Region 5 Superfund (SF)

U.S. EPA REGION 5
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
GREENUP

Congressional District # 15

A & F MATERIAL RECLAIMING, INC.

EPA ID# ILD980397079
Last Updated: December, 2006

Site Description

The A & F Material Reclaiming, Inc. site covers nearly four acres near Greenup, Illinois (population 1,500). The facility began operations in 1977 and processed waste materials, including oil, sludge, caustic, and sulfuric acid into fuel oil and fire retardant chemicals. In 1978, four storage lagoons reached capacity and began to overflow. Twelve steel storage tanks, containing a mixture of waste oils, sludges, spent caustics, acids, contaminated water, and other waste products, were also located onsite. These tanks failed on several occasions, releasing their contents into the surrounding environment. The facility was closed in 1980.

The area surrounding the site, is agricultural, residential, commercial, municipal, and forested land. The county fairgrounds are located southwest of the site and are used year-round for the boarding and care of horses. The Embarras River is located about 1,000 feet from the site and is used for fishing and livestock watering.

Site Responsibility

The site is being addressed through federal and potentially responsible parties' actions.

Threats and Contaminants

Groundwater now contains low levels of manganese, iron, sulfate, and total dissolved solids that exceed secondary maximum contaminant levels. At one time sediments in the drainage ditch contained polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soils were contaminated with phenols and benzoic acid. As a result of cleanup activities in 1985, the only remaining health threats are those that might result from accidental ingestion of or direct contact with contaminated groundwater.

Cleanup Progress

When a lagoon overflowed in 1980, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) repaired the lagoon dikes, increased the freeboards, and cleaned the surrounding areas. In 1982, U.S. EPA increased the freeboards by treating approximately 500,000 gallons of water with activated carbon filters and discharging the treated water into the Embarras River. In 1983, when the lagoons were close to overflowing again, U.S. EPA treated and discharged approximately 1,000,000 gallons of water into the Embarras River. Sludge was moved from some of the lagoons into one of the others; the emptied lagoons were backfilled and the sludge was enclosed in a sludge cell which was covered by a temporary cap.

In 1983, U.S. EPA selected an initial measure, which included removing and disposing of all contaminated bulk liquid, oil, and drums; excavating and disposing of all contaminated soils; monitoring the groundwater; cleaning and removing all onsite equipment and buildings; testing and disposing of soil underneath the buildings that was found to be contaminated; grading the site; and removing the fence surrounding the site once all contamination was addressed. In 1984, a consent decree was entered into under which four potentially responsible parties (PRPs) agreed to undertake the cleanup at the site. U.S. EPA had started the work and this groups of PRPs completed these cleanup activities in 1985. In 1986, U.S. EPA selected a final remedy that established a monitoring program to determine whether residual groundwater contamination (including low levels of trichloroethene, sulfates, phenolics, and some metals) would decrease in the future. In 1989, four PRPs signed a consent decree for the groundwater monitoring, and this group of PRPs continues to be required to perform this monitoring.  In September 1992, U.S. EPA issued a Superfund Preliminary Site Close Out Report and the site was placed on the construction completion list.

In 2000, Cumberland County and the village of Greenup adopted ordinances, restricting water use on 67.63 acres that includes the A & F Materials site and some of the area around it. In September 2000, a five-year review report was issued by U.S. EPA for the site which stated that the remedy selected for the site remains protective.  In September 2005, a second five-year review of the site concluded that the remedy selected for the site continues to be protective of human health and the environment.

Contacts

Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPA
erica islas (islas.erica@epa.gov)
(312) 353-7209

Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
janet pope
(312) 353-0628

Aliases

A & F MATERIALS RECLAIMING, INC.
A & F MATERIALS
A & F MATERIAL RECLAIMING, INC
A & F MATERIALS/GREENUP

 

Site Profile Information

This profile provides you with information on EPA's cleanup progress at this Superfund site.