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New plan will remove most of PCBs from Waukegan harbor

A new federal plan would pay for removal of contaminated sediments from Waukegan Harbor.

U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk on Tuesday said the federal government would provide $34 million to essentially remove all remaining PCBs from the harbor and make the area more attractive for development.

"Our hope is to get back on track. We're far behind Racine and Kenosha," Kirk said.

About 90 percent of PCBs have been removed from the harbor. This round would remove 90 percent of what remains, or 200,000 cubic feet of contaminated material - enough to cover about 125 acres one foot deep.

"This gets us to the level technology allows us to," Kirk said.

He previously secured $25 million in federal funds for cleanup work through the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which would require contributions from other parties including the city.

Waukegan city officials reversed course last year by insisting the larger ships not be allowed to use the harbor, which effectively would have put the remaining industrial companies there out of business. The federal Environmental Protection Agency disbursed the funds elsewhere.

The most recent plan will be done under federal Superfund jurisdiction and is employed "when a community was unwilling or unable to remove a threat to human health," Kirk said. The work will not include navigational dredging, he added.

Final review is under way by the National Remedy Review Board. A 60-day public comment period will begin within a week. A public hearing is Nov. 13, at Bowen Park, 1800 N. Sheridan Road, Waukegan.

A decision is anticipated in February.

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