05-23-16 Residential Neighborhoods

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implementing the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act. The acronym for the program commonly used is CERCLA and the common name for the law is Superfund. Under Superfund there are two (2) different types of response actions. There are removal actions which respond to hazardous waste releases that present an imminent risk to human health that needs to be addressed immediately. There is also the remedial program which is an artifact of legacy pollution sites that do not pose an urgent threat to public health. These are complex sites that require comprehensive investigations. Based on the data to date, we are here as part of the remedial program. Ms. Davison provided a history of the site that lead to the issues that need to be addressed. This presentation is on file in the City Clerk's Office. Before the 1930s the area was the potential headwaters for the Kankakee River. From the 1930s to the 1950s the site was used as a waste dump. In the 1940s post -war housing was constructed on the southern portion of the site. In 1984 Bendix informed the EPA of past hazardous waste dumping activities in the area. After the notification, numerous sampling investigations were done on the area. In 2009, IDEM found elevated levels of lead and arsenic above background levels in the area. They referred their investigation to the EPA. Prior to the site being formally listed in the remedial program, EPA sent representatives from the removal program to do investigations of the LaSalle Park play areas. The data was evaluated and determined there was no immediate risk at unacceptable levels to park users. However, based on the historical information provided the park still warrants further investigation. In December 2013, Beck's Lake Site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL). This is why the City and Honeywell agreed to perform, with EPA oversight, an investigation focused on LaSalle Park. Once added to the NPL, EPA law provides framework to investigate for potential pollution. Ms Davison provided the steps to move forward with the remedial investigation. After the investigation by the City and Honeywell, a feasibility study will be held which allows us to look at the range of potential remedial alternatives to addressed risk. This can mean many different things. If there is no risk or contamination found, an appropriate remedy for the site would be no action. If there was risk but no exposure pathways, the EPA could require an institutional control such as a deed restriction that would restrict use to protect people from the contamination. If there is a risk found, EPA could require an engineering control such as excavation and hauling the waste to somewhere else. At this time, we don't have enough information to know what the appropriate remedy is and that is why the City and Honeywell are going to be doing the investigation this summer. Once the appropriate remedy is determined, EPA develops a proposed plan and makes it available to the public for input. The plan is then recorded into a Record of Decision (ROD). This process does take a while but the later phases of the process can be expedited dependent upon the risk found in the area. There will also be an expedited investigation in the Charles Black Recreation Area this summer. Based on whatever is found during the investigation, the EPA can allow for any type of remedy to move forward quickly and that will be included in the broader investigation of the entire LaSalle Park and Beck's Lake Superfund Site. Corporation Counsel Brisco gave a presentation on the upcoming activities during the investigation of the LaSalle Park/Beck's Lake site. Between 1989 and 2013 there have been six (6) different state and federal investigations. Soil data collected in 2009 by IDEM from a limited number of homes surrounding LaSalle Park identified elevated levels of arsenic. The levels identified at those homes did not pose an immediate risk or require an immediate cleanup. The 2