Environmental Progress - Spring 2005

Illinois EPA Receives $3.6 Million in U.S. EPA Funding for Cleanup Work at Granite City Superfund Site

Federal funds enable state to perform portion of needed work at contaminated site

With $3.6 million in new federal Superfund money, Illinois EPA kicked off additional cleanup activities at Granite City's abandoned Jennison-Wright site this spring.

Jennison-Wright is an abandoned 20-acre railroad tie-treating facility located on West 22nd Street in Granite City, and has been on the Superfund National Priorities List since June 1996. The site contains 5,600 cubic yards of dioxin-contaminated soil, as well as highly contaminated groundwater, below the site.

"This funding allows us to move forward in cleaning up a top priority site for the Illinois EPA and for Governor Rod Blagojevich. We particularly appreciate the efforts of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-12th District), in bringing attention to the need for this funding," said Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Renee Cipriano.

With the award, the Illinois EPA will construct a five-acre on-site landfarm treatment cell and retention pond on north side of site; and excavate and treat 38,000 cubic yards of soil in the landfarm; construct a staging pad for storage of soil to be treated on site; excavate 1,300 cubic yards of creosote contaminated soil and 800 cubic yards of "hotspot" soil for offsite disposal.

The Illinois EPA has already cleared the site, demolished and removed two silos and several buildings, completed asbestos removal, removed numerous piles of scrap metal, concrete, wood and trash and approximately 5000 feet of steel tram rail. Once this phase is completed, the estimated cost to complete the remainder of the entire site remediation will total approximately $13 million.

"We're pleased that cleanup can start moving forward at Jennison-Wright," said Region 5 Acting Administrator Bharat Mathur. "U.S. EPA will work closely with Illinois EPA throughout the process."

Operations at the facility began prior to 1921 and continued until 1989, with three separate companies operating at the site: Midland Creosoting Company, the Jennison-Wright Corporation and 2-B-J.W., Inc (which did business as Jennison-Wright). Jennison-Wright Corporation filed for bankruptcy in November 1989 and the site has remained vacant since 1990.

Without federal funding from the Superfund program, the site would not be cleaned up. Since there are no viable Potentially Responsible Parties, 90 percent of funding for cleanup efforts must be obtained through the U.S. EPA, with the state providing a 10 percent match.