XV EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Attend an open house EPA will hold aii open house in the neighborhood and you are invited to attend: Wednesday, June 15, 5 - 7 p.m. Casa Maravilla 2021 S. Morgan Contact information EPA Region 5 Superfund Division 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 For technical questions: Steven Faryan On-scene Coordinator 312-353-9351 Faryan. steven@epa.gov For general questions: Heriberto Leon Community Involvement Coordinator 312-886-6163 leon.heriberto@epa.gov You may call the EPA toll-free at 800-621-8431, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., weekdays. BNSF Railroad Andy Williams Andy.Williams@BNSF.com EPA's Sangamon website: www.epa.gov/il/sangamon-right-way Chicago Department of Public Health: www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/ cdph.html Cleanup to Begin this Summer Sangamon Street Right of Way Chicago, Illinois June 2016 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement in March with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. to clean up the Sangamon Street Right of Way site. The site is limited to BNSF's right of way, which is in a residential area between 16th Street to the north and 21st Street to the south. The work that begins this summer is on the portion between 18th Street and 21st Street east of and adjacent to Sangamon Street and a sidewalk. BNSF will begin work in the middle of June under EPA oversight. Workers will begin by putting up a fence and setting up support zones. The cleanup will involve removing lead-contaminated surface soil and hazardous material. The excavated area will be fenced off with temporary fencing, covered with a fabric material and backfilled with clean till. EPA and BNSF have been coordinating with the city of Chicago, which is planning the Paseo project (see Page 3) after the cleanup is complete. All technical documents regarding the cleanup are on EPA's website (see box, left). Workers will remove some trees, signal boxes and unused power poles before they dig up the contaminated soil. Nearby residents may see heavy equipment at the site and may experience traffic interruptions and noise during work hours Monday through Saturday. Parking ban going into effect Parking will not be allowed on Sangamon Street during the cleanup. Sangamon will be one lane, north and south. A flagger will help direct traffic. This fencing was installed to prevent access to contaminated areas. BNSF will install a temporary fence in the excavation areas. ------- BNSF Railroad Lines W18th St W«8th St o WCullertonSt THIS AREA OF THE BNSF RIGHT OF WAY WILL BE FENCED TO RESTRICT ACCESS ESTIMATED BOUNDARY OF NATIONAL LEAD INDUSTRIES ESTIMATED BOUNDARY OF LOEWENTHAL METALS Legend BNSF Right-Of-Way Boundary Estimated Boundaries of Former Industrial Sites 2 ------- Status of site activities Activity Explanation Status Health & Safety Plan Establish general site operating procedures, safety guidelines and contingency plans for all proposed work to be performed on the site. Completed. Property Survey Mark the BNSF right of way property lines and hazardous excavation areas with stakes - conducted by a licensed surveyor. Completed. Utility Clearance Identify utility locations. In progress. Fencing Install fencing south of 16th Street and north of 18th Street. Planned in mid-June. Air Monitoring Plan Particulate and fugitive dust will be monitored during the entire project to protect the public and workers. Ongoing through the entire cleanup. Fugitive Dust Control Plan Identify measures that will be taken to reduce and control dust from construction activities. Completed. Topographic Survey Survey the BNSF right of way property to show elevations and drainage of storm water Completed. Soil Sampling Collect and analyze soil samples from site area. Completed. Request for Proposals Prepare and submit request for proposals from contractors to conduct work at the site. Completed. Issuance of Contracts Issue contracts to contractors to perform work needed at the site. Completed. BNSF awarded contract to conduct cleanup. Soil Removal Remove contaminated soil and properly dispose of soil. Expected to begin mid-June. Fabric Placement Place fabric at bottom of excavation area to prevent erosion, control dust and act as a demarcation barrier. After excavation is completed. Backfill with Clean Soil and Seed Backfill excavated areas with clean fill and seed to prevent erosion. At the end of the cleanup. Site background During the site investigation, a contractor hired by BNSF collected soil samples at locations selected by EPA. BNSF tested some of the samples and EPA tested others. Based on the results of this initial testing, BNSF took more samples Nov. 21, 2013, and Oct. 7-8, 2014. The results of tests on these samples were used to further evaluate the lead contamination along the BNSF right of way running from 21st Street north to 16th Street, at which point the right of way intersects the main BNSF east-west rail lines. Sampling results indicated that soil from the BNSF right of way contained lead at levels higher than the point at which EPA begins a cleanup. However, that does not necessarily mean the contamination will cause adverse health effects. Lead in the soil is a result of decades of industrial activity in the area. Three areas between 18th Street and 21st Street that were previously identified as having high levels of lead will be stabilized with a phosphate-based agent and then re-sampled. The material will then be disposed of at a landfill that is permitted to accept the waste in compliance with the law. The Paseo Project The city of Chicago has announced plans to build the Paseo along part of the abandoned BNSF railway. The city envisions the Paseo to be a greenway that will be a community centerpiece providing open space and a walking path for residents. The Paseo will be a four-mile, multi-purpose path connecting the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods. It will feature a trail, gathering spaces, gardens and public art that celebrates Latino culture. The trail's three main sections will be planned and built in phases along the BNSF right of way. The sections include: • Sangamon Street, between 16th and 21st Streets. • Cermak Road and Blue Island, between Sangamon Street and Rockwell Avenue. • 26th Street, between Rockwell Avenue and an off- street location at 32nd Street and Central Park Avenue. 3 ------- Attend an Open House EPA is holding an open house in the neighborhood to give you an opportunity to learn more about the cleanup at the Sangamon Street Right of Way project. Wednesday, June 15 5-7 p.m. Casa Maravilla 2021 S. Morgan 3)!S uoujbBubs IB in Bag oj dnueeio no pjjnpojddy oese-W909 ~ii oBeomo pA|g uos>)oer mzz (rz-is) uoisj/via punjjsdns S uojBay AousBy UO!)3S)OJd |BlUSLUUOJ|AU3 ssjeig psjiun Vd3'£ ------- |