Bautsch-Gray Mine Site

Site Information

Galena, IL (JoDaviess County)
EPA ID# ILN000510407
CERCLIS listing

Contact Information

Community Involvement Coordinator
Cheryl Allen (allen.cheryl@epa.gov)
312-353-6196 or 800-621-8431, ext. 36196

Site Manager
Leonard Zintak (zintak.leonard@epa.gov)
312-886-4246 or 800-621-8431, ext. 64245

Illinois EPA
Bruce Everetts (bruce.everetts@illinois.gov)
Bureau of Land Representative 217-524-1663

Michelle Tebrugge (michelle.tebrugge@illinois.gov)
Community Relations Coordinator
217-524-4825

Repositories

(where to view written records)

Galena Public Library
601 S. Bench St.
Galena

Links

EPA Superfund Home Page
Region 5 Superfund
Superfund Frequent Questions

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR)

ATSDR - Arsenic fact sheet

ATDSR - Lead fact sheet

Background

The Bautsch-Gray Mine was an operational lead and zinc mine. Since it closed in 1975, tailings from the mine property have continued to erode and move toward residential properties, wetlands and fisheries. In 2000 and 2001, Illinois EPA assessed the site and confirmed that waste piles at the mine property contained elevated levels of lead, arsenic and other heavy metals. Additional investigations showed that nearby creeks and drainage ditches had been affected by contaminants that moved from a large mine tailings pile on the mine property. In addition, one residential drinking water well was found to have been contaminated by the mine tailings.

During a storm in August 2009, heavy rain carried tailings from the main waste pile on the mine property across Blackjack Road onto residential property. According to the Jo Daviess County Highway Department, this has been a problem in previous rainy seasons.

On Aug. 24, 2009, Illinois EPA took samples on and around the site and the residential property and found high levels of lead in soil samples from both places. That prompted the state’s request for federal assistance.

Site Updates | Fact Sheets || Technical Documents

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Site Updates

Latest Update

September 2010:
A cleanup of lead and arsenic contamination began at the Bautsch-Gray Mine site on Blackjack Road, about four miles south of Galena, Ill. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting the cleanup to remove tailings, or waste from mining operations.

The cleanup will involve:

Removing contaminated soil, particularly on residential property near the site.
Reconfiguring the slope of the berm on the property to reduce the runoff from rain and snowmelt.
Planting vegetation on the berm around the site to keep the tailings and runoff from moving off of the property.
Diverting storm water around the site.
Installing ponds, called sedimentation ponds, on the site to hold water runoff.

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