News Releases from Region 05

EPA expands cleanup at the Sangamon Street Right of Way site in Chicago

For Immediate Release: No. 17-OPA096

CHICAGO (Dec. 19, 2017) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. have agreed to expand the soil cleanup of the Sangamon Street Right of Way site in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago to include the portion of the railroad right-of-way between 16^th and 18^th streets along Sangamon St.  

EPA and BNSF agreed to amend a March 2016 administrative settlement agreement and order on consent to include lead-contaminated soil removal at this portion of the site. BNSF is required to pay response costs incurred by EPA for the additional cleanup.

Soil samples were collected at the Sangamon Street right-of-way in 2013 as part EPA’s cleanup of the Loewenthal Metals Corp. site. The results showed the right-of-way exceeded EPA lead standards in soil. BNSF continued sampling the right-of-way to determine the extent of the contamination and agreed to clean up the site before the company shut down operations in the area. 

For more information, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/il/sangamon-right-way.

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