Proposed Plan
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948116 PROPOSED PLAN NORTH SHORE AVENUE STATION FORMER MGP SUPERFUND ALTERNATIVE SITE CHICAGO, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS EPA Region 5 July 2019 I. INTRODUCTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks public review and comment on the proposed no action remedy presented in this Proposed Plan for the North Shore Avenue Station Former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site (Site) and provides the rationale for this preference. The Site is located adjacent to 6659 North Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. This proposed no action remedy applies to the surface water and sediments in a 500-foot stretch of the North Shore Channel. EPA is issuing this Proposed Plan as part of its public participation responsibilities under Section 117(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Section 300.430(f)(2) of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This Proposed Plan summarizes the results of the sediment and surface water investigations conducted for the North Shore Channel. These documents and other Site documents which support the proposed no action remedy are contained in the Administrative Record located in the Site repository at the Chicago Public Library, Northtown Branch at 6435 North California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois and the EPA Region 5 Office (contact information provided in Section VII). The EPA will accept public comments from July 20, 2019 through August 19, 2019. Comments may be submitted by mail, email, or by phone. EPA, the lead agency for Superfund activities at the Site, in consultation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA), the support agency, may modify the no action remedy presented in this Proposed Plan based on new information or public comments. Therefore, the public is encouraged to review and comment on the proposed action for the North Shore Channel. EPA, in consultation with Illinois EPA, will select a final remedy for the North Shore Channel documented in a Record of Decision (ROD) after careful review and consideration of new information raised and comments provided during the thirty-day public comment period. II. SCOPE AND ROLE In 2017, EPA determined that no further CERCLA investigation or response was warranted for the upland parcels (Main, Pond, East, South and MWRD [Metropolitan Water Reclamation District]) of the MGP site. Illinois EPA remediated soil contamination at the Main, Pond, East and South parcels between 2001 and 2002, and determined that there was no release from the MGP to the MWRD parcel. EPA, in consultation with Illinois EPA, has determined that no CERCLA remedial action is warranted for the North Shore Channel based on the sediment 1 analytical results from the Remedial Investigation (RI). Contaminants identified in sediment are associated with urban runoff, and not MGP-related (i.e., not a CERCLA release). III. SITE BACKGROUND The North Shore Avenue Station MGP site is located adjacent to 6659 North Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The geographical coordinates of the Site are 42.00197 North latitude and -87.710679 West longitude. In 2017, EPA reviewed prior work done and investigations completed at the North Shore Avenue State MGP site and determined that the upland parcels (Main, Pond, East, South and MWRD) of the Site could be referred to Illinois EPA, as no further cleanup or investigation was needed by EPA at the Site. EPA removed the upland parcels of the Site from the Superfund program, reducing the area of the North Shore Avenue Station MGP Site to the North Shore Channel only, which includes surface water and sediments. The remaining portion of the Site (see Figure 1) consists of an approximate 500-foot stretch of the north-to-south flowing North Shore Channel adjacent to the street address noted above. Figure 1 – North Shore Avenue Station Former MGP Site Location The North Shore Avenue MGP Site is located within and along the border with the Village of Lincolnwood. However, since the Channel is associated with the former adjacent upland parcels, the Site is considered to be within the limits of the City of Chicago. The site is also within the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). The 1.4-acre channel Site is approximately 90 feet wide and is bordered to the east and west by steep, wooded channel banks. The North Shore Avenue Station MGP Site is not listed on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) but is being addressed using the Superfund Alternative Approach. 