The wildlife agency will sign a consent decree today with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Schlumberger Industries, Inc., (SII), Houston, Texas to formalize provisions of the clean-up. Among the key components of the agreement, SII will provide $13.5 million to carry out the clean-up operation and the Service will allocate $8.1 million for long-term operation and maintenance of the site.
"This solution represents the most practical and effective approach", according to Gritman, "to assure that PCB levels at Crab Orchard will be reduced to a point where they pose no real threat to the fish and wildlife resources of the Refuge.
The Refuge was established by Congress in 1947 to conserve, protect and enhance fish and wildlife and their habitats. The Congressional act that created the Refuge also specified that management would be for recreation, industry and agriculture as well as for wildlife. Industry has had a continuing presence at the Refuge since World War II. Because of EPA findings at the Refuge, the EPA proposed adding the site to the National Priorities List in 1984. Studies conducted from 1983 to 1986 at the Refuge showed that unacceptable levels of PCB were present.
In May, 1986, the Service and Sangamo Weston, Inc., agreed to conduct a Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study at the site. Sangamo, which has since merged with SII, was a tenant at the Refuge from 1946 until 1962. The company manufactured electrical components including capacitors and transformers.
Located between Carbondale and Marion, Illinois, the Crab Orchard Refuge covers 43,000 acres and includes 3 lakes, 12 natural areas, and a 4,000 acre wilderness area.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
