Environmental Progress - Spring 1996

Waukegan Harbor Remediation Efforts Forge Ahead

Removal of more than a million pounds of contaminated soil and implementation of other cleanup activities foretell a promising future.

Remediation activities at Waukegan Harbor continue following the removal of more than one million pounds of soil contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other environmental threats at five sites in the harbor's vicinity.

In May 1995, the Waukegan project became the first in the nation to complete both the first and second stages of such a remediation effort when the Illinois EPA and the Waukegan Citizens' Advisory Group (CAG) submitted Stage II of the Remedial Action Plan the the International Joint Commission (IJC) and the U.S. EPA.

Stage II spells out how the harbor's impaired uses can be restored. Although the remedial action is a state responsibility, cleanup plans are reviewed by both the U.S. EPA and the IJC.

Due to massive PCB contamination, Waukegan Harbor and its surrounding were named as one of 43 Areas of Concern on the Great Lakes. Areas of Concern are identified using protocols developed by the United States and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987.

The Waukegan CAG was created in 1990 to assist in the comprehensive cleanup. The Illinois EPA's Greg Michaud and Bob Schacht are coordinating the Remedial Action Plan.

Illinois EPA Director Mary A. Gade said, "Much has been accomplished so far, but remediation efforts will continue. The Remedial Action Plan is part of an ongoing project; it is not merely a document gathering dust on a shelf," Gade said.

Next: sampling and dredging

The plan to restore the harbor's impaired uses is now being implemented and the Waukegan CAG is working with private organizations and government officials on several planned activities.

The "Mud Puppy," a vessel used by the U.S. EPA for sampling on the Great Lakes, is scheduled to arrive in Waukegan in April. Waukegan CAG members and Illinois EPA staff will assist in taking sediment samples from the harbor's bottom. These samples will be analyzed for toxics, metals and volatile organic compounds. Laboratory finding will help gauge the effectiveness of the Superfund action that removed PCB-contaminated soils from Waukegan Harbor and its adjacencies.

Other projected activities include fish sampling, which will be conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois EPA. Fish sampling results will be another measure used to determine when Waukegan Harbor can be delisted as an Area of Concern.

The Waukegan CAG is also working on plans with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other federal representatives to dredge the shipping channel leading to inner Waukegan Harbor.

Fully loaded vessels are currently unable to enter the harbor, reportedly causing some area businesses to pay higher shipping costs. Dredging of Waukegan Harbor is planned for the late 1990s.