EPA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Cleanup Plan for Chemring Building at Ellsworth Industrial Park Site in Downers Grove, Illinois
The Agency will accept comments through April 30, 2023
Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a 30-day public comment period on its proposed cleanup plan for the Chemring Energetic Devices, Inc. building at the Ellsworth Industrial Park site in Downers Grove, Illinois. EPA is cleaning up the site using the Superfund alternative approach which uses the same investigation and cleanup process and standards that are used for sites listed on the National Priorities List, or Superfund list.
EPA proposes drilling wells into the contaminated soil under the building’s foundation and installing systems to extract soil vapors and depressurize the soil-slab interface. The systems act as vacuums, pulling contaminated vapors from the soil to reduce contamination and ensure worker safety. EPA will then determine if soil vapors must be treated before they can be safely dispersed from the building’s roof into the air.
Scot Inc. constructed the building in 1958 to manufacture mapped globes. During the 1970s, operations shifted to manufacture and test military ejection systems. From the 1960s through the 1980s, the company used tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, as a degreasing agent in various manufacturing processes. In 2008, Chemring purchased the company and property from Scot Inc. EPA detected PCE contamination under the Chemring building during environmental investigations which are ongoing.
EPA will accept comments on the proposed cleanup plan through April 30. Comments can be submitted via:
- EPA’s website
- Email: safakas.kirstin@epa.gov
- Voicemail: 312-919-4621
- Mail: Kirstin Safakas
- U.S. EPA Region 5 ECO
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois 60604
To learn more and review the cleanup plan, visit EPA’s Ellsworth Industrial Park website.