The Ingersoll site is located in an industrial area at 1000 West 120th Street in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The site is bordered by 119th Street to the north, South Morgan Street to the east, 120th Street to the south, and vacant industrial properties to the west. The geographic coordinates for the site are latitude 41°40'35" north and longitude 87°38'49" west. The site property measures approximately 12 acres and includes several interconnected, vacant buildings. A fire in the summer of 2004 destroyed a portion of the former administration areas located in the southeast portion of the site. The fence surrounding the site contains several large gaps.
The Ingersoll site has a history of industrial machining and oil use for 90 years. Borg-Warner purchased the property in 1929, and in that same period, acquired Ingersoll Steel Disc Division, manufacturer of agricultural accessories including disc blades. According to former Borg-Warner employees, electronic enclosures, hospital beds, bathtubs and sinks were also manufactured on site. During the Korean conflict, wing tanks were built, and during the Vietnam war bomb shell casings were made on the site. According to a 1975 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, an electromelt foundry was operating in the building where steel was manufactured. The former foundry building is now used as storage space.
The 1911 Sanborn Map indicates that the eastern portion of Study Area No. 7 was operated by Whitman & Barnes Manufacturing Company for the production of lawn mowers and haymaking tools. Included on the 1911 map was a machine shop, an oil house, a gas machine room, an underground gas oil tank, fuel oil tanks, four heater rooms, two engines, and two dynamos. The 1939 Sanborn Map indicates that the site was operated by the Ingersoll Steel Disk Division of Borg-Warner Corporation. The 1939 Sanborn Map shows many additions to the site including four transformer rooms, a Commonwealth Edison electrical substation, an enameling room, an above ground (AST) oil tank, three oil houses, and a pickling area. The 1950 Sanborn Map shows additions to the site including a sulfuric acid tank, additional enameling rooms, and a cleaning room. The 1975 Sanborn Map indicates additions to the site including a dipping room, an oven, and an annealing room.
In August 2005, U.S. EPA conducted a site assessment at the Ingersoll Site, which concluded that a removal action is necessary to protect human health and the environment.
On November 23, 2005, U.S. EPA approved an action memorandum requesting a CERCLA Time-Critical Removal Action at the Ingersoll Site to mitigate an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health, welfare or the environment that may be presented by the actual or threatened release of hazardous substances at or from the site.
On January 17, 2006, U.S. EPA OSC Thomas Cook and contractors mobilized to the site and began site preparation and removal
Removal activities were performed through November 10, 2006, but not all areas were able to be thoroughly addressed due to time constraints.
In February 2007, subsurface soil sampling activities performed by ERRS and START identified PCB and metal contamination above site-specific action levels. These materials remain on Site.
On April 12, 2007, U.S. EPA requested additional CERCLA funding to continue the time-critical removal action at the Site and address the findings of the February 2007 site investigation. Site remediation and removal activities included the removal, transport and disposal of remaining contaminated solids in subsurface vaults, pits and underground storage tanks; disposal of low-level PCB-contaminated soil and debris; recovery and disposal of low-level PCB-contaminated oil and sludge present in subsurface piping; and on-site treatment of low-level PCB-contaminated wastewater recovered from subsurface manholes, vaults and basements.
The city of Chicago has selected this area for rehabilitation. While much work has been completed on site to minimize the risk to human health and the environment, contaminants above site-specific action levels still remain. Additional site activities are planned by U.S. EPA to ensure the area is safe for redevelopment and reuse.
