AnnBernard
    ft~CEIVED
    54 W.
    Strasma
    Drive
    f’~~
    OFFICE
    Kankakee, IL 60901
    ~
    2 1 2003
    (815) 937-9475
    e-mail: bemards~keynet.net
    Pollution
    STATE OF~
    Control
    iLLINOIS
    Board
    May 19, 2003
    Dorothy Gunn
    Clerk ofthe Illinois Pollution County Board
    100 W. Randolph
    Chicago, IL 60601
    Re: Petitioner PCB
    #03-125
    Petitioner PCB #03-133
    Petitioner PCB #03-134
    Petitioner PCB #03-13
    5
    Dear Ms. Gunn:
    This letter is to noti1~,ryou ofmy objections to the proposed 80-acre expansion of
    the Waste Management Landfill in Kankakee County,
    Evidence presented at hearings held in November and December 2002 clearly
    documented that Waste Management’s proposal clearly failed to two ofthe nine criteria
    governing an application for a solid waste landfill
    -
    Ofcritical concernto me is the failure ofthe proposal to meet Criterion 2, which
    addresses whetherthe public health, safety and welfare ~
    protected.
    Waste Management’s proposed expansion is situated directly over a heavily used
    regional aquifer. The aquifer is considered a recharge area. Although it is not a regulated
    recharge area, it should be due to the critical role it plays in our drinking water supply.
    This aquifer feeds into the nearby Iroquois i~Jver.‘The Iroquoisjoins the Kankakee 1~ivera
    few miles down. The Kankakee River is the third-cleanest river in Illinois and is the
    primary source ofdrinking water for more than 60,000 people in kankal ee County. in
    addition, Consumers Illinois Water Company, our local provider ofwater, has entered into
    an agreement to pIpe Kankakee River water as far north as University Park in Will
    County, which is approximately 30 miles away.
    It is not a question of if, but a question ofwhen, a landfill will leak. No testimony
    was entered refuting that information. Situating this landfill on top ofthis heavily used
    aquifer poses a long-term threat to the health, safety and welfare ofthe citizens of
    Kankalee County. Once a contaminant infiltrates an aquifer, the genie has been let out of
    the bottle. The cost oftrying to remedy this would be prohibitive, let alone the risks of
    exposing future generations to toxic chemicals, some ofwhose risk factors are unknown
    today.
    (continued)
    • Ann Bernard
    54 W. Strasma Drive
    Kankakee, IL 60901
    (815) 937-9475
    e-mail: bernards@keynet.net
    Page2of2
    New technologies, including closed ioop gasification and thermal depolymerization
    processing, are rapidly coming online or in advanced stages ofresearch and development.
    We are on the threshold ofbreakthroughs that will render massive regional landfills
    obsolete. The prudent course ofaction at this time is to explore and expand these
    technologies. Situating more regional landfills for short-term economic gain, at the cost of
    costly, long-term environmental damage will do greater harm. No matter how many liners
    are proposed, the bottom line is that liners tear and eventually leak. Our greatest natural
    resource, the Kankakee River, deserves to be protected.
    Having sat through hours oftestimony presented by both sides, the evidence
    presented clearly pointed to the long-term hazards this development will create. Under
    questioning, testimony by expert witness Charles Norris, a hydrogeologist, indicated that
    the proposed expansion is “absolutely” situated above a heavily used aquifer. This
    proposal not only is contradictory to Criterion 2, but also to Criterion 8, which mandates
    that any proposed solid waste landfill conform to the county’s solid waste plan.
    The Kankakee County Solid Waste Plan clearly prohibits situating a solid waste
    landfill above or near a groundwater recharge zone or a heavily used aquifer. Although the
    aquifer is not a regulated recharge area, it clearly is heavily used, as it is part ofthe
    drinking water supply for the majority ofKankakee County residents. The Waste
    Management proposed landfill expansion directly and clearly contradicts our SWP. And at
    this point in time, there is no foolproof technology to deal with failures ofliners.
    In addition, the proposal also fails to meet Criterion 8, which requires public
    involvement in the siting ofa solid waste landfill. As a member ofthe Kankakee County
    Board, I can attest to the fact that several secret, closed-door meetings were held between
    certain county staff members, a handful ofcounty board members and Waste Management
    representatives. This proposal was then dumped in our laps.
    I urge you to deny approval ofthis application and protect our natural resources
    for generations to come.
    Regards,
    ,ifl
    (L
    Ann Bernard,
    ~&~V
    Member, Kankakee County Board

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