July 24, 2008
Fred Barbara and Tom Volini have received a permit from the Illinois EPA for their 18 acre landscape compost site which is near their proposed dump site. This permit has nothing to do with their proposed garbage dump.
The IEPA clearly states, the area next to Minnie Creek, is in a 100 year flood plain. Minnie Creek drains directly into the river a couple of miles away, upstream from the Aqua Illinois water intake pipe. As a result, the 18 acres must be made flood proof. They are requiring Fred Barbara and Tom Volini's company, Kankakee Regional Landfill LLC, to raise the ground level on the composting portion of the18 acres to 10 feet above the 100 year flood plain. According to the IEPA, the 18 acres will need from 5 to 10 feet of clay to be hauled in. There is little or no clay anywhere in the area. It will have to be purchased elsewhere and hauled in. With the high costs of diesel fuel, this will be very expensive.
The original intent of Fred Barbara and Tom Volini was to have the compost site go along with their garbage dump, which will dig several feet into the deep aquifer to form the base of the 236 acre, 200 feet high mountain of garbage. The garbage dump is not going to happen anytime soon and God willing, it will never happen. As a result, it is not likely the compost site would be profitable as a stand alone business. If this is correct, it will not happen as long as there is no garbage dump.
Furthermore, the garbage-to-energy plants being built will take landscape waste. There will no-longer be a need to separate landscape waste from other garbage. A garbage-to-energy plant, which will be built at a site of a Chicago garbage transfer station, has been recently announced. Chicago is also talking to Lake County, Indiana about railroading their garbage to the two proposed garbage-to-ethanol plants which private investors are planning to build. Coskata, Inc. in Warrenville, Illinois www.coskata.com and http://www.brightcove.tv/search.jsp?query=coskata is another garbage-to-ethanol company and is partially owned by General Motors.
Click here to read the IEPA Report It will take a minute or two to load. Especially look at number 23 and 32. The IEPA states "Well owners should remain vigilant concerning potential threats to their well water supply and have their water tested frequently.” They also say it will be up to Barbara/Volini to monitor themselves as they will only inspect once or twice a year. What a joke on this community!!! With the Kankakee County board firing the local Illinois EPA inspector, well owners, the community and Barbara/Volini are on their own. God help us!