United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
For More Information
If you are interested in the Little
Menomonee River cleanup, please
contact:
Susan Pastor
EPA Community Involvement
Coordinator
800-621-8431, Ext. 31325
weekdays 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
pastor.susan@epa.gov
Ross del Rosario
EPA Remedial Project Manager
800-621-8431, Ext. 66195
weekdays 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
delrosario.rosauro@epa.gov
Project documents are available at the
site information repository:
Mill Road Public Library
643 IN. 76th St.
Milwaukee
or at:
www. epa.gov/region5/site s/
mossamerican
What are PAHs?
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
or "PAHs," are the most common
ingredient in coal tar (creosote is
a byproduct of coal tar). PAHs can
cause cancer and skin rashes, and may
affect the eyes, kidneys and liver.
EPA Finishes Cleanup on
Little Menomonee River
Moss-American Super-fund Site
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
January 2010
••* mi
: *\Jfi
Middle portion of the river before dredging between the railroad bridge and Silver
Spring Drive.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finished the cleanup of the Little
Menomonee River in early December. The final phase of the cleanup, which
began in August, consisted of dredging contaminated sediment, or mud, in
the final stretch of river. About 5,500 tons of sediment was removed from
4,300 feet of river, starting immediately south of Silver Spring Drive moving
north to just past Appleton Avenue. This area is known as Segments (or
Reaches) 4 and 5.
Residents near this stretch of river may have noticed extra truck traffic or
heard more noise than usual. This was due to the bulldozers, excavators,
dump trucks, pumps and other types of equipment that operated 24 hours a
day, six days a week.
Temporary access roads in and out of the river were built south of Mill Road
near Little Menomonee River Parkway. These roads, which have already
been removed, were needed to accommodate large trucks taking sediment
from the river to a staging area near 107th Street and Silver Spring Drive.
Here, the material was allowed to dry before being trucked to a licensed
municipal solid waste landfill about five miles away for proper disposal. A
couple of small, temporary "haul" roads and gravel piles still remain near
Segments 2 and 3 near Good Hope Road. They will be taken out this spring.
Sediment removal, rather than a reroute as was done in other areas of the
river, was necessary due to the many bridges that cross over the river. Other
work included restoration of all areas disturbed during the cleanup and
reseeding areas that were cleared with native grasses and plants.
-------
Fall storms caused the Little Menomonee River to flood.
Ups and downs
Federal Superfund money was used to finish the cleanup
because the previous site owner, Tronox (formerly part of
Kerr-McGee), filed for bankruptcy in January 2009.
What's next?
EPA is reviewing the status of the site's cleanup. This
type of review is required at least every five years and
ensures that the cleanup continues to protect people and
the environment. The review includes:
• An evaluation of background information.
• Cleanup requirements.
• Effectiveness of the cleanup and any anticipated
future actions.
• An analysis of how EPA's completed cleanup can be
operated more efficiently.
This is the third five-year review for Moss-American.
A report, which will be available in April, will detail
the site's progress. Previous reviews were done in 2005
and 2000. Contact the site community involvement
coordinator and/or the remedial project manager to
provide input on the review process.
An active ground water treatment system is still
operating because cleanup goals have not yet been met.
EPA will continue to monitor the site through 2026.
At that time, EPA will determine if it can be removed
from the Superfund list. The final determination for
the site's status will be based on several requirements,
including approval of a closeout report (this was done
in November 2009), completion of all cleanup actions,
WDNR concurrence with EPA findings, completion of a
public comment period and EPA's response to comments.
Flooding in the Little Menomonee River put the dredging project
three to four weeks behind schedule.
The original schedule called for construction to start
by April 2009, but Tronox informed EPA in March
that it would not be able to do the work because of the
bankruptcy. Since the cleanup was nearly done, EPA
decided to complete it using Superfund money. Under the
Superfund law, EPA was required to reach an agreement
with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on
the state providing a 10 percent share of the cost. This
agreement was finalized in June 2009.
Working with WDNR, Milwaukee Parks and
Transportation and Public Works departments, and
Alderman James Bohl's office, EPA started working
around the Appleton Avenue and Silver Spring Drive
bridges in Segments 4 and 5. This is where a significant
portion of the sediment to be removed was located. Given
the physical limitations, such as height and physical
barriers, a considerable amount of time was spent there.
At the Appleton Avenue Bridge, EPA unexpectedly
encountered additional tar-like material and removed an
extra 94.5 tons of material from the river.
