&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
You're invited
EPA and Illinois EPA
representatives will be available for
one-on-one discussions about the
Sandoval soil sampling project at an
open house:
Wednesday, July 14
6:30 p.m.
Village Hall Community Center
102 N. Cherry
Sandoval
Residents can also pick up and sign
an access agreement form allowing
EPA to take a few soil samples from
their yards if necessary for the
village-wide pollution investigation.
The sampling is done at no cost to
the homeowner.
Contacts
If you have questions, comments or
need more information about the
latest soil sampling project in
Sandoval contact these team
members:
Pamela Molitor
EPA Project Manager
312-886-3543
molitor. pamel a@epa. gov
Patricia Krause
EPA Community Involvement
Coordinator
312-886-9506
krause.patricia@epa.gov
EPA Region 5 toll-free: 800-621-
8431
8:30 am. - 4:30 p.m., weekdays
Illinois EPA
Michelle Tebrugge
217-524-4825
michelle.tebrugge@illinois.gov
EPA Planning New Round
Of Yard Sampling
Sandoval Zinc Co. Site
Sandoval, Illinois
July 2010
As part of a focused investigation for the Sandoval Zinc Co. site, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency is asking Sandoval residents for
permission to take soil samples from their property. By signing an access
agreement a property owner agrees to let EPA or its contractor perform
this sampling at no cost to the property owner. The soil sampling is a
follow-up to an earlier investigation done by Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency at the Sandoval Zinc site. The purpose of this latest
sampling is to determine if, how much and where pollutants may have
moved from the site into surrounding neighborhoods. The collected data
will also support further response actions under EPA's Superfund
program
Permission needed
EPA wants to sample selected yards and properties throughout Sandoval,
but the Agency needs the permission of owners. Access agreement forms
have been mailed to residents, or the form can be picked up at a
community meeting scheduled for July 14 (see left-hand box for more
details). If your yard is selected for sampling, a few small holes will be
dug in the soil and the dirt will be analyzed for metal levels. You will
receive the results of the sampling and a letter explaining what happens
next.
Recent studies
• In October 2009, an Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) was
conducted as part of the site assessment process. During the site
Pollutants such as lead and zinc may have moved from the Sandoval Zinc Co.
site into surrounding Sandoval neighborhoods. EPA needs permission from
property owners /p mount a wide-ranging soil sampling project this summer.
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assessment process, environmental regulators
collect data to identify, evaluate, and rank
hazardous waste sites based on criteria called
the Hazard Ranking System.
• As part of the ESI, Illinois EPA collected
sediment (mud) samples from the drainage area
east of the Sandoval Zinc property to determine
if contaminants had moved into Prairie Creek
and wetlands.
• Soil samples were also collected from portions
of residential areas in Sandoval. Some of these
samples showed elevated levels of metals such
as zinc and lead.
Background
Sandoval Zinc Co. operated a smelter for 85 years. Zinc
smelting is the process for converting zinc-bearing ores
into pure zinc. The company closed in 1985 and then
claimed bankruptcy. Air emissions from the plant
included metals and wind-blown ash. Large amounts of
the cinder/slag from smelting were used in constructing
and surfacing secondary roads and for fill material on
the property.
The cinder/slag material that was not used by the plant
was offered to the public and village to construct roads,
driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. Many areas in
town exhibit evidence of past use of this material, some
of which has been covered with concrete.
Cleanup activities
The Sandoval Zinc site has been the subject of a
number of environmental actions over the years. In
pollutants such as lead.
1991 IEPA removed spilled fuel oil from an above-
ground storage tank. In 1993 a feasibility study that
looked at cleanup options was started but not
completed. In that study lead concentrations were found
to be greater than 10,000 parts of lead per million parts
of soil along with elevated levels of copper, nickel and
zinc. More cleanup took place in 1998 when fencing
around the property was repaired and replaced, and
waste materials slated for removal were inventoried.
Monitoring wells were also sealed and hazardous and
nonhazardous waste inside buildings were removed and
contained. Pressure washing, demolition and disposal
of site buildings and materials were also completed.
What's next?
EPA would like to begin sampling residential
properties starting at the end of July. It is important that
residents return the signed access agreements so that
sampling activities can begin.
The site will continue in the assessment process to
evaluate whether it should be placed on the National
Priorities List. NPL sites are eligible for extensive,
long-term cleanup under EPA's Superfund program A
long-term project called a remedial
investigation/feasibility study would be conducted to
start the cleanup process. A remedial investigation is a
study of the nature and extent of contamination at a
cleanup site, while the feasibility study proposes and
evaluates cleanup options. Cleanup alternatives are
evaluated against criteria including effectiveness,
overall protection and cost. EPA then proposes a
cleanup plan for the site, and people have an
opportunity to review and comment on that plan.
This process can take years to complete, but the
community is kept informed as the investigation moves
forward. If an imminent threat to human health is
discovered on the site or in the community then EPA
can step in and do an emergency cleanup.
All official documents generated by the Superfund
process are made available to the public and comment
periods and meetings will be announced in a local
newspaper.
For more information
A website about the Sandoval Zinc Co. site can be
found at: www.epa.gov/region5/sites/sandovalzinc.
A repository containing official government
documents about the site will be established at the
Sandoval Public Library, 118 E. Commerce Drive.
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