Superfund Site Remediation | Cleanup of Abandoned Hazardous Waste Sites

Site Remediation is the implementation of solutions to the environmental problems at a site with hazardous waste. The solutions must consider project constraints, project risks, scheduling considerations, health and safety requirements, and regulatory review requirements.

Superfund is the name given to the federal government’s environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. The program was enacted in 1980, after the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970’s. The program gives the U.S. EPA the authority to cleanup such sites and/or compel potential responsible parties to investigate and cleanup the sites.

Since 2003, Bodine’s Environmental Consulting & Contracting Division has been involved in the remediation of the Jennison-Wright Superfund Site in Granite City, Illinois.

The Jennison-Wright National Priority List (NPL) site is an abandoned railroad tie treating facility in Granite City, IL. It is comprised of approximately 20 acres in Madison County and was placed in the federal government’s “Superfund” program in June of 1996. Prior to the early 1920’s and continuing until November of 1989, various firms operated this business. The site soils and groundwater are contaminated with dioxins, dibenzofurans, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, naphthalene and pentachlorophenol. Jennite, an asphalt sealer product composed of coal tar, pitch, clay and water was also manufactured at the site. After bankruptcy filings by Jennison-Wright and Neyra Industries in 1989, no financially viable, responsible parties were identified to fund the necessary cleanup of chemicals that had leached into the soil and groundwater over many years. Hazardous wastes were left at the site in a railroad tank car, a buried railroad tank car, two ASTs, and two lagoons. The federal Superfund program with cooperation and funding from the State of Illinois stepped in to clean up the heavily contaminated site.

Bodine was selected to perform initial remedial activities that included:

Completion of the initial tasks prepared the site for the implementation of the remedial action that involved the construction of a landfarm for the treatment of soils contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAs).

Bodine Services was selected for the construction and five (5) year operation of the landfarm. During pre-mobilization activities, Bodine was able to negotiate off-site disposal pricing that enabled the PNA contaminated soils to be disposed of off-site and completion of the remedial action for less money and in less than eight (8) months. The Illinois EPA approved the change in scope and modified the remedial action to be implemented as proposed by Bodine. As a result of the savings, an additional 3,400 tons of hazardous waste was excavated and transported for off-site incineration. These activities resulted in the completion of the remedial action for the northern portion of the Site.

The remediation was shifted to the southern portion of the site. Approximately 60% of the site was remediated by the excavation, transportation and disposal of removing an additional 43,000 tons of non-hazardous soil and the excavation, transportation and incineration of approximately 2,000 tons of hazardous waste. Beginning with the 2008 construction season, Bodine is excavating, transporting and disposing 46,000 tons of special waste and will excavate, transport and incinerate 7,000 tons of hazardous wastes. In addition to completion of the soil remediation activities, Bodine will be installing a steam-injection treatment system for the groundwater remediation portion of the remedial action. Following installation, Bodine will perform operation and maintenance activities on the steam injection groundwater treatment system.

Groundwater Treatment

A groundwater treatment system on the southern portion of the site will utilize hot water and steam-flushing technology to remove additional groundwater contamination. The operation of this treatment system will continue for a period of time with periodic sampling events to be conducted to determine progress of the groundwater treatment operation.

Running concurrently with the installation of the ground water treatment system, is the ongoing dig and haul activity to excavate, transport and dispose of contaminated soils. It is estimated that the final volume of soil removed from this site will be 94,000 cubic yards. Hazardous soils are stockpiled and later hauled to sites for incineration while non-hazardous soils are land-filled at area-permitted facilities. Bodine as a contractor for IEPA has managed on-site remedial activities, site security, project reporting and provided equipment and personnel for the excavation projects since 2004. Bodine is proud to be involved in projects such as Jennison-Wright where the environmental remediation efforts provide long-term benefits to the neighbors, the community and the overall economic outlook for the state.