04-04-2009, 06:33 PM
When the Waukegan Park District Board wouldn't do appropriate environmental tests at Orchard Hills, a group of concerned citizens funded testing on their own. The Park District did soil testing to a depth of 3 feet, at 3 tees and 3 greens at the 18-hole golf course, and came back with "clean" results, except for an area by the maintenance shed. Concerned Waukegan citizens asked the Park District to retest the tees and greens at depths of 6 inches, as suggested by the Illinois Environental Protection Agency (IEPA), but, despite the fact that arsenic tends to be found in the topsoil, the board refused.
On March 22, soil samples were collected by concerned citizens at 9 tees and 9 greens at the golf course (3 times the number done by the Park District at the tees and greens). Those samples were sent to an environmental testing lab accredited by the State of Illinois, and arsenic testing was completed on April 2. The results showed that 13 of the 18 samples identified arsenic at levels above the acceptable limits set by the IEPA for the redevelopment planned at Orchard Hills.
Park District Commissioners Bill Durkin, Jr. and Bill Sarocka have been advised of the test results. It is hoped by the citizen group that the Park District will put excavation work on hold at the golf course and wait for the IEPA to review the new test results. Those results were forwarded to the IEPA with an urgent request that they be reviewed. The group wants the IEPA to direct the Park District to do appropriate sampling of the entire golf course and perform any remediation required prior to moving dirt at the site.
According to IEPA regulations, no remediation would be required at Orchard Hills if it remained a golf course.
The Park District Board let bids on April 2 at a noon meeting for excavation work to commence at Orchard Hills, among other contracts let for the sports complex. According to Durkin, excavation could start next week.
***Attached are the arsenic test results from the citizens' soil tests showing that 13 of the 18 soil samples taken at Orchard Hills were above the 13 mg/Kg (ppm) acceptable level set by the IEPA ( I have circled those results that are over the allowable 13 mg/Kg). I have also attached the Park Districtâs arsenic test results, showing the 13 mg/Kg standard (I have circled the pertinent parts of that report). According to the Park District test results, only 1 of those samples came back over the 13 mg/Kg level (with a reading of 16.5 ppm), which was located near the maintenance shed at Orchard Hills. A 12â x 12â area was removed by the Park District because of that elevated reading. Twelve of the 13 citizen soil samples that tested over the IEPA acceptable level were above the 16.5 ppm reading of the soil that was removed from the golf course, with 5 of those over 100 mg/Kg and the highest at 263 mg/Kg. TO VIEW ATTACHMENTS, YOU MUST REGISTER AND THEN LOG IN - IT TAKES JUST A MINUTE AND IT'S WORTH IT...
IF THE ABOVE DISTURBS YOU, YOU SHOULD CALL THE PARK DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS - WAUKEGAN DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS - ORCHARD HILLS SHOULD BE PROPERLY TESTED AND CLEANED UP BEFORE ANY DIRT IS MOVED OUT THERE.
On March 22, soil samples were collected by concerned citizens at 9 tees and 9 greens at the golf course (3 times the number done by the Park District at the tees and greens). Those samples were sent to an environmental testing lab accredited by the State of Illinois, and arsenic testing was completed on April 2. The results showed that 13 of the 18 samples identified arsenic at levels above the acceptable limits set by the IEPA for the redevelopment planned at Orchard Hills.
Park District Commissioners Bill Durkin, Jr. and Bill Sarocka have been advised of the test results. It is hoped by the citizen group that the Park District will put excavation work on hold at the golf course and wait for the IEPA to review the new test results. Those results were forwarded to the IEPA with an urgent request that they be reviewed. The group wants the IEPA to direct the Park District to do appropriate sampling of the entire golf course and perform any remediation required prior to moving dirt at the site.
According to IEPA regulations, no remediation would be required at Orchard Hills if it remained a golf course.
The Park District Board let bids on April 2 at a noon meeting for excavation work to commence at Orchard Hills, among other contracts let for the sports complex. According to Durkin, excavation could start next week.
***Attached are the arsenic test results from the citizens' soil tests showing that 13 of the 18 soil samples taken at Orchard Hills were above the 13 mg/Kg (ppm) acceptable level set by the IEPA ( I have circled those results that are over the allowable 13 mg/Kg). I have also attached the Park Districtâs arsenic test results, showing the 13 mg/Kg standard (I have circled the pertinent parts of that report). According to the Park District test results, only 1 of those samples came back over the 13 mg/Kg level (with a reading of 16.5 ppm), which was located near the maintenance shed at Orchard Hills. A 12â x 12â area was removed by the Park District because of that elevated reading. Twelve of the 13 citizen soil samples that tested over the IEPA acceptable level were above the 16.5 ppm reading of the soil that was removed from the golf course, with 5 of those over 100 mg/Kg and the highest at 263 mg/Kg. TO VIEW ATTACHMENTS, YOU MUST REGISTER AND THEN LOG IN - IT TAKES JUST A MINUTE AND IT'S WORTH IT...
IF THE ABOVE DISTURBS YOU, YOU SHOULD CALL THE PARK DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS - WAUKEGAN DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS - ORCHARD HILLS SHOULD BE PROPERLY TESTED AND CLEANED UP BEFORE ANY DIRT IS MOVED OUT THERE.