The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Louisville District has completed a remedial response at the Former Hanna City Air Force Station (HCAFS) near Peoria, Illinois, by removing more than 727 tons of contaminated soil from the site.
Over the past 20 years, USACE has been conducting environmental investigations at the site, which was used by the U.S. Air Force from 1952 to 1968 as a radar tracking and investigation facility. Five areas on the property were identified as posing potential risks to onsite workers and potential residents due to regular exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil.
Since USACE cleans up Department of Defense-related contamination on properties that were owned, leased, possessed or used by the Defense Department under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program, USACE took action to remove the contaminated surface soil from the property.
"The remedial action removed 485 cubic yards of soil that contained polyaromatic hydrocarbons at concentrations that exceeded the Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objectives (TACO) Tier 1 criteria," said Dr. David Brancato, Louisville District technical manager for the project. "This soil was classified as non-special waste material and hauled off to Waste Management’s Peoria City/County Landfill in Brimfield, Illinois. The area was then filled with clean soil from nearby Pottstown."
"This remedy was the best approach as it is protective of human health and the environment," said Brancato. "By removing a foot of surface soil from the areas of concern the property can be designated for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. This remedy is also protective of residential users should the property be converted to residential use in the future."
The site work was completed in June 2014, and USACE has officially closed out the project.