State: Chemical testing needed

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ALGONQUIN – An Illinois Environmental Protection Agency official said Thursday during a meeting with concerned citizens in downtown Algonquin that the groundwater directly beneath him was contaminated.

Gary King, a remediation manager with IDOT, told neighbors that his department is looking to test the gas trapped in the soil on their property to see whether that contamination could have seeped into their homes and businesses.

Soil and groundwater samples taken by the Illinois Department of Transportation in preparation for the Algonquin Western Bypass turned up trichloroethylene, a colorless liquid used for cleaning metal parts, in the area around the old Toastmaster building, at 401 Washington St. The building, which King called a “classic brownfield eyesore,” once produced irons, shell casings and appliances.

The Illinois Department of Transportation took 21 soil gas samples around the contaminated area. Three of those samples taken along Main Street came back with contamination levels above Illinois Department of Public Health standards, King said.

“Our plan is to do some further investigating to see if there are impacts to homes or commercial businesses in this neighborhood,” King said.

Steven Gobelman, a soil and groundwater expert with IDOT, said his agency planned to buy the Toastmaster site and remove the contamination from the soil. That, he said, would cut off the source for the groundwater contamination.

Gobelman said no wells were in the area. He set up between 30 and 40 monitoring wells around downtown – all on public land – to test how far the contamination had spread. He said it dissipated by the time it reached La Fox River Drive.

A number of residents and business owners signed up to have IEPA officials test their property to see whether there is a chance of trichloroethylene getting into their homes, although King said he had a limited budget for the testing. The chemical can cause nervous system effects, liver and lung damage, abnormal heartbeat, coma and possibly death.

Mathew Perrone, a patent attorney with an office on Main Street, said he asked to have his business tested to give him peace of mind and let him take action if there was a risk.

“My secretary just had a baby, and she will be bringing it into the office,” Perrone said.

King said systems used to prevent radon vapors from entering homes could be installed in properties if they were found to be at risk.

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