SUN CITY – Who would think that a truck accident on an interstate highway could contaminate a pond about three miles away?
This is what may have happened in the Huntley and Sun City areas late last month that has apparently killed a large quantity of fish in Wildflower Lake and shut down public access to the lake and nearby streams since July 29.
After assisting in the investigation of these activities and the resulting cleanup for several days, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Emergency Response announced what it believes to be the cause of what it called a “fish kill incident” at the lake. The phrase “believes to be” is operative here because, as of early Friday, Aug. 8, the agency had not completed its investigation and is not yet ready to fully verify its findings.
Warning signs posted around Wildflower lake advise residents the lake is closed for precautionary measures. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Resident Barry Tarleton of Neighborhood 10 contacted the EPA office earlier last week, seeking information on the cause of the problem. He got an immediate response from the EPA, and a copy of its preliminary report was obtained by the Sun Day.
“On July 25, a semi tractor-trailer accident, which evolved into a fire, occurred on I-90 near the intersection of Route 47 close to Huntley,” an EPA statement said. “Runoff from the firewater contained a concrete curing agent called Ethoxylated C10-46 Alcohol, which was being transported by the truck. It entered a nearby ditch [the highway is under construction], and ‘may have’ entered the south branch of the Kishwaukee River and subsequently traveled to Wildflower Lake.
“[This chemical] is a commonly-used ingredient in household cleaning agents. It also aids in curing concrete by allowing it to dry more evenly.”
The Illinois EPA said it put the accident together with reported fish kills at the lake and other reports of stream contamination from Sun City. One of the first persons to notice the problem in Sun City was Katie Spooner, a resident of Neighborhood 13 whose home is next to a location where the Kishwaukee branch and another stream converge near Kreutzer Road. Spooner is a master gardener and habitually monitors natural areas in her neighborhood.
“I was in my back yard on July 28 when I noticed a cloud, or plume coming out of the area where the two streams converge,” she said. “I went closer and I saw what looked to be soap suds building up on the surface of the water. I called the association office and left a message, and also called the village. I didn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t look like it was anything good.”
This convergence is also located about 3/4 of a mile north of the lake. The South Branch of the Kishwaukee flows from south to north through Sun City and eventually joins the main Kishwaukee River north of Huntley and west of Woodstock.
The convergence is also located near Whisper Creek Golf Course property. There are no reports of harm done to any golf course facilities. A statement of the Sun City community association said there has been no contamination of Huntley’s drinking water.
A fish biologist from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the fish kill at the lake was large but he didn’t say exactly how large.
“I saw some crews filling 50-gallon drums with dead fish, so it’s obvious something got into the lake that was toxic to fish,” he said.
SET Environmentals Inc. of Wheeling is in charge of the cleanup efforts on behalf of the trucking company involved in the original accident, the EPA said.
“SET collected water samples from the lake where dead fish were observed and at other places along the creek on Aug. 1,” the EPA said. “The samples are being analyzed at a certified laboratory. The sampling results are expected to be available to Illinois EPA by the end of this week [Aug. 9]. SET has been vacuuming up contaminated water upstream of the lake, collecting the dead fish and isolating the pond with earthen berms so that contamination would not continue to spread.
“Once we [the EPA] receive the analytical results, the agency can share the information with citizens and other state agencies. While it seems apparent that the chemical contamination was toxic to fish, it is not known whether an environmental threat exists for residents who may use the lake or creek for recreational purposes.”
On Aug. 5, the EPA issued a violation notice to the trucking company that was involved in the original incident.
