Nicor to field questions on coal tar cleanup

BLOOMINGTON - Nicor Gas is holding an open house to answer questions about the cleanup of a former Bloomington manufactured gas plant site.

The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that the Monday meeting will include a question-and-answer session on the latest phase of cleanup at the four-acre site.

The site is contaminated with coal tar. It formerly housed a plant that manufactured gas using a variety of raw materials, most commonly coal and oil, between 1883 and 1951.

Cleanup has been ongoing since 1995. Nicor spokesman Bernard Anderson says the next phase includes building a below-grade retaining wall, a process that will take up to eight months. Additional excavation is planned for next year.

Anderson says the goal is to eventually sell the site for commercial use.