
				Pat Quinn, Governor

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Environmental Progress - Winter 2003

Environmental Progress : Winter 2003

Build Illinois Funds Used to Supply Safe Drinking Water

To supply homes where wells contaminated

Nearly $1.5 million has been awarded to DuPage County communities for infrastructure extensions that will bring safe drinking water to area citizens. Access to an alternate water source became necessary after Illinois EPA investigations revealed that numerous private wells in the Downers Grove area had amounts of the potentially harmful chemicals trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachlorethylene (PCE), above the federal safe drinking water standard. Both are industrial de-greasers.

The village of Downers Grove will receive a grant of $711,948, to cover 70 percent of the cost of extending mains to carry municipal drinking water from Downers Grove to private well owners in the North Belmont Park Subdivision. More than 200 homes in this area had drinking water that exceeded the safe drinking water standard for one or both of the chemicals. The solvents were also detected in another 200 wells, but at lower levels. The North Belmont Park Subdivision is the only affected area without infrastructure in place.

The village of Lisle will receive a grant of $697,467 to cover 70 percent of the cost of extending mains to carry municipal drinking water from Lisle to private well owners in the unincorporated area of Woodridge Estates, where 40 homes showed detectable amounts of TCE, though none exceeded the 5 parts per billion limit.

"This grant is a culmination of the cooperative efforts between local officials, legislators, citizens and Illinois EPA to address this problem through the Governor's Action Team," said Illinois EPA Director Renee Cipriano. The grant money comes from Build Illinois funds. The villages will cover the remaining 30 percent of the costs.