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Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park

The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) is a planned, 128-acre quantum computing technology campus, located at the southern end of the former U.S. Steel South Works site on the south side of Chicago. IQMP will be a global center for quantum-enabled research and technology development which will be managed and operated by a University-Related Organization (URO) LLC established by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. The site will connect government, universities, national labs, and industry to facilitate the development of quantum technologies. In the first phase of development, the campus will include the PsiQuantum facility, a shared cryogenic cooling facility, and a Quantum Research Center. The IQMP is in the initial phase of a broader development plan being implemented by Related Midwest and CRG. Construction is expected to start in 2025.

PsiQuantum, a quantum computing technology company, will be the first tenant at the site. Quantum computing uses subatomic particles for storing and processing data rather than the electric signals used in conventional computing. This allows for faster processing of much more complex data than standard computers.

Site Remediation

The Illinois EPA Site Remediation Program (SRP) is a voluntary cleanup program, overseeing the assessment and remediation of environmentally contaminated properties by Remediation Applicants (RA). Upon enrollment in the SRP, a remedial applicant is generally required to perform the following:

Conduct a Site Investigation
Develop Cleanup Objectives
Develop a Remedial Action Plan
Perform Remedial Action and Document the Cleanup

Illinois EPA is authorized to issue a No Further Remediation letter once an RA demonstrates that site investigation and remediation has been completed in accordance with the state cleanup standards set out in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 742.

Past Remediation

U.S. Steel South Works (U.S. Steel) was an integrated steelmaking facility that formerly operated at a 567-acre site on the south-side of Chicago. The facility opened in 1882 as the North Chicago Railway Mill Company and the mill went through several name changes before becoming the U.S. Steel South Works. In 1992, U.S. Steel permanently ceased operations at this location.

In the 1990s, U.S. Steel conducted a large-scale remediation of the South Works property. The remediation was performed in three phases to evaluate soil and groundwater to ensure that conditions at the site were suitable for redevelopment. The site was evaluated for reuse as residential property. In 1997, Illinois EPA issued a No Further Remediation (NFR) letter for the majority of the South Works property for residential reuse, meaning the site could be used in the future for residential development. An NFR letter is a document from Illinois EPA that demonstrates that site investigation and remediation has been completed and meets state cleanup standards. The 1997 NFR letter did not cover the North and South Vessel Slips and the 3.76-acre Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company parcel contiguous with 86th and Burley Ave.

At the request of USEPA, Illinois EPA investigated sediment contamination in the North and South vessel slips and issued separate NFR letters for each slip in 2008. Another NFR letter was issued for the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company parcel in 2010. After the appearance of a sheen in the North Slip in 2019, the sediment in the North slip is again under investigation.

Current Status

The 1997 NFR letter continues to apply to the South Works site. The IQMP developers, Related Midwest and CRG, are expected to perform further assessment of the site and enroll the property in the SRP to conduct further investigation and remediation as needed to meet state standards for the future use of the site and thereby obtain further NFR letters from the Illinois EPA. It is likely that the property will be divided into smaller parcels for purposes of conducting this work and NFR letters will be issued for each of these smaller parcels as development continues across the site. The first parcel to be addressed will be the south 128-acres to be occupied by the IQMP.