FWS Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Remediating the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
History
The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge has a unique history that includes industry, recreation, agriculture, and restoration. During World War II, a portion of what is now the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge was operated as the Illinois Ordnance Plant (“IOP”), a government-owned, contractor-operated facility used to load munitions and explosives for the Department of War. The 22,000-acre former IOP was located within the eastern part of the Refuge. After the end of the war and in the late 1940’s, several facilities were leased to industries for reuse after transfer of the property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Over time, the historical industrial uses resulted in the release of hazardous contaminants into the environment. In 1986, the extensive environmental contamination prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list the site on its National Priorities List, thus designating it as a Superfund site.
1938
The Resettlement Administration of the Soil Conservation Service (now the U.S. Department of Agriculture) acquired land along Crab Orchard Creek and constructed the 7,000-acre Crab Orchard Lake reservoir to foster re-employment in the Great Depression-era. The program was known as the "Crab Orchard Creek Project".
1942-1945
The War Department (prior to becoming the Department of Defense) operated the IOP, loading bombs, land mines, and explosives in support of the U.S. World War II effort.
1947
On August 7 th , the 80 th Congress by Public Law 361 transferred administrative jurisdiction of the former IOP, along with 22,454 acres of additional property from the War Assets Administration, to FWS to be managed as the 44,000-acre Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The ensuing legislation creating the Refuge provided that, in addition to its conservation purposes, the land was to be managed to achieve the additional statutory missions of agriculture, recreation, and industry. Pursuant to that direction, FWS leased the former IOP and other areas on the eastern portion of the Refuge to various industrial tenants.
1947-Current
Industrial operations from 1947 to present day take place within 14 industrial areas located throughout the former IOP area and are administered by FWS to tenants through lease or special use permit.
1970's-1980's
Indication of PCBs, lead and cadmium contamination within soils.
1986
The EPA and FWS entered into a Federal Facility Initial Compliance Agreement that required a remedial investigation and feasibility study to be conducted.
1987
EPA designated a portion of the Refuge as a Superfund site originally designated as Sangamo Electric Dump/Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.
1988
Remedial investigation report identified operable units, as well as multiple smaller sites that showed possible contamination.
1991
Environmental remediation pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) regulations and a Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) are administered between EPA, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), Department of the Interior and the U.S. Army.
2008
While different areas of the Refuge are currently used for industrial, agriculture, wildlife conservation and limited recreational purposes, the designated land uses have restrictions. This prevents dermal contact with contaminated solids and the ingestion of contaminated groundwater, along with preventing the possible spread of dissolved contaminants through groundwater migration.
Crab Orchard Boundaries
Crab Orchard is located approximately two hours southeast of St. Louis and was established on August 7 th , 1947. The Refuge is comprised of approximately 44,000 acres of land with great diversity of flora and fauna. The major habitats on the refuge include hardwood forest, agricultural land, grazing units, brushland, wetlands and lakes. Documented on the Refuge is a total of 700 plant species, 245 bird species, 33 mammal species, 63 fish species and 44 reptile and amphibian species.
The Refuge also provides an important resting area for migratory birds that utilize the Mississippi River Flyway on their journey:
More than 325 bird species make the round-trip each year along the Mississippi Flyway, from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America. 1
Wintering Canada Geese can be seen migrating within the Refuge with numbers that can peak at 200,000. Other migratory birds utilize this resting area and restoration of the refuge is pivotal in keeping this important habitat available.
According to the National Audubon Society, 20% of the bird species that utilize the Mississippi flyway are of "conservation concern". Due to reduction in habitat, these species are at an elevated risk and count on this vital Mississippi flyway. 2 Further, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology shows a decline in North American birds since the 1970's, which increases the need to protect the integrity of these wetland habitats. 3
For more information on migratory birds and DOI restoration programs, click on the button below.
Contamination
Once the Crab Orchard Site was designated as a Superfund site by the EPA, an initial remedial investigation and feasibility study were initiated. The 1988 investigation report identified areas of concern, and these were separated into what are called "Operable Units" (OUs). The OUs were classified based on the type of contaminants present, however several of these OUs contained smaller "Miscellaneous Areas" (MISCA). Below are a few of the seven OUs that exist across the industrial area of the Refuge. They are a good example of the types of contamination identified during the remedial investigations.
Operable Unit 2 (Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) Operable Unit)
A human health risk assessment and ecological risk assessment found that Operable Unit 2, OU2, had PCBs in the soil at Sites 17, 32 and 33. The PCB levels found at Site 17 posed a particularly high risk to wildlife, concerning fish-eating and burrowing vertebrates that may have prolonged exposure to contaminated soils. Site 17 is also utilized by the public by way of hiking and hunting trails and the PCBs in the soil presented unacceptable risks.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) was found in the groundwater at Site 32 & 33 that exceeded acceptable levels in the Safe Drinking Water Act. This contaminated water causes what is known as a plume, which is groundwater that contains concentrations of the contaminant and spreads in the direction of the groundwater movement. Of the plumes that were identified, Plumes 1 and 3 were included in the subsequent remediation plans for this OU. Another Plume is awaiting remedy selection.
