Environmental Progress - Summer 1999

Worst Abandoned Landfills Will Get Illinois FIRST Funds

$50 million is earmarked for 33 sites with critical cleanup needs.

Thirty-three 'orphan" landfills that no longer accept waste but were never properly sealed and closed were identified earlier this year by Illinois EPA as a critical environmental problem that needed to be addressed.

Gov. George W. Ryan and Illinois lawmakers responded this spring by including $50 million in the Illinois FIRST program for tackling problems posed by 32 of the landfills. In addition, separate appropriations totaling $10.3 million were approved for stabilizing and cleanup work on what the Agency had identified as the "worst" of the 33 abandoned landfills -- Paxton II in southwest Chicago. Because of the threat of collapse of a portion of that landfill, which towers up to 170 feet high, emergency work began in March.

New funding was critical because the $2 million previously available for the state's cleanup program was inadequate to address the significant problems at the abandoned landfills.

In 21 counties, landfills threaten public health.

The landfills, located in 21 counties across Illinois, typically threaten public health and adjacent property and present an active nuisance -- they look bad and smell bad. Erosion of sides and cover, exposed refuse and contamination threats to groundwater and surface water are also problems at many of the sites.

The Illinois FIRST funding will include $10 million over each of the next five fiscal years. Preliminary work is already underway on the second "worst" of the sites -- Western Lion at Mattoon. (see related story)

Cleanups should improve property values

"Once the Illinois EPA cleans up these sites, the landfills could be transformed into safe open spaces like parks and wildlife areas or serve municipal functions such as city garages, parking lots, or recycling centers. Properties surrounding the landfills should increase in value as well," said Director Thomas Skinner.

The remediation work typically will include pumping out accumulated leachate (precipitation that has mixed with the decayed refuse), constructing a new or improved cap to prevent future storm water penetration of the landfill, grading and slope stabilization, and seeding and vegetation.