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The Hough Place Station Site (Site) is located at 2500 South Corbett Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in a mixed residential, commercial, and industrial area. The site is approximately 4.5 acres and is bordered to the north by the South Branch of the Chicago River, to the east by a paper storage and distribution facility, to the south by railroad property, and to the west by vacant property. The vacant property to the west and the Site is currently owned by Crowley’s Yacht Yard which previously operated a sailboat storage, sales, and repair facility at the Site.
The Site is a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) that operated as an MGP facility from approximately 1886 to 1934. The Site was built in 1985 by the Equitable Gas Light and Fuel Company and in 1892 began producing “Pintsch gas,” a relatively high quality gas produced by an oil gas process, for the Pintsch Compressing Company. Production of Pintsch gas occurred until about the early 1920s. In 1897 Peoples Gas acquired the facility and dismantled the station in 1934. Portions of the property were subsequently leased to other companies who used the property for storage of building materials and the production of asphalt, concrete, and other paving materials until approximately 1950. In 1953, Chicago Title and Trust Company took possession of the property as trustee. From approximately 1953 and 1978, the J.M. Corbett Company operated an asphalt mixing plant on the property. In 1978, Crowley’s Yacht Yard bought the property.
Several investigations have been conducted at the Site in recent years by Peoples Gas from 2000 to November 2006. These investigations included the excavation of test pits, the installation of shallow monitoring wells, the collection of soil borings, the collection of soil and groundwater samples, a geotechnical investigation, and borings into river sediments. Test pits revealed staining and odors, and black asphalt tar at 2 feet below ground surface (bgs). Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); metals, and cyanide were detected in several surface and subsurface soil samples. BTEX, PAHs, and metals were also detected in groundwater samples collected at the Site. Soil borings indicated tar at levels below the water level in the filled-in boat slip. The river investigation revealed sheens, odors, tar coated/stained material, and traces of tar in some of the sediment borings.
Remediation activities by Peoples Gas began in November 2006 under the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Site Remediation Program. The PRP contractor remediating the Site is Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. (BMcD) along with their subcontractors.
Remediation consists of excavation and disposal of contaminated soils. Excavation depths range from approximately 3 feet to 24 feet bgs. Other site activities by the potentially responsible party (PRP) include daily air monitoring, continuous 24-hour perimeter air monitoring and sampling, confirmation soil sampling, and water disposal.
Prior to the U.S. EPA oversight at the Site, BMcD completed excavation of impacted material in excavation cells CF01 to CF58 (see BMcD map of excavation areas under “documents” on the OSC website). An Administrative Order on Consent was signed by Peoples Gas in early June 2007 prompting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) to begin PRP oversight activities at the Site.
On June 12, 2007, a kick-off meeting was held at the 22nd Street Site between U.S. EPA, START, Peoples Gas, and BMcD, to discuss future oversight activities, documents required, and logistics for transmitting data and documents. The meeting addressed three MGP sites that U.S. EPA would be overseeing that are located within one mile of each other: 22nd Street Station, Hough Place, and Pitney Court. Note that one START member is to cover oversight of these three sites and will rotate to a different site each day. Both Hough Place and Pitney Court remediations are expected to be completed by end of 2007 while the 22nd Street Station Site remediation is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
On June 18, 2007, U.S. EPA began PRP oversight activities at the three Peoples Gas MGP sites: Hough Place Station, Pitney Court, and 22nd Street Station. The U.S. EPA Superfund Technical and Response Team (START) contractor is performing PRP oversight during the removal activities at the sites. As part of the removal activities, START collects confirmation samples of soil to confirm that the PRP cleanup objectives are being met. Site contaminants of concern are:
• BTEX;
• PAHs;
• Synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) lead, chromium, and selenium.
Cleanup objectives are for the Hough Place Station Site are IEPA TACO Tier I residential standards for soil ingestion and inhalation.
During the reporting period, the PRP performed excavations in excavation cells CF69, CF70, CF71, CF72, CF73, and CF68 and conducted confirmation sampling of CF67, CF68, and CF69. Confirmation sampling and backfilling activities were delayed by water ponded in the excavation due to rain events and perched water. START performed characterization sampling of ponded water in excavation cells CF45/65/66, along with the PRP.
