PCB Timeline for Bloomington, IN 1957-1988
1957
- Westinghouse opens new plant to manufacture capacitors
containing PCBs produced by Monsanto Corp.
1958-1974
- PCB-laden wastes dumped by Westinghouse at
landfills in Monroe and Owen counties. Pollution spread by the
salvaging of capacitors for their scrap copper, free city distribu
tion of sewage sludge, and the random dumping by independent
haulers.
1975
- Westinghouse advises city of "minimal" discharge of PCBs
into city sewers. City finds PCBs in sewage at Winston-Thomas
water treatment plant and threatens to initiate legal proceedings.
1976
- EPA finds PCBs in leachate from area landfills, in runoff
from the Westinghouse plant and in the city's waste treatment
plant.
- State Board of Health and Department of Natural Resources
warn against the eating of fish from area creeks.
City Utility Service Board hearings on sewer discharge
packed by Westinghouse workers concerned about their
jobs.
- Indiana Environmental Management Board begins hearings
on PCB contamination in Bloomington.
- Local chapters of national environmental groups form an
umbrella organization (CCAP) to press their concerns over
the issue.
1977
- Westinghouse completes year-long phaseout of PCB use
in compacitor manufacturing, but local retirement of existing
compacitors continues.
- Inconclusive EMB hearings are cancelled. City and Westin
ghouse begin eight years of out-of-court negotiations.
Public interest in the PCB issue wanes as closed-door dis
cussions drag on without resolution.
- 1978 The Center for Disease Control releases a report that con
firms that Bloomington residents are among the nation's twelfth
highest among U.S. cities in terms of PCB concentrations in blood
and tissue.
1979
- EPA allows utilities to retain PCB-insulated equipment for
the life of the equipment out of cost concerns.
- EPA prevents city from opening a new sewage treatment
plant since Westinghouse had not yet complied with PCB
discharge requirements.
- City flushes PCBs from its sewer lines, the cheapest avail
able option.
1980
City hires Chicago attomey Joseph Karaganis to negotiate
a settlement with Westinghouse over PCB contamination of
sewers and the waste treatment plant.
- New sewer lines allow Westinghouse to reduce PCB discharge
so that the city can operate its new Dillman Road
treatment plant.
1981
- EPA orders Westinghouse and the property owners to clean
up Neal's Dump and Neal's Landfill.
- City sues Westinghouse for $ 149 million after settlement
talks breakdown and later, seeks $329 million when it is
determined that City-owned Lemon Lane landfill is also
contaminated.Neal's landfill and Lemon Lane included on
EPA national priority list of 114 worst U.S. dumps under
"Superfund" law.
1983
- State Attorney General Pearson urges reconvening EMB
hearings, but a suit by Westinghouse brings a court ruling that
disallows use of all previously collected evidence.
- EPA and state sue Westinghouse and force corporation to
clean up the surface of the two Neal sites. City, state, and
EPA consolidate their suits.
- PCBs discovered at Bennett's Quarry, and the EPA perform a surface
cleanup and fences off both Lemon Lane and Bennett's.
- City and Westinghouse announce agreement in which
government and industry will cooperate to resolve the PCB
issue through the construction of a trash-fueled hazardous
waste incinerator.
- Citizens Concerned about PCBs reforms after years of inactivity
and combines with INPIRG and other new groups
that emerge in opposition to the agreement.
- Westinghouse purchases O'Connor Combuster, a Califomia
incinerator company, and enters the pollution abatement
and municipal waste-to-energy market.
- Former Westinghouse workers begin filing suit against the
electric company claiming severe adverse health effects due
to negligence.
1984
- Protests of closed-door meetings between city of ficials and
attorneys over the status of the negotiations.
- Toxic Waste Information Network opens office in
downtown area and becomes center for environmental activists who
uncover hundreds of unidentified contaminated sites.
- City Chemist fired after dispute over city's PCB testing
policy and his criticism of the cleanup plan.
- EPA removes capacitors from Fell Iron and Metal Company property.
- City, county, state, EPA, and Westinghouse release the consent decree and the stormy hearings on the agreement begin.
1985 City sponsors seven workshops on cleanup agreement, but
can develop little open public support.
- City Council approves agreement despite a massive petition
drive and the "capture" of the council chambers by opponents.
The state, county, and USB also vote full approval
shortly thereafter.
- U.S. District Judge Dillin approves the Decree, making it an
enforceable court order, denies INPIRG standing
- Opposition creates Monroe County Environmental Coalition, mounts a
public relations offensive and hires attorneyto represent PCB victims.
- 1986 Westinghouse files for incinerator permits, and city hires
consultants to review these plans.
- Temporary waste storage accepted by USB at Winston-Thomas site.
- Eighth District Congressman McCloskey calls for Congressional Office
of Technology Assessment study. OTA report
calls incineration plan novel but unproven and censures
process.
1987
- Westinghouse releases its risk assessment and CDC. State
Board of Health begin PCB exposure and health study of county
residents.
- EPA threatens emergency cleanup if work on project does
not begin.
- Westinghouse begins excavating contaminated soil,
hydrovacuuming creeks, and moving capacitors to the tem-
porary storage facility.
- Westinghouse sues its insurers for defense against pending
claims at 74 hazardous sites in 23 states.
- Judge Dillin refuses to hear city suit against Monsanto,
claiming the Consent Decree has resolved the issue, and
prevents county prosecuter from persuing criminal actions
against Westinghouse.
- Local election dominated by issue as anti-incinerator forces
contest the primaries and field independent candidacies for
the November race.
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