Thorium Removal Along the River Moves Towards Warrenville

This is the first of a series on the River by Kim Smart

See for yourself what is making its way to Warrenville. The removal of thorium from Kress Creek is well underway in West Chicago at what is known as “Reach 1.” This is part of a US EPA Superfund site. The contaminated area extends from Reach 1 to where Kress Creek enters the West Branch of the DuPage River down to McDowell Grove Forest Preserve in Naperville. It includes over five miles of the West Branch of the DuPage River (roughly a quarter of the entire length of the river). The reality of the cleanup coming to Warrenville can no longer be ignored. Workers in hazardous material suits are on their way..

To get a first hand look, take Rt. 59, to Joliet St. north to the third street on the left, May St. As you go over the bridge, you can not miss the bright orange fencing, signs warning of radioactive material, the huge earth moving equipment in the middle of what was the creek bed, or the blue mobile trailer size structures that filter the sediment from the river water. The massive conduit system pumps the river water from above the levee on the north and releases it past the levee on the south. Note the industrial strength light posts and lights that illuminate the area all night. Try to check it out during the day. One area resident reported major work starts on weekdays at 6:30AM and goes to at least 6:30PM. The area is staffed 24/7. The estimated schedule for the cleanup to reach. the section of the river near the off leash dog run on Mack Rd., River Oaks and Emerald Green is Fall of 2006 to late Spring 2007.

On September 29th, the topic for The Conservation Foundation’s (TCF) Fall membership luncheon was “After Thorium Removal: Restoring the DuPage River”. The guest speaker was John Wills, project manager and President of Christopher B. Burke Engineering West. Wills’ presentation focused on the removal of the contaminated material in Reach 1 which has been underway for the past few months. His presentation included photos of the pumps, pipes and the levees constructed to isolate sections of the river, then removal of the material to a staging area where it is dried, separated from non-contaminated material, then trucked to West Chicago to be shipped by rail to Utah.

John was very upfront, saying “There’s quite a significant number of trees that have to come down . . . . tree removal is probably the most startling . . . .” He noted that Blackwell Forest Preserve will be severely impacted. To determine the scope and location of the contamination, over 16,000 core borings were drilled.

The removal of the thorium, a naturally occurring element, is a monumental undertaking that will remove thousands of cubic yards of radioactive material from Kress Creek and the West Branch of the DuPage River. The US EPA in 1990 and 1991 placed the West Chicago sewage treatment plant and sites in West Chicago on the Agency’s National Priorities List as a Superfund site.

The radioactive thorium residue came from a facility in West Chicago that processed thorium from 1931 through 1973. The facility originally was owned by Lindsay Light and Chemical Co., but changed hands several times. Kerr-McGee owned and operated the facility from 1967 to 1973 when it closed the plant. Thorium and other elements were separated from ores at the plant using an acid process. Over the years, thorium contaminated soil particles from the facility entered a nearby storm sewer during rainstorms and traveled to Kress Creek. From there, the pollution moved downstream in the creek and into the West Branch of the DuPage River, settling into the creek and river sediment along the way. The thorium was also deposited onto floodplains during high water periods.

Also at TCF luncheon, Christopher Stull, President of the DuPage River Coalition (DRC) Ecosystem Partnership, presented a plaque to County Board Chairman, Robert Schillerstrom in recognition of the role he played in the formation of the DRC and serving as its first President. Jim Kleinwachter recognized Mr. Jim Paul of Alps Development as the recipient of The Conservation Foundation’s Sustainable Development Award for the “Tuscan Hills”. It is a 95 acre development that includes 54 acres of open space and is an entire Conservation@Home community with sixty-eight single family home sites.