Former Carnotite Reduction Company

Former Carnotite Site Map

 

Remediation Updates

Last Updated: 10/15/2021

 

What’s Happening at the Site Now?

Excavation of the radiologically contaminated soil will not begin until IEMA has reviewed and approved the construction plans and procedures and authorizes work to start by issuing a decommissioning license. These plans and procedures are still being prepared and reviewed. Prior to IEMA approval, site preparation activities that involves disturbing soil outside the contaminated area are allowed following 30 days of baseline air monitoring. The following activities are being planned in the near future:

  • Installation of power poles
  • Excavation to install a containment pad for the proposed water treatment system
  • Temporary internal haul roads, and
  • Wells for perform dewatering of groundwater

Currently, excavation is expected to begin in December 2021, subject to regulatory approvals.

What has Already Been Completed?

Pre-remediation site preparation activities began in 2020 and have included utility abandonment, utility installation and relocation, 26th Street closure followed by installation of signage for alternate route to the 27th Street Metra station, fence installation, and clearing and grubbing.

Coming Soon!

The Carnotite project website is in the process of being updated and will include a new webpage dedicated to remediation updates. Information on the new remediation update webpage include:

  • Access to live video feed from the Carnotite Remediation Site;
  • Daily dust monitoring results;
  • Quarterly radon and gamma sampling data;
  • New informational fact sheets; and
  • Remediation progress map (once remediation begins).

The above information will be added to the new webpage as available and no later than prior to the start of excavation. 

Site History

From approximately 1916 to 1921, Carnotite Reduction Company (Carnotite) operated an elemental radium separation and refining facility in Chicago in the vicinity of 2600 S. Inglehart Place, a street that no longer exists. Carnotite operated near what is now 434 E. 26th Street, Chicago, Illinois. The majority of this property later became part of the land occupied by the former Michael Reese Hospital (Site). The City of Chicago purchased the 37-acre former Michael Reese property in June 2009 and is the current owner.

In 1979, the State of Illinois Department of Health, Division of Radiological Health (a predecessor to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA)), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), conducted a radiological surface survey of the northern portion of the Michael Reese property near 26th Street, and identified areas of elevated radioactivity. State personnel concluded that the contamination did not pose an immediate health hazard but should be considered prior to any future construction. 

Radium, Thorium, and Uranium Contamination Investigations

Several subsequent investigations have been conducted since the City acquired ownership in 2009, including surficial gamma surveys, down-hole gamma logging, and analyses of soil samples, in order to estimate the extent of radiological contamination believed to have resulted from Carnotite’s refining operations. These investigations have documented radium, thorium, and uranium contaminated soil beneath and in the vicinity of 26th Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Ellis Avenue within the northwest portion of the Site. Contamination has been defined to the south, west, and east and to the City’s northern property line. Most impacted material is limited to the top 5 feet below ground surface (bgs) but extends to approximately 12 feet bgs within one area in the northwest portion of the Site. A brief timeline of key investigations is provided below:

  • August 2009 - IEMA conducted a gamma surface survey, observed readings of gamma activity, and recommended to the City of Chicago further investigation prior to invasive construction work. 
  • December 2009 - EPA conducted a surface gamma survey at the Site and confirmed presence of elevated surficial gamma activity. 
  • April/May 2012- Subsurface investigations confirmed the presence of elevated levels of radium and uranium in subsurface soil. 
  • November 2013 - Subsurface investigations of the remainder of the Michael Reese Site substantiated that radiological contamination is not present outside of the documented contamination at the northwest end.
  • December 2013 - IDPH issued a Letter Health Consultation regarding the Site and estimated that public dose rates for commuters traversing accessible portions of the Site would be 21.6 mrem/yr, which is less than the 100 mrem/yr of exposure greater than normal background permitted for the general public by EPA and the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 
  • July 2018 thru February 2020 – AIS conducted additional subsurface soil and groundwater sampling to confirm the maximum depth of contamination and gather data needed to prepare construction bid documents for the removal of the radiological contaminated material.

