Press Release - Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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Illinois EPA begins cleanup of illegal dump site in Saline County
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott today announced that the Agency will begin the cleanup of an illegal dump site located in Carrier Mills Township, in Saline County. Weather permitting, the cleanup will be completed by January 26th.
Over the next several days, a contractor will work to remove up to 200 cubic yards of waste from the site, including furniture, electronics, tires, demolition debris, vehicles, metal, glass, plastic and miscellaneous household wastes, which have been disposed of illegally.
While all illegally dumped waste presents an environmental and safety problem, improperly disposed tires provide a breeding habitat for the type of mosquito that is the primary carrier of the West Nile Virus. The cleanup is being conducted as part of the I-RID (Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps) Program, which continues to remove environmental hazards and protect Illinois' beautiful landscape.
"The goal of these cleanups is two-fold. It not only will remove illegally dumped waste, some of which has festered over the years, but the cleanups also preserve the environment in rural areas and city communities, making the outdoors a place to be enjoyed for generations to come," said Director Scott. "I am grateful we can continue to beautify communities throughout the state."
Since the fall of 2006, more than 200 of these often long-festering open dumps all over the state have been properly cleaned up by the Illinois EPA. Almost 500 tons of tires and nearly 860 tons of metal have been recycled from the cleanups and nearly 35,350 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.
With the funding, the Illinois EPA hires contractors to clean up open dumps where responsible parties cannot be located or where various specific imminent threats, such as fire, are present. The new law also provides for permitting and regulation of the disposal of clean construction or demolition debris, such as in former quarries, and gives the Illinois EPA Director additional authority to seal sites where there is a potential risk for harm to human health or the environment.
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 and in Alexander to rural central and eastern Illinois and urban locations in the East St. Louis and Chicago metro areas.
The area will be gated off after the cleanup, and the Illinois EPA has the authority to issue administrative citations to violators of this and other provisions of the Environmental Protection Act.
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