FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 5, 2020
 
CONTACT:
Kathy Fieweger
Director of Public Affairs
City of Chicago Law Department
312.744.1575
kathleen.fieweger@cityofchicago.org

CITY OF CHICAGO FINES GENERAL IRON, SECURES MITIGATION MEASURES

Penalties and corrective actions stem from citations at Lincoln Park facility

CHICAGO – The City of Chicago’s Department of Law, on behalf of the Chicago Department of
Public Health (CDPH), today announced that General Iron has agreed to pay a penalty of
$18,000 and has implemented environmental remediation and explosion prevention measures
costing more than $300,000 related to its metal recycling and shredding operations at its
Lincoln Park facility.

“The penalty and mitigation measures represent significant steps to protect local residents and
ensure that General Iron lives up to its stated promises to operate responsibly throughout the
duration of their tenure at this facility,” said Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner.

“We are pleased that this settlement directly addresses the issues of fugitive dust and odors
found through our enforcement efforts and also addresses the conditions that caused the
explosion,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “These new mitigation measures will
ensure enhanced protection of public health and the environment.”

A portion of the $18,000 fine will be used by the City to purchase two field olfactometers for
the site, equipment that will be used to enforce prohibitions on odor nuisances. The additional
spending includes roughly $179,000 for implementation of dust mitigation measures and
approximately $128,000 on explosion prevention measures.

Operations at the facility, located at 1909 N. Clifton, are scheduled to cease at year-end. From
July 2019 through July 2020, CDPH conducted more than 50 routine inspections and more than
60 inspections in response to complaints received by the City’s 311 number regarding the
Clifton facility. During a three-month period, from December 2019 to March 2020, CDPH
conducted 11 complaint-response inspections that resulted in the issuance of 11 citations.
These citations were based mainly on the observation of odors, dust and the off-site waste
known as auto fluff. An additional citation containing two counts was issued following the
explosion on May 18, 2020.
Dr. Arwady said the department will continue to monitor the site for compliance. In order to
protect the health and wellness of residents in the surrounding area, CDPH installed air quality
monitors immediately after the explosions to better understand any potentially harmful
substances that could have been emitted.

To better control dust, General Iron has added four water-misting cannons along the eastern
and northern perimeters of the property, to supplement six water-misting cannons already at
the site, as part of the resolution with the City. In addition, to address CDPH’s concerns, General
Iron has installed 15-foot high netting along the eastern and northern boundaries of the facility
to further prevent debris from migrating off-site.

The Department of Law said the fines would be paid by General Iron approximately within a
week of being invoiced, and that mitigation efforts have already taken place.

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