Springfield, IL--(ENEWSPF)--August 14, 2012.  Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Interim Director John J. Kim announced today that sampling results confirm that vinyl chloride is no longer being detected in the finished public water supply in Sauk Village, as a result of temporary air stripping equipment installed by the Illinois EPA at the direction of Governor Pat Quinn.

 

As a result of the sampling results, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office will notify Sauk Village officials that they will no longer be required to provide free bottled water to residents, pursuant to the conditions of earlier court orders.

 

“While this is good news for the residents of Sauk Village, work remains to be done to find a permanent solution to safeguard the quality and quantity of the public water supply in Sauk Village,” said Director Kim.

 

“The goal has always been to minimize exposure to this substance.  We can now report that the small health risks associated with exposure are now essentially zero,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck, M.D., M.P.H.

 

Sampling results from both the Illinois EPA laboratory and from a laboratory used by Sauk Village found vinyl chloride to be “non detect” in the finished water supply. 

 

The requirement for the village to provide bottled water was part of a court order obtained by the Attorney General’s Office and agreed to by the village. Illinois EPA is continuing sample and analyze Sauk Village’s public water supply on a frequent basis.

 

Vinyl chloride is a man-made chemical that is found in groundwater from break-down products of solvent-type chemicals. When detected it can indicated spills or releases that occurred 25 years or more in the past. Illinois EPA is continuing to investigate the potential cause of the groundwater contamination in Sauk Village.

 

Additional information, including three detailed fact sheets, the most recent issued on Wednesday, August 8, can be found on the Illinois EPA website (www.epa.state.il.us) under “Highlights.”         

 

Source: illinois.gov