x>EPA
United States
Environmental Proection
Agency
For more information
For general information:
Dave Novak
Community Involvement
Coordinator
312-886-7478
novak.dave@epa.gov
For technical information:
Thomas Alcamo
EPA Project Manager
312-886-7278
alcamo.thomas@epa.gov
EPA Region 5 address:
77 W.Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
Region 5 toll-free: 800-621-8431,
9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., weekdays
Website:
www copa.org
Documents:
Official documents about the
PCB sites can be reviewed at:
Monroe County
Public Library
Indiana Room
303 E. Kirkwood
Bloomington
Cleanup Activities Begin
At PCB Sites
CBS Corp. /Westinghouse Electric PCB Dumps/
ABB Plant Site
Bloomington, Indiana
July 2010
Winston-Thomas
ISF
Figure 1. Overview of the Bloomington PCB Sites
Cleanup activities for a number of PCB-contaminated sites in the
Bloomington area are beginning this summer. One year ago a federal
court in Indianapolis approved a final agreement between responsible
party CBS Corp. and UiS. Environmental Protection Agency and
state and local partners Indiana Department of Environmental
Management, city of Bloomington and Monroe County. The
agreement called for CBS to pay for the cleanup of contaminated
ground water (underground water), soil and sediment (mud) at three
PCB-contaminated sites. The PCBs originated from waste electrical
capacitors manufactured in the area and disposed of at the various
sites. See the box on page 4 for an explanation.of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and their effect on human health and the
environment.
A majority of the work will happen at Bennett's Dump, Neal's Landfill
and Lemon Lane Landfill. The building called the Interim Storage
Facility near Bloomington's Winston Thomas Wastewater Treatment
Plant will also be demolished and recycled. Cleanup activities at the
ABB Plant site (formerly Westinghouse Electric) at 300 N. Curry
Pike in Bloomington are almost completed as the majority of work
was finished this January. The following text contains a rundown of
cleanup work at the various sites.
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Passive Quarry
Drain Line
Wedge Quarry • • Mound
Passive Drain Line
uv
Pit "A"
Figure 2. Bennett's Dump site features and depiction of the passive quarry drain.
Bennett's Dump
Construction has started on the installation of a
passive quarry drain at Bennett's Dump. CBS
has hired the firm Focus Environmental to install
the drain. Focus was also the cleanup contractor
for the ABB work. The passive quarry drain will
help reduce the flow of PCB-contaminated ground
water from springs on the Bennett's Dump site into
Stout's Creek. An area near Bennett's Dump called
the Wedge Quarry complex contains two quarries
filled with water. The water in these quarries is
not contaminated. However, results from the site
investigation showed that when the water in the
quarries is drained to a specific depth, it helps to
reduce the flow of water from the PCB-contaminated
springs on the site.
For the passive quarry drain, a trench will be cut into
the rock in order to drain water from a wet area called
Pit A into Wedge Quarry. Another trench will be cut
into rock that will drain Wedge Quarry into Wedge
Quarry South. Finally, a trench from Wedge South to
Stout's Creek will help to maintain the water in the
two quarries at a level that will aid in reducing ground
water flow from the springs on the Bennett's Dump
site. Ground water is an environmental term for a
supply of underground fresh water.
Once the passive quarry drain is installed, a study will
begin to determine if PCBs continue to be released
from the on-site springs. If PCBs continue to seep into
Stout's Creek, a collection trench will be installed and
the contaminated spring water will be gathered and
treated in a newly constructed on-site water treatment
plant.
ABB Plant
As mentioned above most of the cleanup at the
ABB Plant site is done. Soil at a few spots must
be compacted since winter weather prevented the
completion of site restoration activities along with
water drainage improvements on the property. All
contaminated soil has been excavated and disposed
of in off-site landfills approved to accept PCB
waste. More than 40,000 tons of PCB-contaminated
soil was removed. Also, about 4,000 tons of PCB-
contaminated concrete was taken from the site.
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Figure 3. Former ABB Plant in the early 1990'sand current conditions during site restoration activities.
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What about PCBs?
Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs are a group
of man-made chemical compounds that last a
long time in the environment and potentially
cause cancer and other health problems. PCBs
were widely used as industrial coolants and
lubricants, but manufacture of the compound was
banned in 1977. PCB mixtures still remain in old
electrical equipment and other items. There is
also substantial PCB contamination of landfills
and rivers in this country. PCBs can accumulate
in the tissue of living organisms such as fish and
birds and then travel up the food chain to humans.
People can also be directly exposed to PCBs
through swallowing, breathing or drinking tainted
soil, dust particles or water.
