Environmental Progress - Fall 2000

Community Sees Progress At Coles County Landfills

Capping eliminated open water that posed threat to people, waterfowl

On Wednesday, September 13, 2000, area officials and neighbors were invited to see the progress made by Illinois EPA at the Western Lion and Service Disposal landfills near Mattoon. Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner, accompanied by Coles County Board Member Tim Yow, hosted the outdoor event overlooking the landfills. Construction activity was evident in the background during the visit. Two separate landfills owned by the same person, the Western Lion and the Service Disposal sites are adjacent to each other and will be jointly covered by the same cap.

The Western Lion landfill was the focus of the cover story in the 1999 spring issue of Environmental Progress. The story dealt with a female Canada goose which mistook accumulated rainwater and leachate at the site for a natural waterway, and settled there to hatch and rear her goslings. The young apparently survived the experience and the birds left before remediation work got underway.

Construction on a cap for the abandoned Western Lion and Service Disposal #1 landfill sites in Coles County began in June 2000, with funding from the Illinois FIRST program. The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois FIRST funding measure in June 1999, allowing these and other cleanups to proceed.

The Illinois EPA discovered in 1994 that the owner of the landfills, without a permit had begun excavating a 100 by 200 foot trench in an area of buried waste. In 1997, Illinois EPA discovered the trench had filled with 35 to 40 feet of contaminated water. The contaminated water occasionally overtopped its banks and flowed into nearby Riley Creek. Riley Creek is a Class A stream, which means it ranks among the top 5 percent in quality in the state.

When the owner declared bankruptcy, the state contracted work to dewater the pit and fill it with clean fill material, at a cost of approximately $350,000. The scope of work includes reshaping the surface grade on the landfills to improve the slopes for proper drainage, installing the cap and installing a fence around the entire 66-acre site. When the project is completed, approximately one half million cubic yards of clay will be placed on the landfill for the cap.

The Illinois EPA is using an innovative approach by planting prairie grasses after the capping is completed. The conventional approach would be to use regular "yard type" grasses over the landfill, which has to be mowed each month.

Using prairie plants, which set deep and extensive root systems, the soil will be held in place better. A plan for long-term maintenance is being developed in cooperation with the local Embarras Volunteer Stewards. Although no public use of the area is recommended because of the risk of damage to the cover, when the prairie is developed, diverse types of wildlife should begin to call this area home. The total cost of the project will be approximately $4 million. When work is complete, Illinois EPA will place a lien on the property which requires the owner to pay incurred costs before he can use the site.

Thirty-three abandoned Illinois landfills were identified that require state funding to ensure protection of public health and the environment. Gov. George W. Ryan and Illinois lawmakers responded during the 1999 spring legislative session by including $50 million in Illinois FIRST funding to address abandoned landfills. The funding will include $10 million over each of the next five fiscal years (2000-2004).