Environmental regulators and Army officials will update the public on pollution testing at Ft. Sheridan during a meeting of a citizens advisory committee on environmental conditions at the base. Army officials also will answer questions regarding repair alternatives for Landfills 6 and 7, which are leaking iron-tainted liquid into the lake on the south end of the base. For the past several months, investigators have worked to find possible sources of pollution at the fort as they prepare to release a cleanup plan. Among the findings so far include asbestos, volatile chemicals used for furniture stripping and painting, organic compounds in buildings used for vehicle repairs, and unexploded ordnance at an old firing range. The Army moved off the century-old 700-acre base three years ago, turning over about half of the base to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army Reserves. Another 250 acres have been turned over to the Lake County Forest Preserve District. The remaining land is in the base’s landmark historical district and it will be redeveloped as a luxury lakefront community if it receives a clean bill of health from state and federal environmental regulators. Meanwhile, the Army is expected to release a report on repair options for Landfills 6 and 7, which are on the south end of the base near housing being used for the families of U.S. Navy personnel. Navy families who live next to the landfills have been allowed to move into other housing. Information on cleanup work at the base is available at the public libraries in Highland Park, Highwood and Lake Forest, as well as at the fort in Building 48-G.
The fort’s restoration advisory board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Building 900 at Ft. Sheridan. Building 900 is just to the left inside the north gate off Sheridan Road. Call 847-266-6321.
