Work stoppage at Ameren site in Taylorville

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois EPA has secured agreement with Ameren for a work stoppage at a former Central Illinois Public Service EPA Superfund site which had toxic coal tar.

Residents have complained about an odor coming from the site. They have told WAND News they fear the odor could possibly from toxic Benzene. The site is located on Webster Street just outside of Manners Park. Ameren, which now has liability for the site, has been conducting a pilot project at the location which includes digging a large pit.

In 1987, CIPS was digging up an old tank from a former manufactured gas plant which leaked coal tar dust. A short time later several children developed cancer, neuroblastoma, with four of them eventually dying.

Attorney Bill Clutter represented parents of the children in a case which went all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. The legal fight resulted in a December 27, 1993 consent degree addressing the contamination at the site.

“In 1987, when they started excavating this buried tank containing coal tar, agitating it. that dust settled all over the community. It’s persistent. It doesn’t go away,” Clutter told WAND News Thursday evening in downtown Taylorville. “There’s wells, private wells, west of the site that I suspect are still at risk.”

Illinois EPA obtained the work stoppage agreement until it can review air monitoring data. Below is a response to WAND News from Ameren Manager of Environmental Support, David Palmer:

"Groundwater remediation at the former CIPS manufactured gas plant (MGP) in Taylorville, Illinois is managed by the Illinois EPA under oversight by the United States EPA (USEPA). Ameren is meeting both USEPA and Illinois EPA environmental standards to support beneficial reuse of the property for the local community. A pump and treat system has been, and continues to be, used to remediate groundwater at the MGP site. In August, following a public notification and 30-day comment period, Ameren and the IEPA initiated a pilot project to evaluate new technology to remediate via deep soil mixing below groundwater.

"Odors can result when soil is disrupted during treatment. While Ameren has suppressed odors using measures approved by Illinois EPA, the IEPA requested that Ameren suspend the pilot project while it investigates the odor complaints from the public."