Published: October 18, 2006 10:27 am      

Fulton council restricts wells

FULTON, Ill. — The Fulton City Council has approved an ordinance restricting water supply wells near property owned by Drives Inc. following the discovery of chemical contamination.

Drives President Dave Vogel addressed the council on Monday and said the chemical spill was discovered accidentally. He said the problem stemmed from use of a chemical the company hasn’t used in 15 years. After an investigation into the groundwater quality, it has been determined that the chemical concentration in certain areas may exceed standards for drinkable resource water. Vogel said he was happy to report neighbors of the company have not been affected.

Vogel said that in an effort to go the extra mile, Drives is asking the city to pass the ordinance placing future restrictions on deep wells in the area. The affected area is designated in three levels of severity including a general area, area of concern and area of special concern.

On Monday, the council voted to approve the ordinance, which includes entering a memorandum of understanding with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the ordinance, the city assumes responsibility for tracking all sites that have received no further remediation determinations, must notify the EPA of changes to the ordinance and must take precautions when siting new public potable water supply wells.



Where is the problem located?

The area of concern begins at the northeastern corner of the Drives factory, in Fulton, Ill., follows south along the eastern boundary to 22nd Avenue, then west along the midline of 22nd Avenue to the Mississippi River shoreline and north to a point due west of the midline of 17th Avenue. The section continues east along the midline to the intersection with the western boundary of the factory and along the north property line. In the future, no wells may be installed for drinkable water inside the area of concern.

The area of special concern begins at the intersection of the midline of 19th Avenue and Sixth Street, then south along Sixth Street to the alley between 21st and 22nd avenues. The area continues east to the property at 909 22nd Ave., then north to a point extended from the midline of 20th Avenue and east to a point that is an extension of 10th Street. It then goes north to a point extended from the midline of 18th Avenue and west to the western edge of Ninth Street and south along that intersection to 19th Avenue and west to the beginning point. No future wells will installed in this area.