Heavy September and October rains were also a factor.
Dredging in the last area was delayed three to four weeks
due to river flooding. Once the skies cleared and the water
receded, work continued under an aggressive schedule to
ensure that the cleanup would be done by mid-November.
EPA's estimated cost to clean up Segments 4 and 5 with
Superfund money is $3.2 million.
River reroute
EPA and Tronox had already rerouted three segments
of the Little Menomonee River from 2002 to 2005. The
reroute included digging a new channel close to the river's
original path. About 26,000 tons of contaminated sediment
was removed and stored on the Moss-American property
at Brown Deer and Granville roads. Plants and trees were
replaced and the river bank was stabilized.
-------
Middle portion of the river after the cleanup.
The first segment between Brown Deer and Bradley roads
and the first phase for Segments 2 and 3 from Bradley to
Mill roads involved:
• Digging a new channel.
• Controlling invasive plants.
• Burying PVC pipe to connect the new and existing
channels while getting rid of standing water in
Segment 1.
• Controlling erosion near the foot bridges.
• Repairing fences.
Phase 2 of the cleanup of Segments 2 and 3, from Bradley
Road south to Good Hope Road, included:
• Sections of the river being drained.
• River flow being diverted into newly
excavated channels.
• Most of the contaminated sediment
being removed.
• Old segments being filled and graded.
• Access roads being built.
• Fences being maintained.
• In-stream "probing" being done to find
creosote in sediment.
Cleanup history
EPA and WDNR have overseen cleanup activities along
the Little Menomonee River and at the Moss-American
site for several years. The 6-mile river project followed a
cleanup of the Moss-American property on the northwest
side of Milwaukee. Since this was the source of the
river's contamination, on-site ground water and soil were
addressed first before moving on to the river.
Site Map
From 1995 to 1999, about 1,100 gallons of spilled creosote
were cleaned up from soil and ground water on the Moss-
American property. The creosote was removed via ground
water pumping wells and taken off site for proper disposal.
Ground water cleanup continued into 2000. The treatment
methods prevented the polluted ground water from seeping
into the river. Contaminants were removed through the
addition of high-pressure air streams and nutrients. From
2001 to 2002, cleanup included low-energy heat treatment
and disposal of 137,200 tons of contaminated soil.
Tronox estimated that it spent $40-50 million since 1999
on the total site cleanup, prior to temporarily suspending
work due to bankruptcy proceedings. The company also
spent $150,000 annually for operation and maintenance.
-------
Background
From 1921 to 1976, the T. J. Moss Tie Co. treated railroad
ties at the 88-acre site with a creosote and fuel-oil mixture.
Until 1971, the facility discharged waste to settling ponds
that ultimately discharged to the Little Menomonee River.
Kerr-McGee purchased the facility in 1963 and changed
its name to Moss-American. It was changed again in 1974
to Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. Forest Products Division.
In 1998, the name of this company changed to Kerr-
McGee Chemical LLC. In 2005, the company became
Tronox LLC.
In 1971, several local residents working on a cleanup
project of the Little Menomonee River received chemical
burns from a tarry substance while wading more than three
miles downriver from the site. Sampling results indicated
that the tar-like substance was creosote and that the Moss-
American facility was the source.
Under a state order, Kerr-McGee Chemical LLC cleaned out
eight former settling ponds and dredged about 1,700 feet of
river to remove creosote-contaminated soil and sediment.
After the facility closed in 1976, the eastern portion of
the property was acquired by Milwaukee County in 1978
(about 65 acres), while the Chicago and Northwestern
Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad) bought the
western parcel in 1980 (23 acres). Buildings on the site
were demolished in 1978. The site is currently used for
industrial, commercial, residential and recreational use.
The Moss-American site is one of Wisconsin's oldest
Superfund sites. It was added to EPA's list in 1984. After
Kerr-McGee studied the site according to Superfund law,
EPA approved a comprehensive cleanup plan in 1990. That
plan went through some revisions in 1997, 1998 and 2007.
The cleanup was carried out from 2000 to 2009.
•sjaqi} papAoaj}o apeuu jaded uo pajuud si jaaijs }oe} SILJJ_
99UOIUOU9|/\| 3|U!~| UO dnUB9|Q S9l|S;U!-|
31IS QNndd3dnS NVOIH3IAIV-SSOIAI
30IAU3S NUni3U
ssvio isaid
06SE-W909 II '
-M LL
punjjsdns
AouaBy
|BJU3LUUOJIAU3
sajeis
------- |