Sen. Rose: Aquifer Group ‘Steps Up Oversight’

State Sen. Chapin Rose says a Mahomet Aquifer working group he has formed brings another layer of oversight to the Clinton Landfill that sits on top of it.

Rose (R-Mahomet) and Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) held the first meeting of the group in Springfield as the two were wrapping up the legislative session last week. 

Rose said the landfill will now undergo more scrutiny than any in Illinois, which he said needs to happen.

Among those with the group, George Roadcap of the Illinois State Water Survey, suggests to the EPA that more water well samples be collected around the radius of the landfill, rather than simply from test wells on top of it.

Rose said this effort is entirely separate from multiple cities’ request to that the that the Mahomet Aquifer serve as the ‘sole source aquifer’ for 14 counties, as well as a lawsuit to block the landfill owner’s request to store toxic substances called PCB’s over the aquifer. 

“What our effort is, is say ‘look, we already have this landfill here," he said.  "We need to make sure that we have appropriate oversight and maintenance, inspection, independent 3rd party analysis of samples to make sure it’s functioning correctly, cause quite frankly, I’m not sure that it is."

Rose said the research is ‘science driven’ but also gives residents opportunities for input.

Others appointed in the group’s first meeting include Champaign Environmental Health Coordinator Angela Adams, Piatt County Board Member Randy Keith, DeWitt-Piatt Public Health Director Dave Remmert, and Bill Spencer, President of the citizens' WATCH group based in Clinton.

The working group is expected to meet again in early to mid-July.