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Crawford Power Plant/Hilco
Chicago, Illinois
Cook County
From 1924 to 2012, Crawford Power Generating Station (Crawford) operated as a coal-fired power plant at 3501 South Pulaski Avenue in the South Lawndale community of Chicago between the Little Village neighborhood and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
In 1999, Midwest Generation acquired Crawford and the nearby Fisk coal-fired power plant. At their peak, the two power plants produced power for nearly one million homes.
In 2012, Midwest Generation began decommissioning Crawford - including removal of coal and coal ash, removal of hazardous substances, emptying/cleaning chemical and oil storage tanks, and draining, cleaning, and removing select transformers. Decommissioning ended in 2013. In 2014, NRG Energy purchased the property.
In 2017, Hilco Redevelopment Partners (Hilco) purchased the site to redevelop it into a 1 million square foot warehouse and distribution center to be called Exchange 55. The former power plant is located in an Illinois EPA-designated area of Environmental Justice (EJ) concern. Areas of EJ concern are determined by Illinois EPA based on census block group data identifying higher concentrations of low-income and minority populations where a disproportionate environmental burden may occur.
Site Assessment and Cleanup
In July 2018, Hilco enrolled the former power plant site in the Illinois EPA Site Remediation Program (SRP) with the intent of receiving a Comprehensive No Further Remediation (NFR) letter. SRP Remedial Applicants are required to define the extent of contamination on the property. Hilco identified four Recognized Environmental Conditions:
- Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present at concentrations above Illinois EPA soil remediation objectives.
- Arsenic, lead, and mercury at concentrations above Illinois EPA soil remediation objectives. Available data indicates one isolated hazardous lead concentration (toxicity characteristic hazardous) within the former riverbed in the north section of the property.
- Benzene in one sample from the west portion of the former riverbed at a concentration above the soil component of the Class II groundwater ingestion exposure route objective.
- Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in one sample collected by the power house on the south section of the property at a concentration above the default soil attenuation capacity objective.
Through subsurface investigations and analytical testing, Hilco identified the following contaminants of concern (COCs):
- North: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PAHs, metals
- South: PAHs, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- East: PAHs, metals
Based on current soil and groundwater sampling data collected from within the site boundaries, it does not appear that on-site soil and groundwater contamination has extended to the neighborhoods north of the subject property. All samples were analyzed by an accredited laboratory.
Site Demolition and Asbestos Removal
The Illinois EPA administers the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Asbestos (“Asbestos NESHAP”) program for regulated asbestos during demolition, renovation, and disposal. Owners and operators subject to the Asbestos NESHAP are required to submit a Demolition/Renovation/Asbestos Project Notification Form 10 working days in advance of commencing a regulated asbestos demolition or renovation project.
Beginning in 2018, Hilco and their partners have submitted 12 notification forms, both originals and revisions. The current notification form, received in June 2019, specifies the following Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM) to be removed:
Regulated ACM to be removed:
- Surface area (sq. ft): 430,000
- Pipes (linear ft): 211,000
Non-friable ACM to be removed:
- Surface area (sq. ft): 25,000
On the June 2019 notification form, demolition and renovation end dates are both listed as December 20, 2019. Under a delegation agreement with the Illinois EPA, the City of Chicago Department of Public Health conducts inspections to ensure compliance with the Asbestos NESHAP requirements, including notification, emission control, and disposal.
If you experience dust problems or have other complaints concerning operations at the site, please call the City of Chicago’s 311 system. Using this reporting method enables the calls to be tracked and the caller gets a number to check on the complaint.
Public Outreach
On October 16, 2018, Illinois EPA received a letter from Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc. on behalf of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO). The letter requested that the Illinois EPA develop a public participation strategy that includes the following elements:
- Promptly providing all tangible information that is part of the SRP process, both in a local repository and on-line (a repository was established at Toman Branch, Chicago Public Library, 2708 South Pulaski Road, Chicago).
- Working with LVEJO to conduct local public information meetings at key intervals during the site remediation process (upon completion of the site investigation report, upon completing of the remediation objectives report, upon receipt of the remedial actions plan), including providing Illinois EPA staff members to participate in these meetings (on August 6, 2019, Illinois EPA participated in a public outreach meeting in Little Village organized by LVEJO).
- Establishing a means for public comments and questions to be directed to the Illinois EPA staff members who will oversee site remediation activities.
- Developing Fact Sheets in both English and Spanish at key intervals in the remediation process to describe important activities that are being undertaken at the site and to address significant public comments and concerns (the Illinois EPA prepared and distributed a Fact Sheet (English and Spanish) as part of August 6, 2019 meeting).
- Identifying a primary point of contact at the Illinois EPA for the public to contact with the questions and concerns about the design and implementation of site remediation activities.
Addtional Information
- On May 3, 2019, Chicago Legal Clinic sent a letter to the Illinois EPA with questions regarding the remediation. The SRP project manager reviewed the questions and incorporated some of the questions into a June 13, 2019 response to the April 2019 Supplement to Comprehensive Site Investigation Report, Remediation Objectives Report and Remedial Action Plan document.
- On August 15, 2019, LVEJO sent a letter to the City of Chicago, copying Illinois EPA and other entities. The letter asked a series of questions.
- On September 26, 2019, the City of Chicago issued its response letter to LVEJO answering questions 1-11 and providing copies of environmental permits issued by the City of Chicago.
- On October 2, 2019, the Illinois EPA issued its response letter answering questions 12-27.
- On January 24, 2022, the Illinois EPA issued an NFR letter for the SRP site.
- Hilco maintains its own webpage to inform the public of ongoing site activities, including demolition status, under the tab Community Updates.
Available Documents
The reports submitted by Hilco and the review letters issued by the Illinois EPA are available for public viewing using IEPA Document Explorer. Search by Bureau ID: 0316005761. Select "Midwest Generation LLC" and then select "Site Remediation – Technical".
Contact
For more information, please contact the Illinois EPA Office of Community Relations. Additional documents not available on this webpage may be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request or through IEPA Document Explorer.