Fort Sheridan Project Description

KEMRON holds a GFPR contract at Fort Sheridan where activities include remediation, regulatory agency negotiation, remedy selection, monitoring, operation and maintenance, construction, site documentation, community relations, and management of the Administrative Record. In 1993, BRAC selected Fort Sheridan for closure. In 2001, the Army selected KEMRON to complete final BRAC closure efforts at this installation. The contract includes remediation of 13 areas. Response complete has been obtained on a number of the sites, eliminating long-term obligations. O & M and LTM are required for the two landfill caps constructed under this contract.

KEMRON developed and received regulatory approval for site-specific documents, including the Work Plan, HASP, QAPP, SAP, Project Management Plan, Community Involvement Plan, Data Management Plan, Waste Management and Minimization Plan and the Long Term O&M Plan that includes the Groundwater Monitoring Plan.

Project Facts

Client	US Army
Value	$17.1 million
Location	Fort Sheridan, IL

Relevant KEMRON Service Areas:

Brownfields Redevelopment
UST Management Services
Risk Assessment
Remedial Action Design and Implementation
CERCLA RI/FS
CERCLA RD/RA
Excavation and Disposal
Capping
Demolition
LTO/LTM
Lead Abatement

In addition to the appropriate site documents, KEMRON prepared Proposed Plans (PP), Decision Documents (DD), and Design Documents for Coal Storage Area 3 and Landfill 5. The remedy selection for these two task areas includes the preparation of the Land Use Control Implementation Plan (LUCIP). This process involves extensive regulatory negotiation with EPA Region 5 and IEPA and has included the input of stakeholders including the Army, the Army Reserves, the US Navy and the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB).

Construction Tasks

KEMRON constructed a 13-acre RCRA cap on Landfills 6 & 7 which has been re-opened as green space to be used as a community park. The RCRA cap consists of multiple layers of geosynthetics and low permeability clay. The capped area also contains a leachate and gas collection system.

KEMRON was responsible for obtaining regulatory closure at the task area known as Landfill 5. Complicating this site was the multiple ownership and use of the property by the US Army (prior owner), the US Navy the US Reserves (current owner) in selecting a long-term, cost-effective option that meets the current users needs as well as potential future uses. KEMRON’s selected remedy is a hybrid of two of the seven alternatives from the site specific feasibility study. By using a combination of alternatives, KEMRON was able to provide a more cost-effective solution while providing greater acceptance from all project stakeholders. The selected hybrid alternative included: land use controls, inspections, erosion controls near the ravine slopes, a clay / geosynthetic cap, storm water controls, utility relocation, groundwater monitoring and long-term O & M.

KEMRON performed removal actions at five task areas in the first year of the contract including: the demolition of a water tower and contaminated soil removal actions at four areas. Although KEMRON could have obtained approval at these sites for remediation to industrial standards, KEMRON elected to meet residential standards thus allowing the Army to avoid LTM and land-use control restrictions. KEMRON expedited the process of final study to removal action by proposing the use of a non-time critical Action Memorandum to the BRAC cleanup team (BCT). As a result, the preparation of PPs and DDs was eliminated, approval time was cut dramatically and the remediation was completed a year ahead of schedule. In an effort to save money and avoid transporting contaminated soil through heavily populated neighborhoods, KEMRON placed the excavated soils in the low areas in Landfill 6 & 7 as part of the required subgrade preparation beneath the first cap layers.

Community relations are a large part of KEMRON’s contract. KEMRON maintains the Administrative Record, prepares quarterly newsletters and fact sheets that describe the project progress and highlight upcoming events; and maintains a project website - www.kemron.com/fortsheridan/.