Macon County Board Approves Clinton Landfill Consent Decree

The Macon County Board is the latest local government to approve a consent decree with the Clinton Landfill.

Jeannie Durham with the Macon County Board office says board members endorsed the agreement on an 18 to nothing vote, Thursday evening in Decatur.

Under its terms, Clinton Landfill Inc. (owned by PDC/Area Disposal) will abandon efforts to take in hazardous PCB’s and additional manufactured gas plant waste at its present site and any other sites over the Mahomet Aquifer in DeWitt County --- and will add extra safety measures to protect the gas plant waste it already has from possibly leaking into the aquifer.

In return, a coalition of 14 local governments will agree to give up its lawsuit against the landfill, which alleged that the landfill's authority to take in hazardous waste had not been properly considered by the DeWitt County Board. The agreement to give up the suit (and future legal action against the landfill) has s drawn criticism from some groups such as W.A.T.C.H Clinton Landfill, that say the governments should keep their legal options open. These groups also question the wisdom of keeping manufactured gas plant waste at the landfill, and the effectiveness of the additional safety measures.

The Macon County Board is the 13th member of the coalition to approve the consent decree. Others that have voted to endorse the decree are the city councils in Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Tuscola, Monticello and Bloomington; the Normal Town Council; village boards in Forsyth and Savoy; and the Champaign, Piatt and McLean county boards.

One final member of the coalition --- the Mahomet Valley Water Authority --- is set to vote on the consent decree on Friday, October 16 in Clinton.