Radioactive Material Storage and Decommissioning Plan

In October 2013, the IEMA Division of Nuclear Safety became the lead regulatory agency for the Site. On July 10, 2015, IEMA issued the Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS) (formerly the Department of Fleet and Facility Management) a Radioactive Materials License IL-02467-01 for the possession and storage of radioactive material associated with Carnotite and located on City property and in the public right-of-way. This license is renewed annually and on May 19, 2020, the license was updated to allow for decommissioning activities. The current version is available here. 

As part of the license conditions, AIS conducts ongoing environmental monitoring to document radiological concentrations at the site. Sewer water and sediment, air, and groundwater samples within and along the perimeter of the licensed area have been or are being collected.

As part of the license conditions, AIS conducts ongoing perimeter air monitoring to document radiological concentrations at the site. Sewer water, sediment, and groundwater samples within the licensed area have been collected.

AIS worked with IEMA to develop the initial Decommissioning Plan in 2018 for the remediation of the radiological contaminated material. AIS addressed IEMA’s comments in subsequent drafts and IEMA approved the Decommissioning Plan on February 25, 2021.  Remediation will consist of removing the radiologically contaminated soil and transporting it to a landfill permitted to accept radiological waste. The excavated area will then be filled with stone and/or soil and remain fenced off until redevelopment occurs. The approved Decommissioning Plan and IEMA correspondence are available below:

AIS prepared construction bid documents based on the approved Decommissioning Plan and has procured a contractor to conduct the remediation. The bid was issued on November 9, 2020. View bid documents.

Underground Work in the Former Carnotite Reduction Company Area

Based on the EPA and IEMA’s recommendation, and in conformance with the City’s Radiation Monitoring Ordinance (Section 11-4-1100), radiation monitoring, among other health and safety measures, is required prior to intruding into or disturbing soils in the Carnotite area as radium- and/or uranium-contaminated materials may be present. If radium- or uranium-contaminated materials are uncovered without proper environmental and safety controls, workers and the public may be exposed to elevated radiation levels.

An applicant seeking a permit for underground work in the Carnotite Permit Hold Area (see a link to map below) will be required to ensure proper monitoring takes place any time excavation or groundbreaking occurs. Please note that permits which involve work in the Carnotite Permit Hold Area will have a hold in the City Permit System.

If AIS determines that radiation monitoring is required, the applicant must then complete a form agreeing to conduct proper radiation monitoring. The applicant must schedule an appointment with AIS to review available files before the hold can be released and a permit can be issued. This form must be completed and submitted to AIS prior to each instance of scheduled soil excavation or ground exposure. Failure to complete this form may result in the delay of permits. Please call 312.744.7204 to schedule an appointment.

The Carnotite Utility Emergency and Maintenance Plan outlines soil management, radiological soil monitoring, and minimum health and safety procedures for utility and other excavation work conducted within the license and permit hold areas.

Please view the Carnotite Permit Hold Area Map to see if the proposed work might be located in the Carnotite Permit Hold Area. Note: this map is for informational purposes only. Holds are based on addresses and not parcel or property boundaries. Monitoring requirements will depend on the location and type of work.

For underground work in the Right-of-Way please complete the form AIS.RADIUM.PUBLIC.08 and bring the original to the AIS Office, 2 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60602.

For underground work on properties outside of the Right-of-Way please complete the form AIS.RADIUM.PRIVATE.08 and bring the original to the AIS Office, 2 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60602.

Community Involvement

May and November 2020 - In May 2020, prior to issuing the remediation bid, the City mailed out a fact sheet with notice of a virtual public meeting to residents and businesses near the Carnotite site. This fact sheet was updated in November 2020.

February 2021 - 4th Ward Alderamn Sophia King hosted a virtual community meeting on February 25, 2021 to discuss the remediation of the Former Carnotite Reduction Company (Carnotite) site.  Questions and comments received from the public were reviewed and are addressed in the FAQs.

June 2021 - The City of Chicago’s Department of Assets, Information & Services (AIS) and 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King held a virtual public meeting on June 1, 2021 to discuss the remediation of the Former Carnotite Reduction Company site located at 434 E. 26th St.

 

 

 

Questions? Contact AIS at AIS_EHS_Notifications@cityofchicago.org or 312.744.0500.