2 Cook County includes approximately 1,635 square miles, of which 945 square miles are land and 690 square miles are water. The population of Cook County is approximately 5,194,675 people (2010 Census). Land use is mainly urban and densely populated. The parcels directly adjacent to and east and west of the Site are zoned by the Village of Lincolnwood as public open space. More specifically, Park No. 538 Kedzie Avenue is the boundary between the Village of Lincolnwood and City of Chicago. The area surrounding the Site is primarily residential. West Ridge Elementary School, Jewish Child & Family Services facilities, Congregation Beth Itzchok, and various commercial facilities are all located approximately 0.25 miles from the Site. Chicago Area Waterway System Background CAWS is an entirely engineered waterway, with water depth and flow controlled by a series of locks. Land use within the CAWS basin is generally urban with extensive industrial development. The basin includes the City of Chicago and 31 suburban municipalities. Flow in the CAWS is dominated by treated wastewater from five large water reclamation plants serving 5 million residents and an additional industrial load of approximately 4.5 million population equivalents. According to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), approximately 70% of inflow to CAWS is from the water reclamation plants. CAWS was developed with a combined sewer system that accepts both storm water and sanitary waste. After rainstorms, the capacity of the sewer system can become overwhelmed and combined sewer overflows can occur. Specifically, 15 combined sewer outfalls are present upstream of the Site that discharge to the North Shore Channel. According to MWRD, from the period dating from April 1, 2016 to April 1, 2018 there were 291 combined sewer outfall overflow events at combined sewer outfalls located upstream from the Site. IV. SITE HISTORY As noted above, the North Shore Avenue Station MGP Site currently includes only the North Shore Channel. The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush sewage through the North Branch of the Chicago River to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Historical fire insurance maps, historical topographic maps, and historical aerial photographs indicate that no MGP-related operations occurred on the North Shore Channel or directly adjacent to the Channel. Additionally, there are no indicators of conveyance to the North Shore Channel from the former MGP operations located on the former upland parcels. Former MGP Facility Site History – Upland Parcels The former MGP facility, located on the former upland parcels associated with the North Shore Avenue MGP Site, was initially developed in 1926 by The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company (PGL) as a storage facility for manufactured gas. The five former upland parcels are referred to as Main, Pond, East, South and MWRD. Historical records indicate that a 15,000,000 cubic-foot gas holder was constructed and formerly located adjacent to North Kedzie Avenue (see Figure 2). The northern portion of this gas holder was located on the former Main Parcel and the southern portion was located on the former Pond Parcel. Additional features of the former MGP facilities included 13 tar tanks near the gas holder, two 12,000-gallon tar underground 3 storage tanks (UST), an oil UST, a transformer house, a compressor building, a boiler room, an exhauster house, and several storage rooms. Manufactured gas was only stored at this location; therefore, residuals, such as tar-like material typically associated with MGPs were not produced. However, historic documentation indicates that a tar/oil seal was used on the facility’s gas holder which could have resulted in residual impacts on the Main Parcel. PGL conducted the remediation of MGP impacted soil on the former upland Main Parcel and Pond Parcel from June to October 2001 under the Illinois EPA voluntary site remediation program. The remedial action included site preparation, waste characterization, air monitoring, excavation, confirmation soil sampling, water management, demobilization, and site restoration. Approximately 26,000 tons of soil were removed from the former upland Main and Pond Parcels and disposed of at a permitted facility. Approximately 1, 137 tons of material in the vicinity of the former gas holder was disposed of as hazardous waste and disposed of at a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle C permitted facility. The remaining soil was disposed of as special waste at a permitted facility. Excavation included removal of the tar tanks and valve/weir boxes surrounding the concrete gas holder foundation. Illinois EPA issued a comprehensive No Further Remediation (NFR) Letter for the Main Parcel in 2002 and for the Pond Parcel in 2003. Both NFR Letters restrict the land use to industrial/commercial and require compliance with a City of Chicago groundwater use restriction. This restriction ensures that groundwater is not used as a potable water source. Figure 2 – Former Manufactured Gas Plant Structures PGL conducted the remediation of MGP impacted soil on the East Parcel in 2001 and 2002 under the Illinois EPA voluntary site remediation program. The remedial action included 4 excavation and disposal of approximately 3,600 tons of soil and disposal at a permitted facility. Illinois EPA issued a comprehensive NFR Letter for the East Parcel that allowed future residential land use or industrial/commercial land use.