Illinois AG Appeals Order On Toxic-Waste Landfill

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is appealing a decision that would put a central Illinois landfill a step closer to storing toxic waste over an aquifer that provides water for about 750,000 people.

Madigan's office said Friday that she appealed last year's Illinois Pollution Control Board order allowing the Clinton Landfill to store cancer-causing PCBs. The appeal was filed this week in state Appellate Court in Springfield. Clinton is 40 miles west of Champaign.

The complainants in the appeal include the cities of Champaign, Urbana, Bloomington, Normal, and Decatur, the village of Savoy, and Champaign and Piatt Counties.

Champaign Mayor Don Gerard calls this appeal a victory.  He said the IPCB determined it didn't want to rule on the case, stating it didn't have precedence.  Gerard said all parties against the PCB's proposal had a better chance in court.

"It's a reboot, and a chance to go after them again," he said.  "To be honest, I don't think anyone's ever tried to put a toxic waste dump over a water supply, so there's not a heck of a lot in place."

Madigan says the landfill plan is a threat to the Mahomet Aquifer. 

A subsidiary of Peoria-based Area Disposal owns the landfill and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has said it would install a liner to protect the aquifer.

The landfill plan still needs federal approval.