EPA v. LINDSAY LIGHT II (OU 20) - ADMIN ORDER ON CONSENT (CERCLA)

Case summary

This Settlement Agreement provides for the performance of removal actions by Respondent and the payment of certain response costs incurred by the United States at or in connection with the property designated Lindsay Light Operable Unit (OU 20) located at 164 East Grand Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The Site is situated directly across from the former Lindsay Light Company (Lindsay Light) building located at 161 East Grand Avenue in Chicago, Illinois where Lindsay manufactured residential and commercial gas light mantles that contained radioactive thorium. The Site is also located south and west of 316 East Illinois Street, where Lindsay Light refined monazite ore to produce thorium nitrate and manufacture thorium impregnated gas mantles. The current owner, Standard Bank & Trust Co., as Trustee under Illinois Land Trust Number 21032, dated May 18, 2011, is actively in the process of renovating the on-site building into a two-story restaurant. On October 5, 2012, elevated gamma readings were detected in soils during excavation beneath the lower level slab along the length of the west foundation wall. The excavated soil is currently stockpiled inside the building along the foundation wall. Subsurface thorium contamination has been identified at the Site. The highest sample result indicates 71.75 picoCuries per gram (pCi/g) total radium, which exceeds the cleanup criterion for the Streeterville area of Chicago. Construction laborers, utility workers and the public may be exposed to elevated levels of thorium if the Site is excavated without proper radiation monitoring, and management and disposal of radioactively contaminated materials. Respondent may identify and remove radioactively contaminated soil only from certain portions of the Site.

Defendants (1)

• Standard Bank & Trust Co.Named in settlement

Facilities (1)

• LINDSAY LIGHT II

  316 EAST ILLINOIS, CHICAGO, IL, 60611

  Registry ID: 110009280045

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 107A — Cost Recovery
• CERCLA 104E2 — Information and/or Access
• CERCLA 122H — Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement
• CERCLA 106A — Imminent & Substantial Endangerment Order

Enforcement conclusions (2)

• LINDSAY LIGHT II (OU 20) - ADMIN ORDER ON CONSENT (CERCLA)entered 2012-10-29

  Primary law: CERCLA

• LINDSAY LIGHT II (OU 20) - ADMIN ORDER ON CONSENT (CERCLA)entered 2016-10-18

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2012-10-31Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2016-10-18Final Order Issued
• 2016-10-18Amended Administrative Order