Read more about the article East Urbana residents have filed dozens of environmental complaints against Emulsicoat asphalt plant — and they’re not stoppingDarrell Hoemann
Emulsicoat, Inc exterior (705 E University Ave, Urbana, IL 61802) on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

East Urbana residents have filed dozens of environmental complaints against Emulsicoat asphalt plant — and they’re not stopping

East Urbana residents living near the Emulsicoat asphalt plant have complained of headaches, nausea and irritation of the throat, nose and eyes in a…

Continue ReadingEast Urbana residents have filed dozens of environmental complaints against Emulsicoat asphalt plant — and they’re not stopping
Read more about the article Contaminated drinking water from Peoples Gas leak persists, funds to fix frozen as lawsuit continues
Ignited, contaminated water from the Spiro's Law website. "In some places, the amount of concentrated gas is enough to set the water coming out of a kitchen sink on fire," the website about the lawsuit said.

Contaminated drinking water from Peoples Gas leak persists, funds to fix frozen as lawsuit continues

A 2016 gas leak into the drinking water supply north of Mahomet continues to be a hot topic even five years later as 2021 nears its end. The first official report of a methane leak from the underground holding wells of Peoples Gas was reported on December 20, 2016. The problem location was County Rd 350 E. in the township of Newcomb, just north of Mahomet and near Fisher, IL. Peoples Gas claims to have capped off the well which was leaking and terminated its use. However, homes in the vicinity were still affected by the leak. 

Continue ReadingContaminated drinking water from Peoples Gas leak persists, funds to fix frozen as lawsuit continues
Read more about the article East Urbana residents worried about emissions from local asphalt plantDarrell Hoemann
Emulsicoat, Inc exterior (705 E University Ave, Urbana, IL 61802) on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

East Urbana residents worried about emissions from local asphalt plant

Members of the Historic East Urbana neighborhood association said they are suffering through recurrent odors and potential pollution issues because of the emissions from Emulsicoat, a local asphalt plant. The most recent complaint, filed to the IEPA in early May 2021, stated “the stench in the East Urbana neighborhood was overwhelming” and that people noted physical problems tied to it. The investigation by Michael Haggitt and Mark Schleuter from that same month had limitations from the lack of hard evidence linking the odor to the suspected Emulsicoat source and recommended no further action beyond the community meeting they held a month prior to that in April. 

Continue ReadingEast Urbana residents worried about emissions from local asphalt plant
Read more about the article Nearby landfill capacity nears limit within two decadesDarrell Hoemann
Illinois Street Residence Halls, exterior (1010 W Illinois St, Urbana, IL 61801) on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Nearby landfill capacity nears limit within two decades

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) predicted capacity limit for the Republic Services Brickyard Disposal is the lowest in the Central Illinois region, and…

Continue ReadingNearby landfill capacity nears limit within two decades