EPA begins public comment period on proposed soil cleanup plan for North Alcoa Superfund Site, East St. Louis, Illinois
EPA will hold an open house and a public meeting on Dec. 12
For Immediate Release: No. 19-OPA124
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (Dec. 9, 2019) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a 30-day public comment period on its proposed plan to remove contaminated soil from 200-acre area known as Operable Unit 2 of the North Alcoa Superfund Site in East St. Louis.
EPA representatives will be available discuss the cleanup plan one-on-one with members of the public at an open house from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12. EPA will present the proposed cleanup plan and take comments at a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. on the same day. Both public sessions will be at St. Matthew Baptist Church, 2908 Louisiana Blvd., East St. Louis.
Operations at North Alcoa’s aluminum refinery from 1902 until the late 1950s contaminated soil and groundwater at the site. The main contaminants are bauxite, a red clay material enriched with aluminum, and gypsum, a soft mineral containing calcium. Although not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL), EPA considers the site to be NPL-caliber and manages it through the Superfund Alternative Approach process.
EPA will review and respond to comments before finalizing a cleanup plan. The agency will accept comments on the proposal until Jan. 5, 2020. The public may submit comments:
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Via email at: muhtsun.ruth@epa.gov or novak.dion@epa.gov.
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Or, mail them to Ruth Muhtsun, U.S. EPA Region 5 (mail code RE-19J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604.
For more information about the proposed plan and the site, visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/alcoa-properties.
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