Milwaukee Solvay Coke & Gas Site
Milwaukee, WI

Latitude: 43.016805
Longitude: -87.908489

The Solvay Coke & Gas Site located not far from downtown Milwaukee covers about 46 acres in an industrial and commercial area north of the Kinnickinnic River and west of Lincoln Memorial Harbor. This is one of the more post apocalyptic Sites that feels of another planet and time. Solvay Coke and Gas along with Milwaukee Die Casting, and Moss-American is one of the most ecologically damaged and uninhabitable Superfund Sites. Many different industrial activities have transpired on the property since as early as 1866. A coke and gas manufacturing facility located on a majority of the property was operated by various entities until around 1983. Wisconsin Wrecking ran a scrap and salvage operation on the northern portion of the property until January 2003. A majority of the coke and gas manufacturing structures on the northern half of the Site were demolished in 2003 when the EPA oversaw a hazardous waste removal.

Removed from the Site was asbestos-containing material in many of the structures, on piping inside and outside the structures and loose asbestos-containing material located on the ground. Coal tar was taken from the manufactured gas plant operations in tanks, piping, on the ground, and in an open pit area. Numerous above-ground storage tanks and associated piping containing coal tar and other residues along with other hazardous substances located throughout the Site such as drums of naphthalene crystals and oil in old electrical transformers.

Contaminants in  the soil are, but not limited to arsenic, heavy metals, PCBs, and several PAHs including fluoranthene at 400ppm a cancer causing carcinogen.