AmerenIP releases information on former manufactured gas plant

By David Gonzales

AmerenIP has recently finished collecting soil samples from on and off the site of

the former manufactured gas plant at 5th and Hill Streets in Champaign that

was closed over 60 years. The manufactured gas plant was opened in 1869 by the Champaign Urbana Gas Light Company and it used constantly evolving technology to extract gas from organic compounds such as coal and oil. The manufactured gas was then used to light and heat homes until natural gas began to replace it in the early 1900s. The processes used to extract the gas left a by-product called coal tar that contains thousands of chemicals some of which can be dangerous to people if exposed over a long enough time period.

On Thursday a meeting was held in the Douglas Senior Center to inform the

residents of the area about whether or not the site is a risk. Residents requested a sign be placed on the fence of the former gas plant to warn children not to play on the abandoned property.

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EPA official Stan Black said to the residents, “There was no need for signs to be put on the fence because the top soil is not dangerous.”

Back in 1997 and 1998, Ameren removed 10 thousand tons of contaminated soil and

other material, 100 cubic yards of concrete and steel that were left contaminated after the site was demolished, and they treated 85,000 gallons of rain water. Ameren then placed 780 cubic yards of clean soil over the site.

“There are probably still toxic materials at the site but they are below the

surface,” said geologist Dr. Nick Schneider, who was hired by the city to analyze and interpret Ameren’s data.

The residents at the meeting however were mostly concerned with contamination that may have seeped out of the site and into the soil of their property. Those statistics however were not presented at the meeting because the EPA does not have them yet.

“We’re not here tonight to talk about the off site investigation that has just been

completed because we have not gotten the report from that yet,” said Black.

The EPA expects to receive the full report about the off site contamination later

this month or possibly in early July. Once they receive the report there will be

another meeting to inform the residents of those results. Ameren will then present their remediation plan to the Illinois Site Remediation Program for approval before the cleanup begins.

“The plan is to clean that site up some time next year,” said Ameren spokesman

Leigh Morris.

If the Illinois Site Remediation Program approves of Ameren’s work after the

remediation is complete, they will issue Ameren what is called a No Further

Remediation letter. Ameren is responsible for the cleanup of 40 former gas plants in Illinois and they have already received nine “No further Remediation” letters from the state.

“The thing I want students to take away from this is to wonder what we may be

doing today that people will be cleaning up in the future,” said Black.