American Ecology Faces $12-Million Cleanup

American Ecology Corp. said U.S. environmental officials issued a draft plan for controlling ground contamination at a closed American Ecology chemical-waste facility in Sheffield, Ill.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that its plan, including maintenance of the site for 30 years, would cost American Ecology about $12 million in current dollars after adjusting for inflation.

But American Ecology, a waste-disposal concern based in Agoura Hills, warned that the cost could increase depending on how the final plan differs from the draft proposal.

The 45-acre Sheffield site, which was operated by the company’s US Ecology unit, was closed in the early 1980s after nearby ground water was contaminated. The EPA proposal, among other things, calls for American Ecology to construct a “cap” of clay, soil, plastic and other materials that would keep rain and nearby ground water from also becoming contaminated, said Karl J. Eimer, American Ecology’s chief financial officer.

The EPA’s draft is subject to public review and comment, and the agency’s final decision is not expected for several months, Eimer said.