A final solution?

Proposed PCB settlement would end more than two decades of litigation

If you have something to say about the plan to clean up three PCB-contaminated sites in Monroe County, now’s the time. You have until March 26 to submit your comments. To see the complete plan — all 836 pages of it — Go to http://copa.org. Copies also are available at the Monroe County auditor’s office, county legal and the county health department.

Five parties to the plan — an update of an agreement signed in 1985 — have given their approval: the Bloomington Utilities Service Board, Monroe County, the state of Indiana, the United States and CBS Corp. CBS owns the site on Curry Pike that previously housed a capacitor manufacturing site operated by Westinghouse Electric Corp. The capacitors, dumped around the county in the 1950s and 1960s, contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, which may cause cancer and other health problems.

PCBs leaked into the ground and contaminated soil, water and wildlife. Despite several clean-up operations during the past 20 years, PCBs have persisted in the environment, causing the state to issue fish consumption advisories in many local streams.

LEMON LANE LANDFILL

Previous clean-up actions

Removal of 80,087 tons of contaminated material

Removal of 4,806 capacitors

Installation of clay cap

Construction of water treatment plant at Illinois Central Spring, off West Third Street, to treat runoff from the landfill

PROPOSED CLEAN-UP ACTIONS

Continued capture, storage and treatment of up to 1,000 gallons per minute of water from Illinois Central Spring

Design, construction and operation of storm water storage tank treatment system to treat overflow from Illinois Central Spring, up to 5,000 gallons per minute

Installation of discharge line to take water from both treatment plants to West Third Street culvert

Clean-up of contaminated soil and sediment

Design, building and operation of collection system for spring water from Quarry Spring and Rinker Spring, to be treated at Illinois Central Spring

NEAL’S LANDFILL

Previous clean-up actions

Removal of 41,747 tons of contaminated material

Removal of 4,119 capacitors

Installation of clay cap

Construction of drainage and retention pond

PROPOSED CLEAN-UP ACTIONS

Improvement of spring water collection system for PCB-contaminated groundwater

Installation of new effluent line in Conard’s Branch to discharge treated water

Operation of water treatment plant, up to 500 gallons per minute

Implementation of soil and sediment clean-up for in-stream sediments, bank soils and flood plain soils in Conard’s Branch

Prevention of residential development on landfill cap and in southeast part of site; prevention of residential development and some farming in Conard’s Branch flood plain; prevention of groundwater use

BENNETT’S DUMP

Previous clean-up actions

Removal of 36,172 tons of contaminated soil

Removal of 2,008 capacitors

Installation of clay cap

PROPOSED CLEAN-UP ACTIONS

Installation of quarry drainage systems

Construction of trench for collection of underground water

Installation of treatment system to remove PCBs from water that flows into Stout’s Creek

Deed restrictions preventing residential development, excavation of quarries and digging of water wells on the site.