Settlement reached on Summit, Illinois, hazardous waste cleanup

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 and the United States Department of Justice announced a $2,055,373 settlement for cleanup costs at the former IWI site, located in Summit, Illinois. A group of 23 companies will reimburse the government for cleanup work completed in October 2003.

The late Glenn Wellman operated four companies at the 1.7-acre site from the late 1960s until the late 1990s. The businesses manufactured, cleaned and repaired stainless steel totes designed to store up to 600 gallons of liquid - typically flammable or corrosive materials such as adhesives, inks, oil and paint. The property was abandoned in 1999.

A nine-month cleanup effort by a Chicago-based, EPA Superfund team resulted in the safe disposal of 683 tons of contaminated soil, 568 tons of hazardous sludges, 568 drums and 52,300 gallons of hazardous liquids from a railroad tank car, sumps and totes at the site. The remaining structures on the property were razed.