LOCATION: THE FACILITY IS SITUATED ON A NINE-ACRE SITE LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF 22ND STREE BETWEEN COMMONWEALTH AVENUE AND SHERIDAN ROAD IN THE CITY OF NORTH CHICAGO, LAKE COUNTY ILLINOIS (THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 4, TOWNSHIP 44 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST). THE SITE IS CURRENTLY BORDERED TO THE NORTH BY A RESIDENTIAL AREA, TO THE EAST AND SOUTH BY INDUSTRIAL SITES AND TO THE WEST BY A VACANT LOT. HISTORY: ACCORDING TO THE BOOK, $2500 AND A DREAM (THE HIS- TORY OF FANSTEEL, INC.), THE FACILITY DATES BACK TO 1942 WHEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED AND FINANCED ITS CON- STRUCTION. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS FACILITY WAS ACTUALLY AN EXPANSION OF THE ALREADY-EXISTING FANSTEEL FACILITY, LO- CATED SOUTH OF 22ND STREET. THE NEW FACILITY WAS TO UTILIZE UPGRADED AND MECHA-NIZED EQUIPMENT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TANTALUM (IMPORTANT IN THE PRODUCTION OF MUNITIONS). AT THAT TIME THE FACILITY WAS OWNED BY THE TANTALUM DEFENSE CORPORATION, A SUBSIDIARY OF FANSTEEL. PRESENTLY, IT IS NOT KNOWN HOW THE SITE WAS UTILIZED PRIOR TO 1942. HOWEVER, AVAILABLE HISTORICAL SOURCES (SANBORN MAPS AND LAKE COUNTY PLAT BOOKS) SHOW NO COMMERCIAL OR IN- DUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE SITE PRIOR TO THAT YEAR. ACCOR- DING TO JACK BEYER, FANSTEEL'S ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT, THE NORTH FACILITY CONTINUED OPERATIONS, PRODUCING TANTALUM MILL PRODUCTS AND FORMING NON-FERROUS MET