Post by sushi on Mar 9, 2008 7:07:48 GMT -6
Environmental concerns plague Metea school site
District says testing will ensure safety
March 9, 2008
By Tim Waldorf and Britt Carson twaldorf@scn1.com bcarson@scn1.com
Is the site Indian Prairie School District 204 selected for Metea Valley High School a potential health threat?
The lawsuit filed Friday by Neighborhood Schools for Our Children states the district arrived at that conclusion before voters approved the referendum, and the group fears it is still a potential health threat today.
In its complaint, the group cites District 204's December 2005 study of 11 potential sites for the high school, which listed specific reasons for rejecting all but one of those sites - Brach-Brodie.
And its complaint quotes some of the district's reasons for rejecting the Eola site, which were contained in that report.
Portions of the site "are immediately adjacent to two high energy electrical switching stations ... (and) relatively high electromagnetic radiation would be present at that location." Consequently, there was "somewhere between a probability and a certainty for exposure to such radiation."
So, the complaint maintains, the district concluded in the report that it "saw no advantage in constructing a third high school in such a location if there is any possibility of abandonment for health reasons."
The district's decision to purchase the Eola property and build a third high school there has, according to the complaint, "been made in ignorance or disregard of serious environmental and safety issues and threats which the district has failed to adequately address."
The complaint cites International Agency for Research on Cancer's conclusion that electromagnetic radiation is "possibly carcinogenic to humans" based upon epidemiological studies of childhood leukemia.
Multiple problems
The complaint also notes that at least six pipelines are running directly underneath or adjacent to the Eola location; three of them run north-south through the middle of the property. The pipes carry or have carried natural gas, crude oil and gasoline.
"Some of these pipelines are almost 40 years old and their current condition or corrosion status and structural integrity are unknown," states the complaint. "These are high volume, high pressure transit pipelines that constantly carry an enormous amount of explosive fuel and energy."
Then there's the peaker power plant that operated on the site from June 1970 until a year ago, and according to the complaint, did so with "no pollution controls or pollution monitoring systems in place." Consequently, the complaint suggests 26 different kinds of chemicals the EPA associates with peaker plants that could now pollute the property's soil and groundwater, and, the group fears, "permeate back up through the soil and into the school building, or expose students outside to these contaminants."
"I don't understand why public officials charged with protecting children would behave this way," the group's attorney, Shawn Collins, said of the district's decision to now buy and build a high school on the Eola land. "I don't know why they would do that, but I do believe it is wrong, and I believe it needs to be brought into a courtroom and examined."
Taking responsibility
The results of the district's two-phase environmental study of the Eola site are complete and are scheduled to be reviewed during Monday's District 204 school board meeting.
The studies, paid for by Chicago-based Midwest Generation, are being overseen by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said Todd DePaul, project manager for the third high school. The IEPA must approve all test results and will ensure the site is clean before the district will build the third high school at Eola and Molitor roads in Aurora.
In 1999, Midwest Generation purchase the power peaker plant that was on the site from Commonwealth Edison. Until a year ago, the plant was used to produce electricity when demand surpassed the area's capacity to provide it.
"The plant ran primarily on natural gas and due to the high cost of natural gas, that made the plant inefficient," said Charley Parnell, a spokesman for Midwest Generation. "The plant did not run very often, only a handful of hours throughout the year. It was designed to give the system a boost and run primarily during the hottest summer days when the system is usually stretched."
Midwest Generation has assumed all financial responsibility for the environmental cleanup and removal of buildings on the site, DePaul said. Parnell said he hasn't seen the results of the tests yet, but if any cleanup were needed, Midwest Generation would take care of it.
"We will address any concerns at that point," Parnell said.
Site study
DePaul said a Phase I study looks at historical data from the site and past property owners.
"A Phase I study is something that is done on basically every site," DePaul said. "A Phase II study we thought was prudent to do, and we have taken the extra step of involving the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The IEPA will oversee any test results and cleanup protocol required to make sure the site is safe."
A Phase II study involves soil borings and ground water samplings looking for the presence of diesel fuel or antifreeze, which are chemicals commonly used at the site, DePaul said.
A clean site is written into the contract for the sale of the property. DePaul said the site must pass IEPA standards in order for the district to start construction.
"Midwest Generation has committed and will follow through to clean up anything to get a letter of no further remediation from the IEPA," DePaul said. "We hope this will reassure not only the school district, but also the residents that we have gone the extra step to make sure this site is safe."
And, in response to residents' concerns about electromagnetic radiation levels at the Eola site, Indian Prairie School District 204 hired Environ International Corporation, an environmental consulting firm, to analyze EMF readings on the property. On Oct. 30, 2007, Environ International took readings from a northern portion of the property likely to be the school's parking lot and athletic stadium, and reported to the district that readings ranged from .32 to 7.2 mG. The average reading on the Eola site was 2.1 mG.
Environ's report stated the typical EMF readings in a home range from 1 to 4 mG and the readings at the site were consistent with a typical suburban area.
"The magnetic fields produced by the high voltage transmission lines appear to be elevated only in close proximity to the lines," Crawford said in the letter. "Levels dropped off to normal background values at less than 300 feet from the lines. Since the proposed building site is removed from the power lines and in an area with low electromagnetic background, there should be no increased risk associated with the school location."
DePaul said everything in the results indicate a safe location.
"Basically what they found on the site is typical for a suburban area," DePaul said. "They didn't see anything they would identify this as an unsafe site or a site they would not recommend."
