The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency says there’s no concerns for nearby residents and businesses after a reported vandalism incident released thousands of gallons of water from a Peoria Disposal Company landfill.
The reported vandalism at the landfill on West Southport Road occurred sometime late last week. The Peoria County Sheriff’s Office said a landfill employee reported a break-in, damage to a chain-link fence and opened drainage valves last Friday.
The landfill is now operated by GFL Environmental, which purchased Peoria Disposal Company in 2021.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency [IEPA] says a representative investigated the site Friday. The IEPA determined that the discharged water was stormwater and had collected in settling basins on the property.
According to the IEPA, those basins regularly receive stormwater from the landfill and don’t contain any process wastewater or leachate, before emptying into an unnamed tributary of the Kickapoo Creek.
The IEPA representative explains that the facility regularly opens the valves to discharge stormwater from the settling basin. During that process, they collect a sample for testing. Though an employee didn’t open the valves last week, the IEPA says drainage still occurred as usually, without bypassing any necessary treatment.
According to the IEPA, the landfill facility hasn’t calculated exactly how much stormwater was drained, but it is expected to be within permitted limits.
An IEPA investigator also checked the Kickapoo Creek tributary last week and found it dry.
The IEPA will remain in contact with landfill management for sample results, volume discharged and a formal narrative of the incident.
The Peoria County’s Sheriff Office has not released any suspect information or an update on the vandalism investigation.
