The future of Central Illinois’ most important source of drinking water is in jeopardy! Area Disposal Company (aka Peoria Disposal Company) has a permit to accept toxic wastes like MGP at their Clinton Landfill site, which is directly over the Mahomet Aquifer. They are now attempting to get approval from USEPA to accept PCBs.
This aquifer provides drinking water to nearly 1,000,000 people in Central Illinois, in over 80 municipalities, including the City of Champaign. Contamination of the aquifer from the highly toxic and dangerous chemicals, that are already land-filled and proposed to be deposited and stored at the Clinton Landfill, would be catastrophic to the region.
In an effort to inform the general public about this urgent and very serious situation, the City of Champaign is sponsoring a Mahomet Aquifer Summit on Saturday, July 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 pmat the Champaign Public Library at 200 W. Green Street, Champaign. Several experts have been invited to present information at this meeting that will help members of the general public better understand the real and potentially catastrophic threat that this chemical waste dump poses to the region.
If USEPA approves Area’s latest permit request, large quantities of highly toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyls, commonly referred to as PCB’s, will be transferred from a Chicago-land site for permanent storage at this chemical dump site in Clinton, IL. PCB’s are one of the most toxic and dangerous chemical compounds created by man and are a known carcinogen. Any migration of that material into the Mahomet Aquifer would likely render that source of drinking water unusable for human and animal consumption, cooking, crop irrigation, etc. Such an event would have devastating and long term consequences for the entire Central Illinois region. Furthermore, by permitting this landfill to accept PCBs it will also be more likely to accept a myriad of other highly toxic substances with the same potential negative impact on the aquifer
The Summit meeting is open to the general public and will feature a variety of expert presenters who will share information about the Mahomet Aquifer and the significant risk the Clinton Landfill poses to this vital source of drinking water. In addition, specific intervention suggestions will be provided to all in attendance who would like to take a more active role in helping to stop the chemical waste dump in Clinton. Also, several local, state, and federal elected officials are expected to attend the Summit meeting on July 12, and some will be asked to make brief comments.
Attached is a tentative agenda for the Mahomet Aquifer Summit to be held on Saturday, July 12, 2014 at the Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green Street, Champaign, IL from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.