News Releases from Region 05

EPA begins public comment period on proposed plan to clean up the Solvay Coke and Gas Co. Superfund site in Milwaukee, Wis.

EPA will hold an open house on Jan. 8 to answer questions

For Immediate Release: No. 18-OPA079

CHICAGO (Dec. 17, 2018) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin a 30-day public comment period on a proposed cleanup plan for the Solvay Coke and Gas Co. Superfund site in Milwaukee, Wis. EPA is proposing We Energies, one of the companies responsible for the contamination, conduct a $15.9 million soil cleanup with EPA oversight.  

Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill and strengthen the Agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.

The former manufactured coke and gas facility spans approximately 46-acres in a primarily industrial and commercial area. The proposed cleanup will address oily soil and possible cyanide-contaminated soil. The plan also proposes to remove piping and install a cover and groundwater monitoring wells. EPA will select a final cleanup plan at the end of the public comment period in a document called an action memorandum.

EPA will accept comments on the proposal from Dec. 17, 2018, until Jan. 18, 2019. To submit comments:

• Send a written comment to Susan Pastor, Community Involvement Coordinator, EPA Region 5 (SI-6J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604. 
   
• Send an email to Susan Pastor at pastor.susan@epa.gov.
   

EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff will be available to answer questions at an open house on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, at the Bay View Library Community Room, 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., from 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

EPA remains dedicated to addressing risks at all Superfund sites and will continue to provide the public with regular updates of progress at Superfund sites across the country.

For more information about the site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/solvay-coke.

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