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DUPAGE COUNTY
DOWNERS GROVE
Congressional District # 13
ELLSWORTH INDUSTRIAL PARK
EPA ID# ILN000508246Last Updated: May, 2008
Site Description
The Ellsworth Industrial Park site is located in Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois. The Ellsworth Industrial Park was built in the late 1950's and currently consists of approximately 135 businesses. Surrounding properties encompass residential, recreational, and commercial/light industrial properties. The businesses that currently occupy the industrial park and the surrounding areas perform a broad range of activities. The approximate boundaries of the overall site are Burlington Avenue to the north, 63rd Street to the south, Lee and Springside Avenues to the east, and Interstate 355 (I-355) to the west. The overall site has been further subdivided into Operable Unit 1 (OU1) and Operable Unit 2 (OU2). OU1 consists of the industrial park proper. OU2 consists of the groundwater contamination areas detected in the residential areas outside (south and west) of the Ellsworth Industrial Park. OU1 consists primarily of commercial/light industrial properties, and OU2 consists primarily of residential, recreational, and commercial properties. OU1 (the Ellsworth Industrial Park) is bordered on the north by Burlington Avenue; on the south by Elmore and Inverness Avenues; on the east by Belmont Avenue; and on the west by I-355.
Site Responsibility
This site is being addressed through federal and potentially responsible parties' (PRPs') actions.
Threats and Contaminants
Soils and groundwater are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including perchloroethylene (PCE); trichloroethylene (TCE); 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and other VOCs. U.S. EPA, in coordination with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), is in the process of assessing the extent of the contamination and the risks it may pose.
Cleanup Progress
A number of past investigations have been conducted related to the Ellsworth Industrial Park site (both within and surrounding the Industrial Park) by federal, state, municipal, and private property owners. Listed below is a brief overview of these activities:
- Between the spring and fall of 2001, IEPA conducted residential well sampling east of I-355 in response to citizen concerns related to private-well sampling in neighboring Lisle;
- In response to the 2001 sampling activities, IEPA conducted a groundwater investigation within the Ellsworth Industrial Park Site during the spring of 2002;
- In February 2002, the U.S. EPA and the IEPA conducted a joint-effort Phase I Site Assessment within and outside the Ellsworth Industrial Park site to further evaluate the presence of chlorinated solvent groundwater contamination and narrow down potential source areas;
- Based on the results of the previous investigations, a Phase II Site Assessment was undertaken as a joint effort between the U.S. EPA and the IEPA.
- A supplemental investigation, performed in the spring of 2004, was undertaken by the U.S. EPA to further investigate 27 properties within and outside of the Ellsworth Industrial Park boundaries;
The U.S. EPA conducted additional hydrogeologic characterization of the Ellsworth Industrial Park site in 2003 and 2004; and
- A number of property-specific investigations have been conducted by private parties.
Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study
In April 2006, the U.S. EPA reached an agreement with the PRP group to cash-out and allow the U.S. EPA to carry-out the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS). The cost of the settlement was approximately $1,000,000. The RI field activities were conducted between October 2006 and February 2007. The RI consisted of the following activities:
- Site Reconnaissance
Building inspection
Sub-slab passive gas sampling
Utility corridor sampling
- Geological Investigation -- Soil and Underlying Unconsollidated Deposits
Beneath buildings
Outside buildings
- Hydrogeological Investigation -- Groundwater
Grab groundwater sampling
Monitoring well installation, development, and surveying
Monitoring well sampling
Hydraulic conductivity testing
Groundwater elevation measurements
Site Reconnaissance Summary:
The building inspections were conducted at 33 properties and consisted of a visual inspection of building interiors and determination of locations for sub-slab passive gas sampling. The sub-slab passive gas sampling was conducted on the 33 properties, including use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scans for buried utilities and concrete coring prior to sampler installation. A total of 100 passive gas samples were collected and submitted for VOC analysis. The utility corridor sampling was conducted within sanitary sewer manholes and storm sewer catchment basins. A total of 69 utility corridor samples were collected and submitted for VOC analysis.
Geological Investigation Summary:
The soil investigation consisted of advancing 22 soil borings beneath 10 buildings and 151 soil borings at 22 properties outside of buildings, and sampling from 75 additional borings conducted as part of the groundwater investigation. GPR and concrete boring were conducted inside buildings prior to soil sampling. The borings conducted as part of the soil investigation resulted in:
- 114 soil samples from beneath buildings analyzed at an on-site laboratory for VOCs
- 18 soil samples from beneath buildings analyzed at an off-site laboratory for confirmation of the on-site results
- 1,041 soil samples from outside of buildings analyzed at an on-site laboratory for VOCs
- 276 soil samples from outside of buildings analyzed at an off-site laboratory for confirmation of the on-site results
As part of the groundwater investigation, soil samples were also taken from 75 borings conducted at 18 properties, including:
- 754 soil samples analyzed at an on-site laboratory for VOCs
- 70 soils samples analyzed at an off-site laboratory for confirmation of the on-site results
- 33 soil samples analyzed for grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) analysis
- 13 soil samples analyzed for hydraulic permeability
Hydrogeological Investigation Summary:
Monitoring wells were installed in the unconsolidated geologic deposits (sands and silts) at the site at 26 borings at a shallow depth and 30 borings at an intermediate depth. Ten of these wells were nested pairs in the same location. In addition, nine deeper monitoring wells were installed in bedrock. Sampling and testing included:
- 30 grab groundwater samples from 29 temporary monitoring wells installed during the soil boring activities analyzed for VOCs
- 133 groundwater samples from newly installed and existing monitoring wells analyzed for VOCs
- 35 groundwater samples analyzed for anions, alkalinity, dissolved gases, nitrate-nitrite, sulfate, and TOC
- Rising and falling head slug tests at 38 monitoring well locations
The results of the RI sampling are currently being analyzed and will be documented in an RI Report. The collected data are also being used in a baseline risk assessment which provides an evaluation of the potential threat to human health and the environment in the absence of any remedial action. EPA is currently working on both the RI Report and the Baseline Risk Assessment. Also this year EPA will be preparing the FS which includes development of alternatives to address the contamination, screening of the alternatives, and a detailed analysis of the alternatives. Concurrently, EPA is assessing the potential for early actions which could be taken to reduce risk more quickly.
Success Story
Early on in the process, U.S. EPA played a critical role in engaging the various stakeholders, which included IEPA, Illinois Attorney General's Office, Village of Downers Grove, the Du Page Water Commission, and the local community, to secure up to $4.5 million to help provide for the hook-up for nearly 850 residential properties with safe and clean drinking water.
Community Involvement
From early on, public involvement and participation has been very strong. As a result of U.S. EPA support and funding, a Community Advisory Group (CAG) was formed to represent the interests of the community. The CAG remained very involved in all ongoing negotiations and eventual settlement agreement with the PRP group, and will continue to be involved during the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study.
Congressional Interest
Congressional interest was very high during the early days of the discovery and eventual settlement. Congressional support was also very critical in securing additional federal funds that helped support the water hook-up for the affected residents.