Health-based Guidelines for the Excavation of Former
Manufactured Gas Plants
Guidance for Environmental
Consultants and Contractors
Manufactured
gas plants operated in Wisconsin
from the late 1800s to the mid-twentieth century.
These facilities produced fuel gas comprised of methane, hydrogen,
carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and other gases produced by heating coal, steam and coke, or steam and oil.
In Wisconsin, some of these former manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites retain original
buildings; others have since been converted to other uses but still have
subsurface MGP wastes. Coal
tars, light oils, and inorganic wastes typically found in soil, sediment,
and groundwater near former MGPs are an environmental and public health
concern.
The Wisconsin Division of Public Health (DPH),
Department of Health Services (DHS) has developed guidance for
regulatory agencies, environmental consultants, and contractors, for the excavation of MGP sites.
This guidance is intended to complement information on MGP remediation
already available to the Energy and Environmental industries. This guidance
provides a public health perspective on emerging technical and
regulatory issues related to air quality and air management around MGP
sites with emphasis on community outreach and risk communication.
Additional Resources
Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health
Division of Public Health
1 West Wilson
St, Box 2659
Madison, WI 53701-2659
(608) 266-1120
PDF: The free Adobe
Reader® is needed to view and print portable document format (PDF)
files. Learn
more
Back to Main Air Issue Page
Last Revised: January 27, 2012 |
