The Illinois EPA says they have not observed any threats to human health and the environment related to the CIPS Taylorville Ameren demobilization efforts. The US EPA will also be getting involved. There will be another question/answer session concerning community questions for the CIPS Taylorville site regarding the site's five-year review on March 26th. Regional Radio News reached out to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to find out the latest on what is taking place at the CIPS site. Kim Biggs, Public Information Officer, reached out with information she has received from the IEPA staff.
Illinois EPA says they have received several complaints or concerns regarding conditions at the CIPS site during Ameren’s demobilization from the site. Ameren is demobilizing following the shutdown of the pilot project being conducted to determine the feasibility of solidifying deep contamination that remains at the site. IEPA has visited the site several times in response, collecting readings at several locations. Some of the sites that the EPA says they have visited and collected samples from include: the CIPS site itself, the nearby park playground, the intersection of S. Webster and West 3rd, south of the intersection of S. Washington and W. 2nd St, the intersection of Madison and W. 3rd, the northwest corner of Farm Tavern parking lot off S. Shumway Street, and off the interior Manners Park road near the north edge of Park Lake.
Ameren is restoring the site and resurfacing the lot and driveway with gravel. Any soil and debris generated from the restoration and resurfacing of the site is being disposed of off-site at a landfill after appropriate waste characterization. It was initially expected that work at the site would be completed by March 2nd, however, demobilization of the site is still in progress and not expected to be complete until the end of March. The stop work order issued last fall is still in place, and the Illinois EPA is still awaiting a response from Ameren to its December “Next Steps Letter.”
In late February, local officials and community members received notice of a five-year review for the site that will be conducted by the U.S. EPA. Five-year reviews are required at Superfund sites where contamination remains in place to ensure that the implemented remedies function as intended and continue to be protective of human health and the environment. This is the sixth five-year review of the site which includes an opportunity for the public to tell US EPA about site conditions and concerns.
To submit a comment, contact David Linnear (Remedial Project Manager) at linnear.david@epa.gov or Ruth Muhtsun (Community Involvement Coordinator) at muhtsun.ruth@epa.gov. Comments must be submitted by April 1st. The question and answer session will be on March 26th at 6 PM at Lincoln Land Community College, 800 South Spresser Street in Taylorville.
Find out more information at https://www.epa.gov/oh/central-illinois-public-service-co-superfund-site-five-year-review-process.
