PARTS OF SECT. 10, 11, 14 & 15, T33N-R1E
The Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Co. occupies approximately 160 acres where an inactive primary zinc smelting and rolling facility are located in the City of La Salle, La Salle County, Illinois (population 9,646). The southern portion of the property contains one active business, Carus Chemical Company. The Carus Chemical Company is a manufacturer of potassium permanganate and other specialty chemicals and employs approximately 100 people. The site itself is surrounded by the Little Vermillion River on the north and east sides and by private residences on the south and west sides. North and east of the site across the river lay farmland and a limestone quarry, respectively. Operation at the Matthiessen and the Hegeler Zinc Co. began in 1858 with all operations ceasing in 1978. The rolling mills were constructed in 1866 and incorporated into the business in 1871. The site also had an ammonium sulfate fertilizer plant which utilized some of the sulfuric acid that was generated; however, it only operated for a few years in the early 1950s. Matthiessen and Hegeler quit mining coal onsite in 1937, and in 1961 stopped the zinc smelting process. The manufacture of sulfuric acid was discontinued in 1968. From 1968 until the facility closed in 1978 only the rolling mills were in operation. The rolling mills were purchased in 1979 by new owners and became the La Salle Rolling Mills, with operations at this location beginning in 1980. The rolling mills operated until the company went bankrupt in 2001. Large piles of slag material from past smelting operations are located on the property adjacent to the Little Vermillion River. Drinking water for the city is obtained from several municipal wells. The closest well is located approximately 3,700 feet south of the site. A CERCLA Screening Site Inspection conducted by the Illinois EPA (IEPA) in 1991 indicated that the slag piles contained elevated levels of heavy metals, which led to the listing of the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the site to the NPL on June 14, 2001, and finalized the site on the NPL on September 29, 2003. Site Responsibility This site is being addressed through federal, state, and potentially responsible party (PRP) actions.
5,861 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$55,588 |
Average Income |
2,444 |
Occupied homes |
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