A summary of the activities performed during the reporting period by BMcD are as follows:
• Transported 476 loads to CID Landfill in Calumet City, Illinois; truck tires decontaminated prior to leaving site
• Performed perimeter air sampling and air monitoring on a continuous basis (24-hour air samples and air monitoring is conducted around the perimeter). On August 1, 2, 3, and 7, 2007, dust air level exceedances were detected. BMcD addressed the exceedances by placing odor and dust suppressing foam and/or wood chips on the soil excavation and stockpile, and by suppressing dust with use of the water truck.
• Performed health and safety air monitoring during site activities.
• Performed street sweeping activities in front of the Site and along Senour Street
• Performed daily de-watering activities in excavation areas and stored the water in frac tanks until transported to disposal facility
• Performed dust suppression activities on-site and along Senour Street with use of a water truck
• Transported approximately 85 loads of water from excavation areas to Ortek and CID for disposal
• Collected confirmation soil samples from excavation cells CF67, CF68 and CF69
• Backfilled completed excavation cells
On August 2, 2007, START personnel observed as BMcD collected confirmation soil samples from the floor and west side wall of excavation cell CF67. The side sample was taken from a composite area approximately fourteen to twenty feet below ground surface (bgs). The area from zero to five feet bgs consisted of clean backfill, placed by the PRP after the remediation of the adjacent cell. The floor and side samples were analyzed for BTEX and PAHs. Results have not yet been reported by BMcD.
On August 3, 2007, START personnel observed as BMcD collected confirmation soil samples from the floor of excavation cell CF68. The sample was analyzed for BTEX and PAHs. Results have not yet been reported by BMcD.
On August 3, 2007, START personnel directed sampling of ponded water present in CF64/65/66. START personnel, along with BMcD, collected 1 composite water sample from these areas to characterize potential impacts in the water. The START sample was analyzed for TAL metals, TCL VOCs and PAHs. Results have not yet been reported.
On August 7, 2007, START personnel observed as BMcD collected confirmation soil samples from the floor of excavation cell CF69. The sample was analyzed for BTEX and PAHs. Results have not yet been reported by BMcD.
On August 8, 2007, BMcD completed dewatering excavation cell CF66. START personnel and BMcD inspected the floor of CF66. BMcD removed additional soil and then began backfilling a portion of CF66. On August 9, 2007, BMcD completed dewatering excavation cells CF64/65/66. START personnel and BMcD inspected the floor of CF64/65/66. BMcD removed additional soil and then began backfilling CF64/65/66.
On August 9, 2007, EPA On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) Thomas Cook came to the Former Hough Place Station site to view site progress.
BMcD is in the process of finalizing a discharge permit with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) for the purpose of discharging treated water to the MWRD sanitary sewer. BMcD has installed a water treatment area on site that includes an oil/water separator, two bag filters, and two carbon filters. Once the permit is finalized, BMcD will begin treating on-site water and discharging to sanitary sewer.
Planned removal actions at the Hough Place Station Site are as follows:
• Excavate soil per the RAP
• Transport excavated soil to CID Landfill for disposal
• De-water excavation areas
• Transport water from excavation areas to disposal/ reclamation facilities
• Backfill completed excavation areas
The next steps to be carried out by the PRP are as follows:
• Complete excavation of cells CF70, CF71, CF72 and CF73; including disposal of soil
• Begin excavation of cell CF74
• Continue to de-water excavation areas as required
• Transport water from excavation areas to disposal/ reclamation facilities
• Continue dust suppression activities with water truck
• Continue 24-hour perimeter air monitoring and sampling
• Continue air monitoring in work zones
• Continue street sweeping activities
• Continue to decontaminate trucks prior to trucks leaving site
• Collect confirmation samples of cells CF70, when completed
• Backfill completed excavation cells with clean fill when confirmation results are received
• Finalize permit with MWRD so that on-site water treatment can begin
None.
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