CHICAGO—At the intersection of the Calumet River and Lake Michigan lies 43 acres of lakefront property that residents of the Southeast Side could ideally enjoy. However, for nearly four decades, this land has served as a dumping ground for over 1.2 million cubic yards of toxic sediment dredged from regional waterways.
Initially intended to transform into a public park once full, the site’s operator, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, instead proposed a vertical expansion of the Chicago Area Confined Disposal Facility to extend its use by an additional 20 years. This proposal led to renewed efforts by locals to convert the landfill to parkland. This year, with backing from advocates and state officials, they successfully halted the expansion. They are now awaiting the Army Corps’ plan to cap the site, a crucial step before park development can proceed.
“Turning this landfill into a park represents a vital opportunity for the city,” said Brian Gladstein, executive director of Friends of the Parks in Chicago, an organization that fought for this outcome in court.
The landfill’s story started in 1982 when the state of Illinois permitted the Army Corps to develop it, with the condition they would cap and remediate the site upon reaching capacity. The plan was to hand it over to the Chicago Park District by 1994 to establish a community park adjoining Calumet Park, according to Howard Learner of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
However, even after 1994, the Army Corps continued depositing dredged sediment laced with toxic substances like mercury, arsenic, and PCBs, remnants of the city’s industrial past. When questioned, the Army Corps explained that while there was an initial plan to transfer the land to the Chicago Park District in 1994, their congressional mandate to maintain commercial navigation in the Calumet Harbor and River had not changed.
In early 2019, nearing the site’s capacity, the Army Corps sought options for further dredging. During a Southeast Side community meeting, they introduced six possible sites for a new confined disposal facility, all within the 10th Ward, as stated by Amalia NietoGomez, executive director of Alliance of the Southeast, an environmental justice group.
The proposal met a strong backlash from residents, urging the agency to stop burdening their community with more pollution. “Residents questioned why they had to continually bear the brunt of toxic developments,” NietoGomez recounted.
Eventually, the Army Corps opted to raise the existing site with an additional three-story mound of dredged material. “It was a bitter win,” said Alliance of the Southeast organizer Sam Corona, “creating another mound with historical pollution underneath, destined to seep into the water.”
The Army Corps maintained that the site was managed safely and in line with the state-issued permits.
In an effort to block the expansion, Alliance of the Southeast and Friends of the Parks filed a federal lawsuit in March 2023. “Locating a new toxic waste disposal site along Lake Michigan’s shoreline in an environmental justice community is legally and logically misguided,” stated Learner, the lead attorney.
In 2012, Illinois banned new landfills in Cook County. Since the 1980s, the Army Corps has operated the site under a water pollution control permit, not a landfill permit, arguing that this exempts it from the ban. However, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul informed the court in January that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency did not agree.
The Army Corps withdrew their expansion application in March, leading U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin to dismiss the lawsuit as moot in June.
This story is funded by readers like you.
Inside Climate News, our nonprofit newsroom, offers award-winning climate reporting without charge or ads, supported by donor contributions.
Currently, the Army Corps has no plans to expand the landfill vertically, necessitating alternative sites to manage new dredging from Chicago’s waterways. Army Corps project manager Ron Papa mentioned the agency is assessing options in agreement with state and local authorities.
Gladstein from Friends of the Parks advocated, “We’re pushing for solutions beyond Cook County’s borders, as the Southeast Side has endured enough pollution.”
Transforming the landfill into a park requires the Army Corps to cap and remediate the site, ensuring no toxins reach Lake Michigan. Papa admitted there’s no set timeline for starting this work, and the state Environmental Protection Agency has not specified a deadline.
Alliance of the Southeast’s NietoGomez worries about potential contamination of the lake’s drinking water until the landfill is securely sealed. She stressed the need for additional support for the site during remediation.
Once remediation is complete, the Chicago Park District plans to consult with Southeast Side residents on the public park design.
Gladstein is committed to holding city officials accountable. “We aim to keep the community informed on developments and necessary actions, as we can’t solely rely on the federal government for this,” he stressed.
Friends of the Park, Alliance of the Southeast, and the Environmental Law and Policy Center will host a community event in September to celebrate the step forward towards a park.
“Opportunities for lakefront properties are rare,” Gladstein expressed. “We have the chance to create an exemplary park in collaboration with the community.”
About This Story
All stories, including this one, are free to read on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit free from subscription fees and ads. We distribute our work widely, partnering with media unable to produce environmental coverage.
Launched in 2007, Inside Climate News has since received a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Our work exposes environmental injustice, holds polluters accountable, and inspires action, with funding from readers. Please consider donating to support our mission.
Thank you for your support.