Cleanup at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
As part of the Fish and Wildlife Service's
Environmental Quality (EQ) program,
personnel stationed at the Marion CERCLA Field Office work on hazardous materials issues that affect
federal trust resources on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
(CONWR).
In 1947 Congress established the Refuge, with a
mission to support wildlife, recreation,
agriculture, and industry[1].
Prior to modern
environmental laws, it was common practice for
industrial facilities, including those on the
Refuge, to use unlined landfills and dumps to
dispose of the waste generated by their operations.
As a result, a number of locations on the Refuge
became contaminated.
In the 1970s, the State of Illinois identified
poly-chlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and cadmium
contamination during a watershed-wide study at the
Refuge[2].
A 1982 USFWS study identified PCB and lead
contamination in Area 9. On the basis of the Area 9
contamination, the Refuge was placed on the NPL on
July 22, 1987
This web site contains industrial history and information on sampling for and remediation of hazardous materials under CERCLA at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. This site also contains information on how plants, wildlife, and people that use CONWR are benefiting from CERCLA activities.
Acronyms
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