The location may be redeveloped for commercial
or industrial use. Restoration activities will include
grading the site and planting grass seed.
A ground water and sediment (mud) investigation is
also under way by CBS at the ABB site. The ground
water investigation shows a small waterway named
Detmer Spring is directly connected to the ABB
property. Sampling data at Detmer Spring show
volatile organic compounds at low levels and very
low concentrations of PCBs.
Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are a family
of chemicals that can dissolve in underground water
supplies and give off harmful vapors. Concentrations
of PCBs and VOCs are not at strengths that require
treatment. Detmer Spring will continue to be
monitored so regulators will know if pollutant levels
become hazardous. In April 2009 CBS completed
sediment sampling in the West Branch of Stout's
Creek, and those results show no cleanup will be
needed. Once the site work is completed, the location
can be redeveloped for commercial or industrial
activities.
Lemon Lane Landfill
Construction activities have begun to expand the
Illinois Central Spring (ICS) water treatment plant
and remove PCB-contaminated soil and sediment near
the treatment facility. EPA built the water treatment
plant that became operational in the spring of 2000 to
treat PCB-contaminated water from ICS. The plant
can treat 1,000 gallons per minute of contaminated
spring water and includes 1.2 million gallons of
stormwater storage. The plant is going to be expanded
to treat an additional 5,000 gallons per minute of
PCB-contaminated water during storm events. On
average three times a year storms produce flows
from ICS that cannot be handled by the 1,000-gallon-
per-minute capacity treatment plant. The expansion
should stop the overflow of PCB-contaminated water
into Clear Creek during heavy rains. Eight containers,
each holding 20,000 pounds of activated carbon,
will be used to remove PCBs and other volatile
contaminants from the stormwater.
In addition to expanding the water treatment plant,
a new line to carry treated water will be installed.
Soil and sediment near the water treatment plant
contaminated with PCBs will also be removed.
Construction of the new water line has begun, and the
soil and sediment cleanup will begin once that work is
completed.
Three areas - the mouth of ICS and spots called the
swallowhole and quarry springs - near the water
treatment plant are scheduled to undergo soil and
sediment cleanup after the installation of the new
effluent line later this summer. It is estimated that
about 1,200 cubic yards of PCB contaminated soils/
sediment will be excavated and disposed of off-site.
About 50 truck loads will be required to transport
the PCB contaminated material to a landfill that can
accept PCB waste material.
The PCB contamination in the soil and sediment are
at much lower concentrations compared to previous
cleanups completed in the Bloomington area. But
Figure 4. ICS Water Treatment Plant
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CONTAMINATED
SIORACE TANK
WATER FOR
TREATMENT
VSPRING RECEIVING
SUMP BUILDING
Figure 5. Location of the new water line that will carry treated water to Clear Creek and the location of new piping from the
stormwater storage tanks into the building to be processed by the new treatment system.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL SPRING (ICS) FORMER CREEK CHANNEL
GENERAL FOCUS AREAS
Figure 6. Locations that are scheduled for cleanup around Illinois Central Spring. It is expected that about 2,000 tons (80 truckloads)
of PCB-contaminated soil and sediment -will be excavated and removed off-site.
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Figure 7. New effluent line construction.
similar precautions used previously such as dust
control and air monitoring will be implemented
during the latest excavation activities so people will
be safe. The contaminated soil will be disposed of off-
site in an approved landfill that can accept PCBs.
The installation of the new effluent line will be
completed by mid-August, while cleanup of the ICS
emergence and swallowhole and quarry springs areas
are expected to be done by mid-September. The ICS
water treatment plant expansion will begin after the
cleanup of those three areas and should be completed
in January 2011.
Interim Storage Facility
A building called the Interim Storage Facility that
was used to store PCBs from the Bloomington area
prior to 1998 will be demolished this summer. The
PCBs stored in the building were removed in 1998
and the structure was cleaned. Prior to demolition,
the building will again be cleaned and sampled to
ensure all the PCBs have been removed. The building
material will be recycled, including concrete. The
demolition should be completed by this September.
Next steps
EPA will provide another update later this summer as
construction activities move forward.
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§••^^^^•^••1
Figure 8. The swallawhole area scheduled for cleanup with trees and vegetation removed.
Figure 9. An example of two carbon vessels similar to the ones that are going to be installed at the ICS-water treatment plant.
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Figure 10. Interim Storage Facility building.
c/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 5
Superfund Division (SI-7J)
77 W.Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
RETURN ADDRESS REQUESTED
PCB Bloomington Sites: Cleanup Activities Beginning
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