«>EPA Cedar Creek Studies Begin United States Environmental Protection Agency Cedar Creek Site Cedarburg, Wis. July 2003 Upcoming Public Meeting You are invited to attend a public meeting to learn more about the project. Date: August 13, 2003 Time: 7 p.m. Place: Cedarburg City Hall City Council Chambers Second Floor W63 N645 Washington Ave. Cedarburg, Wis. For special needs or accommodations, call Susan Pastor (see below). For More information ... Susan Pastor Community Involvement Coordinator (312) 353-1325 or (800) 621-8431 x 31325 pastor.susan@epa.gov Scott Hansen Remedial Project Manager (312) 886-1999 or (800)621-8431x61999 hansen.scott@epa.gov Site updates can also be found on the EPA Web site: www.epa.gov/region5 Click on Superfund & RCRA Cleanup Sites and 2003 News Releases. Site-related documents may be reviewed at: Cedarburg City Flail W63 N645 Washington Ave. Cedarburg, Wis. Cedarburg Public Library W63 N583 Hanover Ave. Cedarburg, Wis. Samples will be taken along the banks of Ruck Pond Raceway as part of EPA s investiga- tion. This stretch of Cedar Creek empties into Columbia Pond. EPA Signs Agreements with Mercury Marine, Amcast EPA recently signed legal agreements with Mercury Marine and Amcast Industrial Corp., the companies responsible for the contamination at the Cedar Creek site in Cedarburg, Wis. Under these agreements, Amcast will investi- gate its property and nearby areas. Mercury Marine will study water, soil and sediment as well as list possible cleanup options for the Cedar Creek site. The companies will summarize past site investigations and take more samples this summer. Risks to people and the enviromnent will also be evaluated. Based on a review of the companies' research, comments from the community and input from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, EPA will evaluate the cleanup options and decide which would work. EPA's recommended option will be presented to the community in a document called a proposed plan. Site location The Cedar Creek site is in the city and township of Cedarburg (Ozaukee County) in southeastern Wisconsin in a suburban residential area north of Milwaukee. Overall, the site consists of Mercury Marine's Plant 2, the Amcast facility, and the segment of Cedar Creek from below the Ruck Pond dam to the point where it meets the Milwaukee River. This includes open stretches of creek as well as Columbia Pond, Wire and Nail Pond, and the former Hamilton Pond (totaling 5.1 creek miles). ------- Columbia Mills Dam ColiMibia^Rd, Columbia Pond Former Hamilton < Pond O, Former Hamilton Dam Ruck Pond- Ruck- Dam Lakefield Rd Cedar Contamination caused by plant operations Mercury Marine, a boat engine manufacturer, operated a now-closed plant on St. John Avenue from 1951 to 1982, and used fluids containing PCBs. Fluids leaking from equip- ment were often washed into floor drains, which emptied into storm sewers. Those sewers emptied into Ruck Pond on Cedar Creek and ultimately flowed into the Milwaukee River. Automotive industry supplier Amcast, located on Hamilton Road, also had a plant that emptied waste into the creek via storm sewers. One of the storm sewers emptied into Hamilton Pond, upstream of Green Bay Road. In 1996, due to heavy rains and high creek flow, the Hamilton Dam collapsed and was removed. The pond was drained and several acres of mud flats containing PCBs were left behind. Site history The original Plant 2 building was built by Milwaukee Northern Railway Co. between 1906 and 1907. In addi- tion to being used for the repair and renovation of rail cars, the building was the operating headquarters of Milwaukee Northern. In the early 1920s, Milwaukee Northern was pur- chased by The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. As a result of this merger, the repair shop was closed except for light repairs. The property was sold in 1942 to Herbert A. Nieman & Co., which used the building as a canning factory. The property was sold again in 1950, this time to Kiekhaefer Corp., which started building outboard motors as Cedarburg Manufacturing. At this time, the plant was converted to an aluminum die-casting and machining facility. Kiekhaefer Corp. became Mercury Marine, which is now a division of the Brunswick Corp. In 1983, the building was sold to Madison Avenue Joint Venture, and was used as a dry-goods warehouse. The building was purchased back by Brunswick, Mercury Marine's parent company in 1993. The Amcast plant has operated as an aluminum casting man- ufacturer for the automotive industry since the 1930s. Amcast PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, are toxic chemi- cals that were once widely used as industrial cool- ants, insulators and lubricants. PCBs can concen- trate in the environment and the food chain, result- ing in health hazards to people, fish and wildlife. Because of these dangers, the U.S. government banned the manufacture of new PCBs in 1976. PCBs still in use are strictly regulated. 2 ------- currently operates an aluminum and magnesium die-cast facility at this location. What's been done? Mercury Marine and Wisconsin DNR have studied the site since 1984. Wisconsin DNR has extensively sampled fish tissue and sediment since 1986. Storm sewer lines near Ruck Pond were cleaned and sealed in 1994 to reduce PCB move- ment. Cleanup within the Mercury Marine plant includes the removal of three underground storage tanks. Mercury Marine removed more than 7,500 cubic yards of contaminated sedi- ment and soil from Ruck Pond (the pond farthest upstream) in 1994 and 1995. After the removal, the area was restored through bank reconstruction and landscaping, and a walkway was constructed on the east side of the pond. In 2000 and 2001, Mercury Marine removed about 14,000 tons of con- taminated soil from the banks of Hamilton Pond. The stream banks were restored by backfilling, revegetation and wetland reconstruction. What's next? This investigation will be completed in the first half of 2004. EPA will then have a better idea of how much PCB contami- nation is at the site. This will support another study called a baseline risk assessment, which will find the threats posed to people and the environment if the site is left alone. In winter 2004/2005, a document called a feasibility study will be com- pleted that will outline possible cleanup options for the site. All of Columbia Pond's banks will be sampled as part of EPA s investigation. Mailing list additions If you would like to add your name to the mailing list for the Cedar Creek site, please fill out this form and mail it to: Susan Pastor U.S. EPA Region 5 Office of Public Affairs (P-19J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 If you prefer to receive electronic mailings, please send your e-mail address to pastor.susan@epa.gov Name Address Affiliation Phone (Daytime) (Evening). E-mail Address Once you are on the mailing list, you will automatically receive information from EPA regarding the Cedar Creek Site. 3 ------- &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Office of Public Affairs (P-19J) CI DOT ^^1 AOO 77 W. Jackson Blvd. NKol ULAOO Chicago, IL 60604 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED CEDAR CREEK SITE: Cedar Creek Studies Begin This fact sheet is printed on paper made of recycled fibers. ------- |