Environmental Progress - Summer 2000

Some Murphysboro Residents Will Be Moved During U.S. EPA Cleanup

Elevated levels of lead, dioxin, other contaminants identified at site

Some citizens of the southern Illinois town of Murphysboro will be relocated during a cleanup of elevated levels of lead, dioxin and other contaminants in and around the subdivision where they live. The Meadows of Murphy subdivision was developed in an area once used by the Mobile and Ohio Railroad for a railroad switching yard, roundhouse and storage for railroad ties. Murphysboro is about 10 miles west of Carbondale in Jackson County.

Three areas with highest contaminant levels and considered the greatest public health risks were sealed and fenced to prevent public entry.

The soil contamination was discovered after the Jackson County Health Department issued a violation notice, involving discarded drum materials, to Cox Trucking of Murphysboro in December 1998. Cox Trucking had purchased the site, a former salvage yard, to provide additional parking for its trucking business. The Greenberg Salvage Yard, which had operated as a junkyard from the 1930s until 1985, had been part of the larger parcel owned and used by the Mobile and Ohio railroad. Further examination of the property revealed soil contamination, and Cox Trucking entered the IEPA's site remediation program to address the problem.

The Site Remediation Program is a voluntary program which allows property owners to conduct investigation and remedial activities, with IEPA oversight, to address environmental issues.

Investigation uncovered battery plates, other debris.

During the Site Remediation Program investigation, battery plates and other debris were found, suggesting that lead contamination might have been caused by battery cracking at the junkyard, in addition to operations at the railyard.

Four areas have been referred to U.S. EPA for cleanup and oversight. In yellow: Three areas were sealed by IEPA due to their public health risk. In blue: the Meadows of Murphysboro subdivision. Residents is this area will be relocated for remediation.

The IEPA Bureau of Land continued testing on other former Mobile and Ohio Railroad properties adjacent to the former junkyard. Soil testing was conducted on a 1.5-acre portion of the site, located north of Gartside Street; analytical results again revealed elevated levels of lead. The IEPA requested further sampling that revealed that the portion of the former salvage yard south of Gartside Street also had elevated levels of lead and dioxin, as well as semi-volatile contaminants or polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

As a result of the soil analysis, the IEPA determined that the former Greenberg Salvage property posed a danger to the public and immediately imposed a seal order on the areas of most concern. Since access to these areas was not restricted, fences were constructed around three areas to prevent public entry. The three areas sealed, marked in yellow on the map, are not, nor have they been in recent history, residential areas. They were fenced because of their close proximity to residential areas.

Because of the extent of the contamination and the estimated cost of the cleanup, the facility was referred to U.S. EPA for cleanup and oversight. U.S. EPA agreed to take over the project as a federal removal action, which allows them to prioritize soil removal with continued support of the IEPA. The U.S. EPA categorized the project as a "time critical removal" which allowed them to expedite the clean up.

Residential properties were sampled.

In the meantime, sampling continued as part of the off-site investigation. Approximately 28 residential properties located east of the Greenberg site, on property formerly owned by the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, were investigated and the soils sampled. Results showed elevated levels of lead, dioxin, and other contaminents on some of these residential properties along Meadow and Glover Lanes. The area is marked in blue on the map.

Since these were residential properties, the Illinois Department of Public Health reviewed the results of the residential soil sampling and conducted wipe samples inside the homes. They concluded that, with proper precautions, there would be no short-term health risk to the residents. However, the potential of a long-term health risk will continue to be evaluated.

These residential properties are adjacent to the Greenberg site, and the contamination was discovered as part of that investigation, but the IEPA believes that contamination on residential properties resulted from activities on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad property.

Illinois EPA is continuing its CERCLA investigation on the parcels on Mobile and Ohio Railroad property south of the subdivision, and will report these findings to the residents and the city as they become available. Discussions with Potentially Responsible Parties, or PRPs, are ongoing.

Michelle Tebrugge, IEPA Office of Community Relations, responds to questions from a Murphysboro resident at a public availability session.

In order to properly clean up the subdivision, U.S. EPA determined that residents should be relocated during the remediation process, but indicated they would make every effort to minimize disruption of the lives of the displaced residents.

In May 2000, U.S. EPA issued a unilateral order to Canadian National Railroad, the current owner of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad property, to initiate cleanup. They received a response from the railroad June 8, stating their intent to comply with the order. This unilateral order affects only the subdivision area, but will allow the cleanup to proceed. The railroad is providing a work plan, which will detail how the cleanup will be implemented.

As soon as plans can be finalized, U.S. EPA will begin removing soils from the residential areas and dispose of them at a hazardous waste landfill. This soil will be replaced with clean fill soil.

While priority was given to the areas with the greatest potential risk to the citizens of Murphysboro, both the IEPA and the U.S. EPA feel the potential for contamination exists throughout the entire Mobile and Ohio Railroad property. Therefore, sampling and investigation will continue until the extent of the contamination is determined.