manufacturing facility, performing a rigorous dust monitoring and dust control program, and constructing a water treatment plant to treat surface water leaving the plant property and discharging into Lake DePue. The site was secured and dust control implemented during the summer of 1995. In June 1997, the DePue Group completed the construction of the water treatment plant, and it began operating on June 11, 1997. The Interim Consent Order established two sets of discharge limits for the water leaving the treatment plant and for the water entering the lake. The DePue Group was required to meet the second set of limits three years after the interim water treatment plant began operation. On June 11, 2000, the DePue Group finished work at the water treatment plant, as required by Interim Consent Order. The DePue Group has since been operating the water treatment plant.
Several of the Operable Units (OUs) at the site are in the RI/FS phase. During the RI, data is gathered to determine the nature and extent of contamination as well as the risks posed by the contamination. The FS evaluates potential cleanup options. The recent activities and status for each OU at the site are described below.
OPERABLE UNIT 1 – THE SOUTH DITCH
IEPA conducted an RI/FS in the summer of 1997 to determine the nature and extent of the contamination and to evaluate various cleanup alternatives. In October 2003, the interim cleanup plan or Record of Decision (ROD) addressed the unnatural sediments found on the site during previous IEPA investigations. Cleanup objectives included: reducing the potential for floodwater and water discharges to the South Ditch; mitigating acute exposure risk to sensitive ecological and human receptors; preventing onsite trespass; and mobilizing the unnatural sediments. The ROD selected the removal of contaminated sediment with on-site consolidation. The cleanup for OU1 was completed on June 20, 2006. IEPA will be preparing the First Five-Year Review Report for OU1, due in 2010; the report will determine whether the selected remedy is protective of human health and the environment.
OPERABLE UNIT 2 – PHOSPHATE/GYPSUM LANDFILL
The cleanup for OU2 is addressed under Illinois State Landfill Closure regulations. The landfill was capped and vegetated. An engineered wetland was constructed adjacent to the landfill as part of the landfill closure. The PRPs started a pilot test to change the vegetative cover from Kentucky 31 fescue (a potential source of fungus to grazing animals) to native prairie habitat.
OPERABLE UNIT 3 – FORMER PLANT SITE AREA
Much of the plant operations took place at OU3. The zinc smelting process produced slag waste, which was stored on-site. Currently, the slag pile is an estimated 65 ft high and one-fourth of a mile long containing various metals. The water treatment plant operated by the DePue group is also on site. The plant treats water from the lift station for copper and low pH. Phase I of the RI/FS has been completed at OU3 and Phase II is about 50% complete.
OPERABLE UNIT 4 – OFF-SITE SOILS
The removal assessment sampling results from the off-site soils showed that off-site soils were below the “Removal Action Level” for lead (1200 mg/kg). IEPA has therefore decided that the off-site soils do not warrant a removal action. There is, however, sufficient information available to require the DePue Group to conduct an RI/FS for this OU. The RI Work Plan is currently under development and sampling is expected to start in 2010.
OPERABLE UNIT 5 – DEPUE LAKE SEDIMENTS AND FLOODPLAIN
Lake DePue sits to the south of the Village of DePue and receives both contaminated surface water and groundwater discharged from the plant property. RI sampling began in July 2006 and was completed in the fall of 2007. The DePue Lake RI Report was finalized in July 2009. Results indicated that concentrations of metals (zinc, cadmium, copper, lead, etc) are elevated. The highest concentrations of these metals were located near the South Ditch discharge area and south of Division Street. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has issued an advisory to limit consumption of catfish and carp to 1 meal per month of any size, and 6 meals/year of fish less than 24 inches. Please see the 2009 Illinois Fishing information booklet from IDNR for more detailed information.
IEPA has placed complete copies of the OU5 RI Report, maps, and all data sets in the public repository at the DePue Public Library. IEPA anticipates completion of the FS Report by early 2011.
Success Story
The site was a barren, slag-covered 150+ acres in the middle of town in 1995 when the Interim Consent Order was signed. The IEPA considered the barren contaminated soil to represent a potential source of airborne particulate exposure. To assess and reduce this potential, an extensive long-term airborne particulate monitoring program was initiated along with revegetation of the major land mass of the former plant site. No risk or airborne contaminated particulate release has been noted in the sampling program.
The interim water treatment plant, constructed in 1996 and brought fully into compliance with state and federal discharge standards in 2000, has substantially reduced discharges of contaminated water to DePue Lake. This unit removes, for off-site disposal, in excess of 72,000 pounds of zinc, 5,400 pounds of manganese and 2,000 pounds of copper annually.
Community Involvement
The Village of DePue residents formed a Citizens’ Advisory Group and hosted two Lake Festivals with the IEPA Bureau of Water outreach programs in 2002 and 2004.
The land use committee guiding the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative Pilot Project relied on the participation of 13 active DePue residents. On an annual basis, the IEPA issues a DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Site Fact Sheet summarizing activities at the site. The current mailing list for IEPA’s DePue Fact Sheets include all 600 registered postal customers in DePue and an additional 180 households that have attended public meetings or otherwise expressed interest in the project. All fact sheets are written in both English and Spanish and one or more bilingual individuals attend all public meetings to provide translation support.
The DePue/New Jersey Zinc/Mobil Chemical Site is an Environmental Justice Site and managed accordingly by the IEPA.
Property Reuse
A Superfund Redevelopment Initiative Pilot Project was completed under a U.S. EPA grant in August 2004 and involved a broadly-based committee to guide the effort. The result of this redevelopment project was an assessment of viable potential future land uses and village-wide projects.
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPAcolleen moynihan (moynihan.colleen@epa.gov)
(312) 353-8196
Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
cheryl allen
(312) 353-6196
Aliases
DEPUE/NEW JERSEY ZINC/MOBIL CHEMICAL CORPORATIONDEPUE/NEW JERSEY ZINC /MOBIL CHEM CORP
DEPUE/NEW JERSEY ZINC/MOBIL CHEM CORP
NEW JERSEEY ZINC
DEPUE/NEW JERSEY ZINC /MOBIL CHEMICAL CORPORATION
DEPUE PLT
DEPUE/NEW JERSY ZINC/MOBIL CHEMICAL CORP.