The site is located in southeast Illinois on the bank of the Embarras River. It was established in the early 1900s and operated until its shutdown in 1995. During its operation, the refinery produced various products including liquid petroleum gas, motor gasoline, aviations gasoline, jet fuel, burner oil, diesel, oil, home heating oil, fuel oil and asphalt material. Consequently, it also produced various waste products that were often disposed of on site. Currently the site provides habitat for several federal trust resources, including federally listed endangered and candidate mussels, which have historically occurred in the Embarras and Wabash rivers. The copperbelly watersnake, which is protected under a conservation agreement between the Servicet and the State of Illinois as if it were a federally listed species, also occurs in the floodplain of the Embarras River and on the site. Food resources and habitat for migratory birds, as well as the potential occurrence of the federally listed endangered Indiana bat and the federally listed threatened bald eagle, make the thorough characterization of pathways on the site even more important.

A technical team, consisting of representatives from the Service, State Trustees and ChevronTexaco, has been set up to develop an Assessment Plan. This NRDA will be conducted concurrently with the Remedial Investigation (RI), providing the Technical Team the opportunity to determine natural resource information needed for the RI and NRDA and to influence the choice and implementation of remedial alternatives. This will streamline primary restoration.

For more information, contact Ginger Molitor at (309) 793-5800 Ext. 212 or e-mail: Ginger_Molitor@fws.gov.