Emulsicoat Inc., an asphalt production plant in Urbana, promised residents to relocate most of its operations out of their neighborhood to reduce the irritating odor it produced.

But the odor remains in the air as the company cites “extreme” cost delays.

An Emulsicoat Inc. representative announced last year the company had moved “a significant amount” of its East Urbana asphalt production on University Avenue to a more northern location, 1001 Saline Ct., also in Urbana.

This was part of a plan set by Emulsicoat in January 2019 to relocate completely to its 47.5-acre Saline Court location within five to 10 years, an area it has owned since 2007, Champaign County property tax records show.

When asked if the company has had intentions to move since 2007, Megan Savage, vice president of external affairs of the Heritage Group, Emulsicoat’s parent company, said, “Yes.”

Almost seven years have passed since the 2019 plan was set, and the old University Avenue plant is still operating, emitting a noticeable odor into the area — emissions that have led to dozens of complaints to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency over the decades.

“It doesn’t seem to be affecting anybody except those of us who have to inhale this awful stuff,” Judith Franzen Kutzko, a longtime resident of East Urbana, said in an interview with CU-CitizenAccess.org in October. “There are times when, even with the windows and doors closed, I can barely breathe in here.”

Despite the company’s December 2024 statement that operations had largely shifted to the new facility about 15 minutes away, East Urbana residents question whether the move was significant. The former site, located at 705 E. University Avenue, still emits noticeable odors and the steady rumble of machinery.

During a recent visit by CU-CitizenAccess, the odor hung heavy in the air as trucks entered and exited the property. Workers were visible on site, and the low mechanical hum of production continued throughout the day.

In an interview with CU-CitizenAccess in November, an Emulsicoat employee, who asked not to be named, said around two-thirds of the original plant has moved, highlighting that the original plant is now strictly for emulsification, known for its low odor and fumes. The employee said any official statements should come from the parent company, the Heritage Group.

The employee said the heavy asphalt and oil operations have been moved north to its Saline Court location. 

Savage and the Emulsicoat representative cited financial shortcomings, specifically lack of government help, as to why the plant hasn’t fully transferred over — and it may not for some time.

“It’s going to be extremely costly to move this plant,” the representative said. “We talked to Springfield and actually had some money available at that time, which I’m sure is gone now.” 

Although neighborhood residents are familiar with the company’s slow pace, a recent turnover in city government leaves some locals optimistic.

“This has been dragging on and on and on,” Kutzko said. “But some things have happened. Some of us are hopeful that because there’s been a recent change in the Urbana city government, things might finally change.”

Kutzko is largely referring to the switch in the mayoral position from Diane Marlin to Deshawn Williams in 2024. Ward 5, where Emulsicoat originally resides, is headed by Chaundra Bishop, who was elected in 2021. The city council will see another election this spring.

The former, yet still operational, plant is deemed commercial. In contrast, the Saline Court location joins an industrial hotspot, surrounded by recycling and trash companies, compared to its previous residential and commercial neighbors.

The Saline Court location pays significantly more in property tax and is valued at close to $9 million, compared to the University Avenue location at a little over $2 million, property tax records show.

Lingering fumes, lingering concerns

While residents remain concerned about the fumes’ potential health effects, air-monitoring data show little indication of immediate danger, even following the transition to emulsification-only at the University Avenue plant. 

A review of Local PurpleAir sensors, tracked by air quality watchdog group Spotlight Air Environmental, have not indicated harmful levels of air pollution in the area nearby the University Avenue plant in the past year.

However, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, exposure to asphalt fumes can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and throat and eye irritation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also noted potential long-term carcinogenic risks associated with chronic exposure.

Federal and state environmental rules recognize that strong odors themselves can constitute a public nuisance, even when pollution levels stay below regulatory thresholds. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for example, includes odor and particulate controls in its state-approved air quality regulations. Such standards are meant to prevent “unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of life or property,” a threshold that many East Urbana residents argue the asphalt fumes have long exceeded.

Residents have voiced those health fears for decades. In 1991, community members filed complaints with the Illinois EPA, citing nausea, breathing issues and dizziness from fumes emitted by the plant. 

The Facebook group for the Historic East Urbana Neighborhood shares complaints about Emulsicoat, with some as recent as October of this year.

“We need to help them realize that the future needs to be now,” Facebook member Chant Hannah said in 2021 in a post, in reference to Emulsicoat’s announcement of an eventual move.