News Releases - 2001

Lockformer Referred to Illinois Attorney General

Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois EPA has referred the Lockformer Company, of Lisle, to the Illinois Attorney General's office for violations of the Environmental Protection Act, based on contamination of the groundwater on and near their plant property. Among other things, the Illinois EPA seeks to determine the extent of the contamination from spills at the Lockformer facility and to determine if any groundwater contamination has reached any residences.

In 1991, Lockformer discovered that spills of trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent, apparently had been occurring during delivery of the product to Lockformer. TCE was used by the facility to clean metals prior to the finishing process. There are indications that TCE spills occurred at Lockformer as far back as the late 1960s.

In 1994, Lockformer entered Illinois EPA's voluntary cleanup program, seeking Illinois EPA oversight of the investigation of the impact of the TCE release to the soil and groundwater.

In 1999, Lockformer representatives proposed to the Village of Lisle that an ordinance be adopted preventing any additional potable water wells from being installed in the vicinity of the Lockformer facility. Lockformer proposed the ordinance as part of an effort to obtain a No Further Remediation letter from the Illinois EPA. At that time, the public first became aware of the potential contamination in the groundwater, possibly affecting some residential water wells.

Potentially affected residents subsequently contacted the Illinois EPA and requested that their wells be tested. The Illinois EPA sampled 48 nearby private wells and found TCE in numerous samples. The Illinois EPA plans to sample additional wells in the Village of Lisle and the and nearby areas in the county, in order to completely define the extent of TCE contamination in the area. Lisle's public water supply is not affected.

The Illinois EPA is asking Lockformer to conduct an extensive investigation and to fund the sampling of these and other residential wells, as appropriate and to implement necessary remedies. The Agency is also asking Lockformer to provide an alternate water supply to potentially affected residents, including immediate delivery of bottled water to homes in and near the affected area.

Related Information

• IEPA Receives Results of Lisle Private Well Sampling