United States	Region 5	Illinois, Indiana,

Environmental	77 West Jackson Boulevard Michigan, Minnesota,

Protection Agency Chicago, Illinois 60604-3590 Ohio, Wisconsin

&EPA

Tell us how we're doing

EPA will hold community interviews
January 15, 2003, (daytime and
evening) and January 16 (daytime).
We want to do the interviews to hear
your concerns about the Ottawa
Radiation Superfund Site. We also
want to take a fresh look at the best
ways to get information about the
site to you.

When we finish the interviews we
will revise the Community Relations
Plan that we completed in 1993. The
original plan is located in the
Reddick Library.

Each interview will take about 45
minutes and can be held in your
home, office, a local coffee shop,
library, or another place. If you
would like to talk with us but are not
available January 15 and 16, we can
schedule a phone interview with you
on a different day.

If you would like to set up an inter-
view, please call EPA's consultant,
Deb Volkmer, Weston Solutions, Inc.,
at (610) 701-5178 or e-mail:
Deborali.Volkmer@westonsolutions.com
by Friday, January 10, 2003. Or
contact Jennifer Ostermeier, EPA
Community Involvement
Coordinator, at (800) 621-8431 ext.
30618 or via e-mail at
ostermeier.jennifer@epa.gov.

EPA Outlines Cleanup Plan
for Radiation Areas

Ottawa Radiation Areas Site

Ottawa, Illinois	December 2002

Locations of NPL-l, 4, 8, 9 and Illinois Power

Cleanup designs for 5 radiation areas continue

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 is currently preparing a
report for the cleanup of 5 areas where radiation is present. These areas
have been labeled National Priorities List-1, 4, 8, 9 and Illinois Power.
The report gives details of the cleanup choices EPA made in September of
2000. The final design of the cleanup plans is tentatively planned to be
completed in spring 2004. A copy of the final design plan will be placed
in the Ottawa Radiation Areas site information repository located at the
Reddick Library.

Activities this spring

This spring EPA will test a process to separate radioactive materials above
and below the cleanup standard. This test process will use a Segmented
Gate System. We hope this will reduce the amount of soil that must be
transported and disposed of off-site. This is a pilot study and will be per-
formed for NPL-4 and 8.

Once the remedial design is finished, the next step is the remedial action,
which is starting the actual cleanup. The following list explains what we
plan to do at the sites.

NPL-l - Open Lot Near Football Field

•	Remove polluted soil

•	Put clean fill in those areas and plant grass

•	Test the soil we remove and dispose of it at a landfill that accepts
radioactive material

•	Collect water we find and treat or dispose of it

NORRIS DRIVE

MARQUE

MICHIGAN ST

SUPERIOR

SAINT GEORGE ST

HUDSON ST

JEFFERSON ST |R-SllTE

PEARL ST

MADISON ST

MAIN ST

MAIN ST

ILLINOIS RIVER

See Cleanup plan on back


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Cleanup plan (Continued from front)

NPL-4 - Former Landfill Area

•	Remove polluted soil

•	Put clean fill in those areas and plant grass

•	Sort the soil into polluted and unpolluted portions

•	Test the soil we remove and dispose of it at a
landfill that accepts radioactive material

•	Collect water we find and treat or dispose of it

NPL-8 - Conservation Area

•	Remove polluted soil down 10 feet

•	Put clean fill in those areas and plant grass

•	Sort the soil into polluted and unpolluted portions

•	Test the soil we remove and dispose of it at a
landfill that accepts radioactive material

•	Collect water we find and treat or dispose of it

•	Restrict the land's use to recreational with a deed
restriction

NPL-9 - Former Marquette Warehouse

•	Remove polluted soil

•	Put clean fill in those areas and plant grass

•	Sort the soil into polluted and unpolluted portions

•	Test the soil we remove and dispose of it at a
landfill that accepts radioactive material

Illinois Power Building

•	Remove polluted soil

•	Test the soil we remove and dispose of it at a
landfill that accepts radioactive material

•	Monitor the building for radon to make sure the
levels are safe

•	If the radon levels are high, we will reduce them
with a radon-reduction system

EPA to prepare proposed plan for NPL-11

In the spring of 2003, EPA will present cleanup options
for NPL-11 - Bellevue Avenue Residences. We will
have a public meeting and comment period to hear what
you think about these cleanup choices. After we have
heard comments we will choose a cleanup plan.

Site description and history

The Ottawa Radiation Areas site, located in LaSalle
County, Illinois, consists of 14 areas polluted by
radioactive materials. The 14 areas are scattered
throughout the city of Ottawa and places outside the
city. The areas were put on the National Priorities List
as one site because the same wastes polluted each area.

Also, the areas involve the same parties responsible for
the pollution, and require similar cleanup methods.

The pollution came from the Radium Dial Co. (from
1918 to 1936) and Luminous Processes, Inc. (from
1937 to 1978). These businesses made glow-in-the-
dark dials for clocks and watches using radium-based
paint. Building demolition material and soil, polluted
with radioactive waste, were used as fill material in the
Ottawa area. Many of the 14 areas are residential sec-
tions and include some buildings.

EPA removed the polluted soil in the residential areas
first and is now working to clean up the rest of the areas.

Information repository

A repository of information about the site is located at
the Reddick Library. It contains many documents,
including the Administrative Record, site-related techni-
cal documents, fact sheets, and general information
concerning the Superfund program. The documents are
there for your use.

Reddick Library

1010 Canal Street
Ottawa, Illinois

For more information

If you have questions or would like additional infor-
mation about the Ottawa Radiation Areas Superfund
Site, please write or call:

Jennifer Ostermeier

Community Involvement Coordinator

Office of Public Affairs (P-19J)

EPA Region 5

77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604-3590

phone: (312) 353-0618

(800) 621-8431 ext. 30618
fax: (312) 353-1155
e-mail: ostermeier.jennifer@epa.gov

Denise Boone
Remedial Project Manager
Office of Superfund (SR-6J)

EPA Region 5
77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604-3590
phone: (312) 886-6217

(800) 621-8431 ext. 66217
fax: (312) 886-4071 or (312) 353-5541
e-mail: boone.denise@epa.gov

02D-0740


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