Latest news with #EPASuperfund
Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
EPA weighing how to address Lake County asbestos contamination; ‘It's a pretty isolated location'
Whether the southwest portion of the Illinois Beach Nature Preserve at the Illinois Beach State Park is ever open to the public remains a question, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is getting closer to remediating the asbestos contamination there. Currently inaccessible to the public both by physical means — there is a fence — and an EPA ruling, Dave Nadel, the EPA's community involvement coordinator for Region 5, which includes the Chicago area, said he is in the process of finalizing the decision-making. Adjacent to the Johns Manville EPA Superfund site, Nadel said the contamination occurred years ago — likely in the 1940s or 1950s — before it became part of the nature preserve in 1964. Not part of Manville's property, dumping occurred in the past. The discovery of asbestos was more recent. 'It came to the surface through freeze cycle,' Neal said, referring to the ground freezing and thawing as the seasons change. 'We will decide on remediation and disposal.' Twice in June the EPA came to Waukegan — June 4 and 26 — to learn the public's ideas about how to handle the site. The EPA is in the process of preparing the Record of Decision Document on Operable Area 6 of the Superfund site, which is the southwest portion of the nature preserve, with a goal of finishing it by fall. Presenting three options for public comment during both the June 4 and 26 meetings, one would be no action at all, another is periodic disposal of the asbestos with all public restrictions remaining in place, according to EPA documents. The projected cost is $554,000. A third option, which Nadel said is the preferred method, is much more detailed. There will be regular removal of asbestos by properly licensed personnel both before and after controlled burns, or after any wildfire that may occur. There will be an air monitoring program. Existing institutional controls will remain, like restricted access and land-use controls to limit disturbance activities, according to the EPA documents. Any access requires physical protective equipment and 'asbestos awareness training.' The forecast cost is $967,000. Additional hazard warning signage will be placed around the area's perimeter, according to the documents. Enhanced work project practices during burns, like 'wet method mop-up' and masks, will be part of the program. All removal will be done by hand and taken to approved landfills. Mayra Mendez, the executive director of Clean Power Lake County, an environmental activist organization, said at the June 27 meeting that her group prefers the enhanced method. Though she wants to see the entire Superfund site gone — not just Operable Area 6 — it provides the most protection. 'We have a lot of endangered spaces that affect our health,' Mendez said. 'The enhanced plan is the best, and the community deserves mitigation in this environmental-justice community.' Not the only public official at the meeting, Nadel was joined by representatives of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Lake County Health Department and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission. A.J. Burlingham, an environmental health specialist with the state Health Department, said he was at the public information session to answer questions people may have about the impact of inhaling asbestos. 'The likelihood is very low at this site,' Burlingham said. 'It's a pretty isolated location that's been unavailable to the public for a long time. It's not like they had an opportunity to breathe much there.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Petition to recall Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham submitted
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A petition has been submitted to recall Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, claiming fiscal irresponsibility and failure to address critical issues, among other grounds. According to the petition, which was submitted to the City on Tuesday, March 4, some electors in the City of Pueblo are unhappy with Mayor Graham's performance in the Office of the Mayor, and are calling for a recall election and a mayoral replacement election to be held. The petition alleges numerous failures and omissions on the Mayor's part, including stripping funding from nonprofits, retaliation against opposition using police and fire department staff, and allowing illegal ordinances to be proposed, causing costly legal consequences for the city. The petition also claims Graham spends 'extensive time on social media… during council meetings.' Failure to show fiscal responsibility with the City's budget, $2M acquisition/remodel of a 650 Dittmer Ave, proposing $1,000/sq. ft + facility projects, giving extravagant raises to and/or hiring unnecessary staff. Stripping funding away from nonprofits while simultaneously squandering taxpayer money. Failure to reduce crime down to comparable statewide levels. Using police and fire department staff to retaliate against small business owners and others who oppose her. Disregard for historic preservation. Allowing illegal ordinances and practices to be proposed, leading to costly legal expenses. Failure to address Pueblo's critically unhoused population crisis, dispersing people from encampments into downtown and residential areas without a plan or adequate shelter in place. Ordering demolition in a contaminated EPA Superfund site without regard to public health or applicable laws. Spending extensive time on social media (Facebook, etc.) during City Council meetings. Failure to address fuel pricing and the monopoly that's causing Puebloans to pay approximately 40-50 cents/gallon more than surrounding cities. Refusal to listen to her constituents' complaints and suggestions. Proposing a grocery tax on Pueblo residents who are already struggling with record level food costs. The City confirmed to FOX21 News that the City Clerk and Law Office have until Monday, March 10 to review and approve the petition before it can be circulated for signatures. Mayor Graham issued a statement on the petition, which can be read below: The electors are the sole and exclusive judges of the legality, reasonableness and sufficiency of the 'removal on the grounds assigned for recall.' Last time I checked, cleaning up the City, addressing homelessness, reducing crime and bringing transparency and accountability to government is what I was overwhelmingly elected by 65% of the vote to do, and it is what I will continue to do for the next 2.5 years. I take exception to the false information being presented to the electors and I encourage the community to do your research. Mayor Heather Graham Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MPART identifies 2 new PFAS contamination sites in West Michigan
PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — The has declared two new contamination sites in West Michigan: the former site of Allied Paper's Plainwell Mill and the Roto-Finish EPA Superfund site in Portage. operated for decades at 3700 East Milham Ave. near Sprinkle Road until the business was sold and shuttered in 1988. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the company manufactured specialized equipment to polish metal casings and mechanical parts. Wastewater from the facility was emptied not nearby lagoons until municipal water and sewer was extended to the plant in 1980. Study: 1 in 3 Michiganders get drinking water from PFAS-tainted source The 7-acre property, directly east of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, was declared a Superfund site by the EPA in 1997. Contaminated soil was removed and crews spent several years running an extraction system, pulling groundwater from the aquifer and discharging it into Kalamazoo's wastewater treatment plant. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy identified the Roto-Finish property as a possible contamination site based on the chemicals used in its manufacturing process years ago, including cadmium and chromium. PFAS concerns rise as Trump administration scraps plan Groundwater tests showed elevated levels of perfluorooctanoic acid above the state's drinking water standards. The current standard for PFOA is no more than 8 parts per trillion. Tests at the Roto-Finish site registered as high as 16 ppt. Much higher levels were found in . After the completion of a soil remedy project, the 'potentially responsible party' conducted groundwater tests, which found levels of PFOA at 420 ppt and 350 ppt of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The state drinking water standard for PFOS is 16 ppt. The EPA has been working on the for more than two decades, which covers multiple properties across Allegan and Kalamazoo counties and more than 80 miles of the Kalamazoo River. MPART says there is municipal water available to nearby homes and businesses but several still rely on private wells. MPART is working to contact those landowners to test their wells. Australian official visits Plainfield Twp for PFAS filtration tips Since 1998, the EPA has removed nearly 660,000 cubic yards of contaminated material from across the Allied Paper sites, capped 82 acres of other material and restored nearly 11 miles of riverbanks. Remedial planning was approved for the Plainwell Mill property in 2018, and soil work was completed in 2022. PFAS — or — are a large group of compounds first developed in the 1940s and incorporated into all sorts of products for waterproofing and heat resistance. Decades later, research showed that PFAS compounds take a long time to break down organically and can build up in the human body, causing serious health problems, including cancer. According to the , there are more than 15,000 known PFAS compounds. The Environmental Working Group says there are now across the United States, including at least one in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and two American territories. MPART is tracking in Michigan. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
