December 14, 2024

sookhouse

Interior The Freshmaker

Remediation nearly done at old post office site

Photo of John Badman


A trackhoe was working Wednesday to tear up the "concrete insulation cap" on Belle Street where the cleanup process on the old Downtown Alton Post Office site has been completed. Ameren Illinois, owner of the property, will soon be seeking a "no further remediation" letter from the Illinois EPA.

A trackhoe was functioning Wednesday to tear up the “concrete insulation cap” on Belle Avenue where by the cleanup approach on the previous Downtown Alton Publish Office internet site has been concluded. Ameren Illinois, proprietor of the house, will before long be looking for a “no further more remediation” letter from the Illinois EPA.

John Badman|The Telegraph

 
ALTON – Development crews, operating on behalf of Ameren Illinois, are presently removing the concrete insulation cap employed throughout the thermal remediation at the website of the previous Alton Created Gasoline Plant developed in 1885, and afterwards home of the previous Alton Article Workplace.

The corporation has invested approximately four many years tearing down the outdated article office and named In-situ Thermal Remediation technological know-how to clear the coal tar contamination in the soil from the 1.7 acre web page at 727 Belle St. The contamination of the site began in 1855 when Alton Gasoline and Electric employed the web site to manufacture gasoline from coal and oil for heating.


That contamination ongoing by means of 1941. Ameren Illinois has not still identified what it will now do with the website after it has been cleared by the Illinois Environmental Defense Company (EPA). This was a voluntary remediation in cooperation with the Illinois EPA.

The thermal remediation phase of the job is total and design crews will be on-web-site about the next pair of months taking away the remaining portion of the aged publish office and parking large amount. The final stage will be to restore the web site for potential use by the stop of 2022. 
 
The corporation will shortly be working with the Illinois EPA to receive a “no further more remediation” letter to shut out the project with the condition. More than the up coming several months, Ameren Illinois will make a determination as to what do with the 1.7-acre parcel.
 
“This was the initially time Ameren Illinois utilised thermal remediation at a former gas manufactured plant web site,” claimed Venture Supervisor Brian Holderness, Ameren.

“All through the thermal remediation system, products heated the soil to a temperature higher than the boiling points of the substances underground. As the heat increased, the chemical substances turned to vapors to let us to safely extract them from the subsurface. We considered this new course of action a good results.”