LASALLE -The City of LaSalle’s third-party environmental tests taken in areas near the Carus Chemical fire show below-average levels of chemical exposure for cleanup standards. Bradley Brown, Principal at Brownfield Environmental Engineering Resources, presented his test results to LaSalle officials and impacted community members. Soil and water samples taken from Matthiessen Park, Hegeler Park, the old fire station, and Rotary Park and Pond show numbers are half of the acceptable levels for potassium and manganese, based on Illinois Environmental Protection standards.
However Brown, says roof runoff samples collected at a home on Porter Street show above-average levels of manganese and potassium based on the IEPA’s groundwater cleanup objective of 0.15 milligrams per liter compared to the results of 0.865 milligrams per liter. City Engineer Brian Brown says the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is to collect a deer on the Porter Street residence that was found dead and test it for toxicity and chronic wasting disease.
Other residents expressed their frustration with the exposure to more potentially harmful chemicals, reminding the city that their homes were already impacted by being a part of the IEPA’s superfund cleanup.
Mayor Jeff Grove says after Monday’s city council meeting, they’ve exhausted all answers and will move forward based on the professional testing done by Brownfield Study.
Brownfield is expected to conduct more tests, including one resident’s air filter that has blackened from the chemicals. For complete test results taken by Brownfield Environmental Engineering Resources visit the City of Lasalle’s website:
