Illinois EPA Issues Violation Notice Over "Foam" Incident

Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued a violation notice to United Airlines and the City of Chicago Department of Aviation over release of a fire-fighting foam in a hanger at O'Hare International Airport that subsequently entered Willow Creek and the Des Plaines River.

The parties have 45 days to respond to the notice, which includes required corrective actions.

The notice cites "discharge of Ansul (the trade name for the foam) from site causing offensive conditions" in the receiving waterways and "failure to provide adequate measures to prevent a release" in violation of a prohibition in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act against discharging contaminants that cause or could potentially cause water pollution.

"Fortunately this release does not appear to have caused loss of aquatic life in the Des Plaines River. We are concerned, however, that the drainage for this facility, and potentially other similar facilities, allows an ongoing potential to exist for contaminating waterways of Illinois," said Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner. "Further, it is essential that Illinois EPA or the Illinois Emergency Management Agency be notified immediately when a release like this occurs. That did not happen here."

"As a result, we have initiated an immediate review of the drainage and sewer connections for other facilities at O'Hare. We are calling on the Chicago Department of Aviation and O'Hare leaseholders to work cooperatively to conduct this evaluation," Director Skinner added.

The violation notice states that "floor drains located in hangers at the O'Hare complex need to be evaluated to assure that sewer connections are properly made in compliance with the local ordinance."

The notice also states: "Consideration should be given to installing in-line oil/water separators where beneficial and feasible" and "treatment/collection system modifications need to ensure that there are no future water quality violations."

United Airlines has reported that at 2 p.m. on Nov. 19, fire suppression sensors were not turned off when welding operations were commenced, activating an automatic fire suppression system. Consequently, three to four thousand gallons of Ansul fire fighting foam was released into the hanger's floor drains which discharges to a storm sewer owned by the City of Chicago and then into Willow Creek, and eventually the Des Plaines River. The water agitation caused by Hoffman Dam in Riverside caused a significant build up of foam on Monday, Nov. 22.

Rainfall appeared to have dissipated the foam on Tuesday, Nov. 23.