Jennison-Wright Corporation Superfund Site: Fact Sheet #1

              Jennison-Wright Corporation Superfund Site
Fact Sheet #1
June 2008
Granite City , Illinois
Background
The Jennison-Wright Corporation site is an abandoned railroad tie-treating facility and is comprised of
approximately 20 acres at 900 West 22nd Street within the corporate boundaries of Granite City,
Madison County, Illinois. Jennison-Wright treated wood products (railroad ties and wood block flooring)
with pentacholorphenol (PCP), creosote, and zinc naphthenate. Operations at the facility began prior to
1921 and continued until 1989 with three separate companies operating at the site: Midland Creosoting
Company (prior to 1921-1940), The Jennison-Wright Corporation (1940-1981) and 2-B-J.W., Inc.
(1981- 1989), authorized to do business as Jennison-Wright Corporation. “Jennite” (an asphalt sealer
product composed of coal tar, pitch, clay, and water) was manufactured in the southeastern corner of
the facility. The process began in the early 1960s and continued until the summer of 1986 when
Jennison-Wright sold the “Jennite” process to Neyra Industries. Neyra Industries continued
manufacturing the asphalt sealer until bankruptcy in 1989. Jennison-Wright Corporation filed for
Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in November 1989, with an auction held in 1990 to sell the remaining
equipment and materials and a site seal order was imposed. The site has remained vacant since 1990
except for the occasional trespasser or scavenger and periodic visits by Illinois EPA personnel and its
contractors. In June 1996, the Jennison-Wright site was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) or
“Superfund” list which is the Federal listing of sites that have known or threatened releases of
hazardous substances pollutants, or contaminants. No financially viable responsible parties were
identified to fund the cleanup. Without Federal Superfund money, the site would not have been cleaned
up. Ninety percent (90%) of funding for remedial and removal efforts are obtained through the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), with the state providing a ten percent (10%) match.
Remedial and Removal Activities to Date
In 1992, approximately $150,000 of trust fund money from the bankruptcy was used to alleviate the
spread of contamination. In 1994, Federal money was used to conduct a non-time critical removal
action which included installation of a six-foot chain link fence; installation of a protective cap over the
"Jennite pit"; excavation and disposal of soils around the upright storage tanks and railroad cars and
subsequent decontamination and dismantling of those storage vessels; removal and treatment of
various on-site waste materials and contaminated soil; and characterization and proper disposal of the
material within the drums inside the on-site Transite building. The approximate cost of the non-time
critical removal action was $800,000. In 2003 and 2004, Federal monies (approximately $1,200,000)
were again used to complete the demolition portion, including asbestos removal, of the selected site
remedy and to prepare the site for further remedial action. The 2005 remedial action included extensive
remedial activities in the portion of the site located north of 22nd Street, specifically, the removal and
hazardous waste disposal of on-site wastes and continued monitoring of the in situ biological
groundwater treatment. Remedial activities associated with soil for this northern parcel are essentially
completed, and the majority of the groundwater beneath this parcel has been successfully remediated.
In summary, the following remedial and removal activities, including stabilization efforts, have been
conducted at the Jennison-Wright Superfund site since 1992:
􀁺􇩏 On-site buildings and structures have been demolished and asbestos-containing materials found
inside have been abated.
􀁺􇩄 Debris and miscellaneous items that littered the site have been removed.
􀁺􇩏 On-site drip track residues/oil and rails have been removed.
􀁺􇩅 Eighty percent (80%) of waste and soil removal work has been completed. Since excavation
began, 34,305 cubic yards of wood-preserving waste was excavated and disposed of off-site;
49,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated and disposed of off-site. Soils
contaminated with PCPs were transported to an off-site incinerator in Canada. Additional
Fact Sheet #1 - Jennison-Wright Corporation Superfund Site Page 1 of 2
http://www.epa.state.il.us/community-relations/fact-sheets/jennison-wright/jennison-wrigh... 5/24/2012