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| Western Lion and Service Disposal Landfills make up a 66-acre site just
north of Mattoon, in Coles County. The site was abandoned by the owner/operator
in 1994 at which time it consisted of a large open pit full of water and
exposed waste. Leachate occasionally entered nearby Riley Creek, a protected
stream ranking among the top 5 percent in quality in the State. |
A female Canada goose mistook accumulated rainwater and lechate at the
site for a natural waterway, and settled there to hatch and rear her goslings.
The birds left before remediation work got underway. (Photo taken in 1998.) |
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| Illinois EPA began corrective actions in 2000 with State appropriated
funding. Construction activities included: dewatering and filling the pit,
reshaping the surface to improve slopes for proper drainage, installing
gas vents, seeding with praire plants and installing a fence. |
This engineered sediment basin controls runoff from the landfill before
entering Riley Creek. Native wetland plant seed was collected from nearby
wetlands and hand spread in these basins. (Photo taken in 2003.) |
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| Praire plants were utilized to hold soil in place to prevent
erosion. The extensive root systems that make up two thirds of the total
plant biomass are an adaptation that helps maintain a favorable water balance
and allows rapid regrowth after burning. |
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| Illinois EPA used the innovative approach of planting praire
grasses and flowers opposed to the conventional approach of using non-native
fescues. To further encourage native plant growth, a prescribed burn is
scheduled for Spring of 2005. Among the many benefits of burning are healthier
plants and the recycling of important nutrients. Today, numerous praire
plants are thriving providing diverse wildlife a place to call home on
what was once a wasteland. (Photo taken in 2004.) |
