EPA Sites in the City of Waukegan

EPA is addressing five sites in the City of Waukegan through the Superfund and the Superfund Alternative programs. Three sites are listed on the National Priorities List: Johns-Manville Corp., Outboard Marine Corporation and Yeoman Creek Landfill.  The other two sites—North Shore Gas North and South Plants—are being addressed under EPA’s Superfund Alternative Sites program.

Although these sites differ technically, the locations of these sites are all within the Waukegan community and affect the same community members.  EPA wants to make sure that the members of the affected communities know and understand when and how they can participate in decision making during the cleanup activities at these sites and that their concerns and information needs are considered and taken into account as the cleanup and post-cleanup processes continue. We are committed to promoting effective and meaningful communication between the community and the Agency.

• Johns-Manville Corp  The Johns-Manville site is a 150-acre asbestos disposal area in Waukegan, Illinois. About 3 million cubic yards of off-specification products and wastewater sludge were disposed of at the site. Johns-Manville ceased operations on site in the summer of 1998. All former manufacturing buildings were demolished in 2000-2001. Asbestos is the primary contaminant of concern. Following an extensive cleanup, sampling identified seven additional areas of asbestos contamination outside of the Johns-Manville fence line. Cleanup of the John-Manville site is being addressed under three programs – EPA Superfund program, the State of Illinois Voluntary Site Remediation Program (SRP) and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Because of the complexity of the site, EPA divided the site into separate operable units and areas to help in planning and tracking the activities needed at the different areas.
• Outboard Marine Corp  The Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) site is located in the northern section of the Waukegan Harbor. The 100-acre area along the shore of Lake Michigan is the former location of an outboard-boat-motor manufacturing plant and a former railroad tie, coal gasification and coke plant facility. Contaminants of concern include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which OMC used in hydraulic fluids at its boat motor manufacturing plant, and trichloroethene (TCE), a chlorinated solvent that OMC used to degrease newly made parts. Following immediate actions to protect human health and the environment, the site’s long-term cleanup is ongoing.
• Yeoman Creek Landfill  The 70-acre Yeoman Creek Landfill site is located in Waukegan's northwest side. A landfill operated on site from 1959 to 1969. The landfill has no bottom liner and the underlying soils are permeable. Polluted liquid from the landfill contains chemicals, elevated concentrations of metals and ammonia. Landfill gas was detected migrating off site. The site’s long-term remedy is in place. Study of landfill gas migration and groundwater monitoring are ongoing.
• North Shore Gas North Plant  The 16-acre North Shore Gas North Plant former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site (North Plant site) is located at the intersection of Pershing and Dahringer roads. The site has been contaminated with residuals from historical plant operations. Site investigation and ground water monitoring are ongoing. The site is not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) but is considered to be an NPL-caliber site and is being addressed through the Superfund Alternative Approach.

• North Shore Gas South Plant   The North Shore Gas (NSG) South Plant former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site (South Plant site) is located on Pershing Road in an industrial/commercial area of Waukegan's lakefront. The site includes the 1.9-acre former MGP facility along Pershing Road and adjacent areas where MGP residuals are now found. MGPs were industrial facilities that produced gas from coal, oil, and other feedstocks. EPA is currently overseeing steps for cleanup of dense nonaqueous phased liquids (DNAPL) at the site. The site is not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) but is considered to be an NPL-caliber site and is being addressed through the Superfund Alternative Approach.

• Waukegan Harbor Area of Concern Waukegan Harbor, an artificial harbor constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, became a major regional manufacturing and distribution site. Waukegan Harbor is located approximately 40 miles north of Chicago in Lake County, Ill., on the shore of Lake Michigan. Industries in the area contributed to environmental contamination of land and water resources during manufacturing processes. EPA, federal, state, and local partners implemented sediment remediation and habitat restoration projects at this AOC,  to restore the area and ultimately remove Waukegan Harbor’s designation as an AOC.