District says testing will ensure safety
March 9, 2008
By Tim Waldorf and Britt Carson twaldorf@scn1.com bcarson@scn1.com
Is the site Indian Prairie School District 204 selected for Metea Valley High School a potential health threat?
The lawsuit filed Friday by Neighborhood Schools for Our Children states the district arrived at that conclusion before voters approved the referendum, and the group fears it is still a potential health threat today.
In its complaint, the group cites District 204's December 2005 study of 11 potential sites for the high school, which listed specific reasons for rejecting all but one of those sites - Brach-Brodie.
And its complaint quotes some of the district's reasons for rejecting the Eola site, which were contained in that report.
Portions of the site "are immediately adjacent to two high energy electrical switching stations ... (and) relatively high electromagnetic radiation would be present at that location." Consequently, there was "somewhere between a probability and a certainty for exposure to such radiation."
So, the complaint maintains, the district concluded in the report that it "saw no advantage in constructing a third high school in such a location if there is any possibility of abandonment for health reasons."
The district's decision to purchase the Eola property and build a third high school there has, according to the complaint, "been made in ignorance or disregard of serious environmental and safety issues and threats which the district has failed to adequately address."
The complaint cites International Agency for Research on Cancer's conclusion that electromagnetic radiation is "possibly carcinogenic to humans" based upon epidemiological studies of childhood leukemia.
Multiple problems
The complaint also notes that at least six pipelines are running directly underneath or adjacent to the Eola location; three of them run north-south through the middle of the property. The pipes carry or have carried natural gas, crude oil and gasoline.
"Some of these pipelines are almost 40 years old and their current condition or corrosion status and structural integrity are unknown," states the complaint. "These are high volume, high pressure transit pipelines that constantly carry an enormous amount of explosive fuel and energy."
Then there's the peaker power plant that operated on the site from June 1970 until a year ago, and according to the complaint, did so with "no pollution controls or pollution monitoring systems in place." Consequently, the complaint suggests 26 different kinds of chemicals the EPA associates with peaker plants that could now pollute the property's soil and groundwater, and, the group fears, "permeate back up through the soil and into the school building, or expose students outside to these contaminants."
"I don't understand why public officials charged with protecting children would behave this way," the group's attorney, Shawn Collins, said of the district's decision to now buy and build a high school on the Eola land. "I don't know why they would do that, but I do believe it is wrong, and I believe it needs to be brought into a courtroom and examined."
Taking responsibility
The results of the district's two-phase environmental study of the Eola site are complete and are scheduled to be reviewed during Monday's District 204 school board meeting.
The studies, paid for by Chicago-based Midwest Generation, are being overseen by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said Todd DePaul, project manager for the third high school. The IEPA must approve all test results and will ensure the site is clean before the district will build the third high school at Eola and Molitor roads in Aurora.
In 1999, Midwest Generation purchase the power peaker plant that was on the site from Commonwealth Edison. Until a year ago, the plant was used to produce electricity when demand surpassed the area's capacity to provide it.
"The plant ran primarily on natural gas and due to the high cost of natural gas, that made the plant inefficient," said Charley Parnell, a spokesman for Midwest Generation. "The plant did not run very often, only a handful of hours throughout the year. It was designed to give the system a boost and run primarily during the hottest summer days when the system is usually stretched."
Midwest Generation has assumed all financial responsibility for the environmental cleanup and removal of buildings on the site, DePaul said. Parnell said he hasn't seen the results of the tests yet, but if any cleanup were needed, Midwest Generation would take care of it.
"We will address any concerns at that point," Parnell said.
Site study
DePaul said a Phase I study looks at historical data from the site and past property owners.
"A Phase I study is something that is done on basically every site," DePaul said. "A Phase II study we thought was prudent to do, and we have taken the extra step of involving the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The IEPA will oversee any test results and cleanup protocol required to make sure the site is safe."
A Phase II study involves soil borings and ground water samplings looking for the presence of diesel fuel or antifreeze, which are chemicals commonly used at the site, DePaul said.
A clean site is written into the contract for the sale of the property. DePaul said the site must pass IEPA standards in order for the district to start construction.
"Midwest Generation has committed and will follow through to clean up anything to get a letter of no further remediation from the IEPA," DePaul said. "We hope this will reassure not only the school district, but also the residents that we have gone the extra step to make sure this site is safe."
And, in response to residents' concerns about electromagnetic radiation levels at the Eola site, Indian Prairie School District 204 hired Environ International Corporation, an environmental consulting firm, to analyze EMF readings on the property. On Oct. 30, 2007, Environ International took readings from a northern portion of the property likely to be the school's parking lot and athletic stadium, and reported to the district that readings ranged from .32 to 7.2 mG. The average reading on the Eola site was 2.1 mG.
Environ's report stated the typical EMF readings in a home range from 1 to 4 mG and the readings at the site were consistent with a typical suburban area.
"The magnetic fields produced by the high voltage transmission lines appear to be elevated only in close proximity to the lines," Crawford said in the letter. "Levels dropped off to normal background values at less than 300 feet from the lines. Since the proposed building site is removed from the power lines and in an area with low electromagnetic background, there should be no increased risk associated with the school location."
DePaul said everything in the results indicate a safe location.
"Basically what they found on the site is typical for a suburban area," DePaul said. "They didn't see anything they would identify this as an unsafe site or a site they would not recommend."
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