Press Release - Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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Illinois EPA initiates cleanup of orphan open dump site in Cook County
Chicago - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott today announced that the Agency has begun cleanup of a large illegal dump site located in Eugene Park, located at 5145 N. Pulaski in Chicago, helping to remove illegally dumped waste from the community. Removal of waste will take the better part of two weeks, and weather permitting, the clean up will finish Friday, August 22.
Helping to beautify Chicago, cleanup crews will continue to remove nearly 1,400 cubic yards of waste from one of the City's beautiful natural areas, clearing the way for potential future development of the park. The exact amount of waste is difficult to calculate due to the over growth of vegetation which has grown over the waste over the years.
The majority of waste is construction or demolition debris, including asphalt, concrete and shingles, with some landscape waste scattered throughout (See Site Map Below). The cleanup is being conducted as part of the Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps (I-RID) program, which continues to remove environmental hazards and protect Illinois' beautiful landscape.
"The goal of the cleanup that is two-fold. It not only will remove an illegally dumped waste from the natural environment, which has grown over the years, but it will create an even bigger space for families to enjoy the outdoors in their own community for generations to come," said Director Scott. "This is a great day for the future of the neighborhood, and I am grateful we can continue to beautify communities throughout the state."
The Chicago River runs through the more than 12-acre Eugene Field Park, providing a beautiful natural landscape for visitors. The park also features two baseball fields, a football/soccer field, five tennis courts, a playground, spray pool and ceramic studio with kiln.
I-RID was launched by the Illinois EPA in the fall of 2006, after the Governor and Legislature had previously authorized the first significant funding in the Agency's history to clean up illegal open dumps where responsible parties could not be found or practically required to do cleanups. The program also gives the Illinois EPA Director additional authority to seal sites where there is a potential risk for harm to human health or the environment.
Since then, approximately150 of these often long-festering open dumps all over the state have been properly cleaned up by the Illinois EPA. Almost 300 tons of tires and more than 500 tons of metal have been recycled from the cleanups and nearly 25,000 tons of other debris has been taken to regulated landfills for proper disposal. Items fly-dumped have included a car chassis, refrigerators, couches and even fiberglass boats.
Working with local and county officials to identify candidates for I-RID cleanups, Illinois EPA has cleaned up sites ranging from the tip of Southern Illinois near Cave-in-Rock to rural central and eastern Illinois and urban locations in the Chicago metro area, such as Ping Tom Park in Chinatown.
The Chicago Parks Department has installed a fence around the perimeter and the Illinois EPA will install a video surveillance sign at the park to prevent any future illegal dumping. The IEPA will periodically inspect the site to ensure that the problem does not recur, and has the authority to issue administrative citations to violators of this and other provisions of the Environmental Protection Act.
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