State Seals Bartonville Industrial Park Powerhouse
For Immediate Release
August 25, 1997 |
Contact: Bill Hammel
217-785-3924
Hearing Imparied 217-782-9143 |
Springfield, Ill. -- Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Director Mary Gade has issued a seal order to restrict access to a building, referred to
as the "powerhouse," and all connecting steam tunnels in the Bartonville
Industrial Park. The purpose of the seal order is to alert the public that the building
and tunnels should not be entered because of contaminants. It also allows police
authorities to charge trespassers with a Class A misdemeanor. The Illinois EPA is
particularly concerned about youth entering the site and urges parents to take
responsibility for keeping their children away from the area.
The Bartonville Industrial Park is on the grounds of the former Peoria state mental
hospital. Situated in the northwest corner of the property is a large brick building,
referred to as the "powerhouse." Attached to the powerhouse building are several
underground tunnels, which may be accessible from other locations on the grounds,
containing old steam pipes. The powerhouse building contains polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) and various types of asbestos material. Asbestos is also present in the underground
tunnels. Both the PCBs and the asbestos are known to cause cancer in humans.
The Illinois EPA became involved in 1992 when several electrical transformers were
stripped releasing insulating oil containing PCBs onto the soil outside the facility.
Subsequent investigations inside the building discovered PCBs, hazardous materials and
asbestos.
The Illinois EPA will be overseeing the asbestos investigation inside the powerhouse
during the last week of August and will be collecting and testing soil samples from
outside the building.
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