Rockton (WREX) — For the first time in nearly two weeks, local and state officials provide an update on the investigation into the Chemtool fire in Rockton.
The Illinois EPA maintained today that the fire, which started on June 14th, had no negative impact on air or water quality. It took a massive team of firefighters ten days to put out the fire which burned several thousand gallons of oil.
"The takeaway from their results and what we have seen and what the Illinois Department of Public Health has seen, is that the numbers all show that in a general manner, they were within the benchmarks that were set," says Illinois EPA Director Dr. John Kim. "They did not show exceedances for the types of contaminates that we would be concerned about."
While the Illinois EPA says the fire didn't negatively impact air or water quality, it still called on the Illinois Attorney General's Office to file a lawsuit against Chemtool.
Winnebago County State's Attorney J. Hanley says this lawsuit's two main goals are remediation and evaluation. Essentially getting Lubrizol to provide clear information on what happened and any potential long term impacts as well as the appropriate remediation and fixes to ensure a safe community.
"When I view this lawsuit I don't see it as being anti-Chemtool," says Hanley. "And I think that's really important. Because so often litigation is black and white and one side versus the other. It will probably get contentious as litigation does and as negotiations can become. Again, I don't view this as being anti-Chemtool."
Hanley says this lawsuit also seeks payments from Lubrizol. The first would be financial recovery for the many resources used to get the situation under control. The second would be in the form of fines. While the issue could be resolved in a lawsuit, Hanley says it could also be worked out in a type of negotiation.
"We're having contact with Chemtool and saying look lets agree as to what needs to be done with respect to evaluation, remediation, with cost recovery. The only thing I can say is those negotiations are ongoing."
The Winnebago County Health Department provided an update on the survey it launched to track health issues related to the fire. It says 1,900 people have completed it so far. Of those, 5% received some type of healthcare because of the fire. The most common symptoms were ear, nose, and throat irritation as well as headaches and nausea.
"I want to make sure people understand it's not intended as a medical screening tool," says Dr. Sandra Martell. "And I want to be clear that there should be no assumption that hazardous materials have been identified. I think it's important to understand that we're all learning as time goes on."
You have until Thursday to fill out a health impact survey. You can find the link to do that here.
Officials provide update on Chemtool fire investigation, pending lawsuit - WREX-TV
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