Outboard Marine Corporation
Plant 2
Waukegan, Illinois

Site Description

The Outboard Marine Corporation, Inc., (OMC) is in Waukegan, Lake County, IL. Plant 2, one of four cleanup projects that make up the OMC site, was a former outboard motor manufacturing facility. It occupies approximately 60 acres of land in a marine recreational and industrial area. Facility operations at Plant 2 used hazardous substances such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing hydraulic oils (from the 1960s to the 1970s) and trichloroethene (TCE). OMC abandoned the Plant 2 facility in 2002 after declaring bankruptcy. EPA has identified PCB contamination in soil and inside the abandoned building. In the ground water, EPA identified TCE, dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride contamination as well as a dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) deposit consisting of TCE.

Current Site Status and Cleanup Actions to Date

• EPA conducted several short-term cleanup actions at Plant 2 from 2001 to 2007 to remove hazardous compounds, secure the abandoned building from trespassers, and clean up high PCB levels in soil.
• In 2007, EPA selected the long-term cleanup approaches for the Plant 2 building and soil.
• In June 2008, EPA completed the design of the cleanup for the soil and building, which includes: excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment as well as the demolition and off-site disposal of the PCB-contaminated building.
• In August 2008, EPA released for public comment a proposed cleanup plan to address the ground water and DNAPL contaminants.

Current Funding Status

• In FY 2008, the cleanup activities for which EPA did not obligate funds involved, among other actions, excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil and sediment.
• To date, EPA has obligated approximately $1.6 million for cleanup activities at this site.

For more information on this site, please read the OMC site fact sheet (http://www.epa.gov/region5superfund/npl/illinois/ILD000802827.htm) on the Region 5 Superfund web site.