WPSC Green Bay MGP Site Brown County, Green Bay, Wisconsin Community Involvement Plan September 2015 Intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................. 1 Describes the purpose and intended uses of this Community Involvement Plan. Site Overview ............................................................................... 3 Provides the background information including the location and history of the site Community needs and concerns ............................................... 5 Summarizes what the community members are concerned about, the questions they asked and what they told EPA Community involvement goals and activities ........................... 7 Highlights EPA’s goals, activities and timeline for conducting site-specific activities to keep the public informed and involved during the cleanup process. The Community ......................................................................... 11 Provides background information on the city of Green Bay, profiles the economic and ethnic makeup of the community, and summarizes the community’s history. Appendices Appendix A – List of Contacts: Provides a list of federal, state, and local agencies and neighborhood organizations ........15 Appendix B – Community Resources: Identifies places where community members can find more information about the sites and possible meeting locations ..................................................19 Appendix C – Superfund Alternative Approach information .................................................21 i Intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can participate in decision-making during the (EPA) prepared this Community Involvement site’s investigation. The agency is committed Plan (CIP) to engage and support the community to promoting effective and meaningful affected by the Wisconsin Public Service communication with the community and wants Corp. (WPSC) Green Bay Manufactured Gas to make sure the community’s concerns and Plant (MGP) site (see Figure 1). This site is information needs are considered, as activities at being cleaned up under the EPA’s Superfund the site progress. Alternative Sites program (Appendix C provides This CIP describes EPA’s plan for addressing more information about the program). This CIP these concerns and keeping residents informed provides background information on the site and and involved in cleanup activities at the site. We recommends activities for the EPA to continue will use this document as a guide to communicate to inform the public and local officials about with, and involve residents, businesses, progress at the site and to encourage community neighborhood organizations and local government involvement during the site cleanup. in Green Bay as needed. The EPA wants the members of the community to know and understand when and how they Site Location Map 1 Intentionally left blank SITE OVERVIEW Location and Site Features The former Green Bay MGP property is located in the city of Green Bay in Brown County. The site is located at 700 N. Adams St. and is immediately east of the WPSC offices. The property is about 4 acres in size, while the entire area that is owned by WPSC covers about 13 acres. There is also about 1 acre of contaminated sediment found in an adjacent stretch of the Lower Fox River. The site is on the south bank of the East River near the confluence of the Lower Fox River. There is a river trail located adjacent to the Lower Fox River/East Green Bay riverwalk River Shoreline. Plans for investigation of sediment, groundwater and soil at six MGP sites began after the EPA Site Background and WPSC signed a legal agreement, called a consent order, in May 2006. This agreement History allows for further investigation of the WPSC The Green Bay Gas Light Co. previously site to determine how much contamination owned the former Green Bay MGP and began remains there. The agreement also includes five operating in 1871 in a historically industrial area. other Wisconsin MGP sites in Stevens Point, In 1922, other utility companies, along with Manitowoc, Marinette, Oshkosh, and Two Rivers. Green Bay Gas Light Co., merged together and formed WPSC. Contaminants The MGP property was used to convert coal and In the process of converting coal and oil into other oil-based substances into gas for heating gas, MGPs generated waste. These MGP and lighting. These processes continued until the wastes included tars, sludges, and light oils, and late 1940s when natural gas became more readily residues containing oily substances, chemicals, available through pipelines. The MGP operated and metals. until 1947 and was dismantled in 1950. Residues are often found near MGP sites, Integrys Energy Group is currently the parent typically in soil, underlying groundwater, and company to WPSC. WPSC still owns the dirt at the bottom of lakes and rivers known as property today, except for a small portion owned sediment. MGP wastes and residues can contain by a nearby hotel. The former MGP property is a number of known and suspected cancer-causing currently a paved parking lot with the WPSC agents and other potentially hazardous chemicals. offices located west of the former MGP property. 3 Exposure to the MGP contaminants could cause Contractors sampled for oil-based compounds harmful health effects. However, because there along the Lower Fox River near the WPSC is a building and a parking lot covering the soil building. They also took sediment samples on the site, and nearby building occupants and from the river and surface-water samples from residents use city water for drinking, no one is various locations on the river. Soil samples, using currently being exposed to the MGP wastes from a machine that pulls up a “core” of soil, and the site. groundwater samples from existing monitoring wells, will be taken in 2015. In addition, some Investigation Progress new temporary monitoring wells will be installed The WPSC Green Bay MGP site is being and vapors near WPSC building will be sampled investigated by Integrys under state and federal through small holes drilled in the ground up to 10 oversight. Site investigation and soil cleanup feet deep. activities were done between 1984 and 2003. The EPA and Integrys will use the information The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources collected from the samples to develop a document has overseen the various investigations that called a remedial investigation report, expected have taken place. In 2003, the EPA conducted in 2017, which will describe any contamination a cleanup that included excavation, thermal found in the area. treatment, and removal of about 26,000 tons of highly contaminated soil. Since then, groundwater monitoring occurs twice a year. Annual inspection of the cleaned up area (the parking lot) shows that the site remains safe for employees and visitors to the WPSC office building. WPSC Office 4 COMMUNITY NEEDS AND CONCERNS This section focuses on the concerns and needs the EPA heard from community members about the site. Summary of Community Interviews In January 2015, the EPA met with nine local officials, neighborhood organizations and business owners to ask them about the site. Although these people were not overly concerned, the following summary provides the answers given during the community interviews. 1 Where do you live in relation to the WPSC Green WPSC Office Bay site? (How long have you lived there?) The people the EPA spoke to also mentioned The majority of those interviewed live concerns about protecting wildlife, within a 5- to 10-mile radius of the site. especially fish. Several mentioned they Nearly all have lived in Green Bay more are worried that some people are eating than 10 years. potentially contaminated fish. There were also concerns about the spawning of 2 What do you know about the WPSC Green Bay muskies. Since muskies spawn on the east MGP site? side of the river by the pier, they asked Over half of the people interviewed were if any site activities would be an issue to not aware of the site. One person assumed the muskies. the entire area was contaminated, but didn’t One person was concerned about know about the site in particular. Several maintaining the structural integrity of the people knew about the site, but did not shoreline and river trail area if cleanup was know its history. required in those areas. Ship traffic during sampling activities in the 3 Who have you talked to about the site? river was mentioned as a potential concern. No one has talked to anyone about the site. Someone stated that the area is a recorded 4 archaeological site and suggested that a What concerns do you have about our project? cultural resource survey be completed if site activities continue. Someone voiced a concern about how future demolition of the WPSC buildings would Several people interviewed had noticed the impact redevelopment. She said the location coal piles along the river and are concerned is considered a prime real estate area. that there may be impacts from runoff into the river. 5 5 How do you typically like to receive Green 8 The EPA typically houses its documents locally Bay-area news/information? (Email, postal mail, (usually public libraries). Would/have you looked newspaper, Web, community meetings)? Would at our documents pertaining to this project at the you like to be included in an EPA email and/or Brown County Library? postal distribution list? Most of the people the EPA spoke to have Nearly everyone said