Return to Use Initiativ 2007 Demonstration Project Parsons Casket Hardware Company: Belvidere, Illinois THE SITE: The Parsons Casket Hardware Company manufactured decorative metal fittings for caskets from the early 1920s to 1982 in Belvidere, Illinois. Manufacturing operations required the use of hazardous chemicals and resulted in hazardous waste byproducts, which were stored in drums, aboveground and underground storage tanks, and an unlined surface impoundment. Ground water was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and soils were polluted with VOCs and heavy metals. The Parsons Casket Hardware Company continued to operate in the facility until it filed for bankruptcy in 1982. Bordered by residential communities and industrial areas, the site itself is six acres, with a ground water plume extending an additional 75 acres or more. In 1985, the State of Illinois began the cleanup of the unlined surface impoundment and the storage tanks on the site. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1987 and soil cleanup was completed in 2002. THE OPPORTUNITY: The City of Belvidere would like to use a portion of the Parsons site to extend a truck route from the bypass into the commercial area around the Parsons site. The new road would route traffic away from nearby residential areas. THE BARRIERS: The Record of Decision requires deed restrictions on the property. In order for the City to use the site for a road, wellheads may need to be relocated or flush-mounted. Cleanup equipment remaining on the site will also need to be removed before reuse can occur. THE SOLUTION: EPA has prepared a "reasonable steps letter" to advise the City on the future reuse of the site and the steps needed to protect the integrity of the remedy, including implementation of institutional controls. THE SITE NOW: The site is fenced and ready for the final steps that will prepare the property for reuse. EPA is involved in discussions with the City of Belvidere to help evaluate the site's conditions and reuse status. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Syed Quadri, Remedial Barriers: Implementation of deed restrictions Solution: Collaboration between EPA and the City to implement institutional controls and evaluate reuse options Before: Vacant site After: Potential location for a new road that will route traffic away from residential areas Superfund Redevelopment Initiative ------- Project Manager, at (312) 886-5736 or quadri.syed@epa.gov: or Tom Bloom, Region 5 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at (312) 886-1967 or bloom.thomas@epa.gov. Superfund Redevelopment Initiative ------- |