Operable Unit 4 (Miscellaneous Areas Operable Unit)
Wastewater treatment plant at site 36
Operable Unit 4 consists of several miscellaneous areas, including Site 36. Site 36 is where a historical wastewater treatment plant was built by the War Department to serve the IOP during WWII and then the Refuge after transfer to FWS. It covered approx. 47 acres of land.
East pond located with site 36
Within this area, there were large buildings, underground infrastructures, ponds, and lagoons built to catch waste overflows and sludge that added to the clean-up needs of the site. Contaminants of concern in this area included PCBs, pesticides, heavy metals, and other chemicals.
Remediation
FWS hosted open house for community
The Department of the Interior manages the Central Hazardous Materials Fund (CHF) to coordinate and support the clean-up efforts of environmentally contaminated sites across the country, which results in healthy and sustainable public lands. Over many years, DOI has provided CHF funds to the FWS to assist in the immense remediation process at the Refuge.
These clean-up efforts fostered partnerships between the community, federal and state agencies. Land use considerations were a large part of the planning, remediation, and restoration processes. The FWS developed a community involvement plan (CIP) to help promote valuable community participation and provide a better understanding of the different operable units at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.
Success at Operable Unit 2 (OU2)
Excavation efforts at OU2
Circling back to the previous examples of Operable Unit 2, the remediation planning began in 1991. Due to the size of the OU, several preliminary investigations and studies were needed. These investigations and the remedial design for the original cleanup were completed in 1995. Excavation of the landfills, underground storage tanks and buildings were performed starting in 1996. The Area 9 landfill was utilized as a repository for waste excavated throughout the OU.
Before (left) and during (right) remediation of OU2
Excavation at Plume 1
Within OU2, two groundwater contamination plumes known as “Plume 1” and "Plume 3" were the focus of several remediation activities. Soil excavation activities addressing the source area for Plume 1 started in 2010, that of which focused on removing TCE contaminated soil. During the Plume 1 excavation work, a previously undiscovered PCB contaminated source area was found and remediated in 2012.
Installation of the Plume 1 groundwater extraction well (EW-1) and construction of a permanent pump and treat system was then completed in 2011. This marked the start of the construction and remediation process, which includes long-term Monitoring Operation and Maintenance responsibilities managed by FWS beginning on November 23, 2016. This ongoing stewardship is to ensure the systems are succeeding at reducing the contaminant concentrations in the environment.
Long-term remediation plan - well sampling
Plume 3 remediation included phytoremediation, which is the planting of trees to assist in absorbing contaminants and acting as a buffer. The phytoremediation project was initiated in 2010 to assist in preventing contaminated run-off from reaching the tributaries that feed into the Crab Orchard Lake. It covers 2.2 acres of land on the site. Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) refers to monitoring a natural break-down process of contaminants in groundwater by naturally occurring destructive or non-destructive processes, such as oxidation. This is a type of passive remediation and was initiated in 2011 for plume 3 and samples are continually analyzed and monitored.
Below are images of the OU2 area, before and after the remediation efforts. First image (left) is from Google Earth in 1999 and second image (right) is from Google Earth from 2022.
OU2 before (left, 1999) and after (right, 2022).
Success at Operable Unit 4 (OU4)
Within OU4, remediation activities at Site 36 began in 2002, including the demolition of the wastewater treatment plant and the excavation of contaminated soil/sludge from the nearby ponds and lagoons. The removed waste was taken to an off-site permitted landfill for disposal. After the remediation, the groundwater was monitored on a regular basis at eight different monitoring wells until 2015 when the groundwater sampling results reached an acceptable level and the analysis going forward was deemed no longer necessary.
Soil removal at OU4 site 36 (right) and wastewater demolition and excavation (below).
Restoration
The successes at the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge are a culmination of many years of hard work involving many entities and Agencies. While other remediation activities are still ongoing, the successes at a portion of OU2 and OU4 show that environmental clean-up is a slow and steady process that provides ongoing beneficial impacts to improving human health and the environment.
The restoration continues to take place over the span of thousands of acres and includes removing contaminated soil and wastes. There has been successful reforestation of 1,500 acres of land and grasslands. Since the remediation of the refuge started many decades ago, there has been success at many operable units, working toward the restoration of the environment to its original state.
The ongoing stewardship provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for OU2 and OU4 exemplify just a few out of the many efforts being made at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, conserving a future for the community and wildlife.
