EPA Follows to Determine the Best Way to Clean up a Contaminated Site and Opportunities for Community Involvement Throughout the Process

Mattheissen & Hegeler Superfund Site COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN October 2016 Contents Section 1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................................1 Section 2 COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS .................................................................................................3 Section 3 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT GOALS AND ACTIVITIES ..............................................................................5 Section 4 THE COMMUNITY .................................................................................................................................................11 Section 5 THE SITE ...................................................................................................................................................................17 APPENDICES Appendix A – Glossary – Initials – Acronyms: Lists the definition of key words, initials and acronyms (words are in bold throughout the document). Appendix B – Community Resources: Identifies places where community members can find more information about the site and the public meeting location recommended by people interviewed. Appendix C – List of Contacts: Provides a list of federal, state, and local agencies and interested groups. Appendix D – Community Engagement and the Superfund Process: Gives an overview of the step-by-step process U.S. EPA follows to determine the best way to clean up a contaminated site and opportunities for community involvement throughout the process. Appendix E – Fact Sheets: Includes U.S. EPA fact sheets. i Section 1 INTRODUCTION This section describes the purpose of this CIP and present’s U.S. EPA’ community WHAT IS A CIP? outreach goals. A Community Involvement Plan, or CIP is a The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepared “living” document that will evolve as activities at this Revised Community Involvement Plan to inform, the site continue and input is received from the engage and support the community affected by the community. The CIP identifies the community’s Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Company Superfund site issues, needs, and concerns, as well as specific located in the city of LaSalle, LaSalle County, Ill. This activities, outreach products, and programs EPA revised plan is an update of the 2005 CIP for the M&H will use to address the community’s concerns. Superfund site. It is a flexible guide for EPA’s communications with community residents, businesses and The original CIP developed in 2005 noted the following organizations. primary concerns: • What are the contaminants at the site This updated CIP describes U.S. EPA’s plan for addressing • Could the contaminants be in the air concerns and keeping residents informed and involved in cleanup activities at the site. We will use this • What is the potential effect of the contamination on document as a guide to involve and communicate with the Little Vermilion and Illinois rivers residents, businesses and local government officials in • Potential impact on the fish in the rivers LaSalle and Peru. • Will slag remaining on the site If you are interested in submitting comments or have questions or suggestions concerning the CIP, please • Lack of communication contact: • What, if any, impact does the site have on drinking Teresa Jones water, gardens and property values Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 5 (SI-7J) Our community involvement effort is committed to 77 W. Jackson Blvd. promoting effective and meaningful communication Chicago, IL 60604-3507 between the public and the Agency. We always want 312-886-0725 to make sure the community’s current concerns and [email protected] information needs are taken into account. Effective community involvement can be beneficial to both the community and the Agency. It gives community members a better understanding of the Superfund The role of the CIC is to make sure the community process and provides opportunities for the public to is meaningfully engaged in site activities. be heard during the decision-making process. When the public is involved it results in a better outcome for everyone. Words appearing in boldface are defined in Appendix A. 1 Brief Site Overview The 227-acre M&H Zinc site of La Salle and Peru Illinois. the site that contain metals such as cadmium, copper, A primary zinc smelting and rolling facility operated on chromium, lead, nickel and zinc. Contamination from the site from 1858 to 1978. Former smelting and rolling the former smelting processes have also been found in processes produced pollution that remains on site. samples collected from the surrounding residential area. Environmental concerns include slag waste piles across See Section 5, The Site, for more detailed information. Community Engagement is Essential to the Success of Superfund Ongoing input and involvement by the community is of a cleanup. Information can help identify any problems essential to our efforts to provide effective community associated with the cleanup, where contamination engagement. We have learned that the Agency’s might still remain and how people may still be exposed decision-making ability is enhanced by actively seeking to the contamination and perhaps sources of the input and information from the community. EPA contamination. encourages community members to be involved at all phases of the cleanup. Residents, business owners and local government officials may be able to provide valuable information about a site and the effectiveness EPA’s community outreach program objectives • Assist the public in understanding EPA’s Superfund regulations and the community’s role in the cleanup process. • Give the public accurate and understandable information in a timely manner and an accessible fashion. • Ensure adequate time and opportunity for public input and for that input to be considered in EPA’s decision making process. • Respect and fully consider public input. 2 Section 2 COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS This section summarizes what community members are concerned about, the questions they asked and what they told U.S. EPA. Community Issues and Concerns U.S. EPA held a public meeting in October 2015 to to sample yards. A question was also asked if U.S. EPA discuss and present cleanup alternatives for the site. intended to test every residence in LaSalle, Ill. Based on comments from residents that there was not enough notice given about the meeting and that other Residents also want to make sure the parks, play areas, people would have attended, U.S. EPA held a second schools, community gardens and other properties are public meeting in December 2015. Some of the same being sampled and will be cleaned up if needed. “You concerns expressed in 2004 were discussed in 2015 such have to sample everything.” as what contaminants are at the site, health concerns, airborne dust, property values, the slag pile and Gardens and vegetables gardening. Concerns raised during the 2015 meetings Many people expressed concern about eating vegetables are summarized below. from their gardens and wanted to know if it was safe. Airborne dust Complex sites like this one are often broken down Concern was expressed about contaminated dust being into smaller, manageable sections called operable released when digging up the contaminated soil. units, or OUs. Property values People said they were concerned about their property Site contaminants values and being associated with a Superfund site. It was Residents wanted to know more information about the stated that all sampling should be done before creating risks of the contaminants at the site, specifically lead the perception that all residents in the area are part of and arsenic. People asked how high the lead and arsenic the Superfund site. A realtor asked what his liability was levels have to be before you take immediate action since for disclosure of contamination at homes in the area. there are 50 out of the 185 homes already above the level. Information needs Several people stated that they needed more Site boundary information about the site, specifically sampling results, Several people asked if there is a definite site boundary site boundaries and the cost of the project before they established for the residential area. They wanted to know could make an informed decision about cleanup options. how far north, west, south and east U.S. EPA was going Note to readers: Please be cautioned that the statements made and the opinions and concerns expressed during the public meetings and summarized in this section may not be factually correct or based on valid information. 3 A worker sprays water on a building to help reduce the dust from demolition at the Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc site. Health concerns Community outreach A few people stated that there is a large instance of Residents said some people did not get the information multiple sclerosis, or MS, and cancer in the area and about the public meetings, specifically neighbors on the wanted to know if it could be from the site. One woman north side of LaSalle in the wooded area. said her father-in-law and husband used to work at Carus Chemical Company. Her father-in-law died from cancer. Her dog had cancer from pesticides. She wondered if this cancer has come from the site. Another resident said that the type of cancer is a specific cancer called melanoma tumor, it’s behind the eye. Cleveland Clinic says it’s one in a million and she knows of two people and Dr. Pode knows of seven that have it. Her dad

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