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IEPA lends forest service a helping hand

BY JOHN D. HOMAN, The Southern

Thursday, April 24, 2008 10:57 PM CDT

HARRISBURG - It's enough to make Smokey Bear shed a tear. Tons of debris have been removed from Illinois forests by the truckload thanks in part to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

In Southern Illinois, 11 forest sites in Alexander, Pulaski and Union counties were previously targeted for cleanup. The state is now working the Hardin County area.

Environmental protection specialist Diane Shasteen in Marion said Thursday that the state has been cleaning illegal dump sites since September of 2006. Funding has been provided through tipping fees at landfills.

The first cleanup was scheduled for Waters Cemetery near Karber's Ridge in Hardin County. Nearly 300 cubic yards of waste is spread along a one-half-mile stretch of trail and includes tons of household garbage, box springs and mattresses, demolition debris, furniture and tires. There are 10 illegal dump sites in the Shawnee National Forest that have been identified.

"We've cleaned up 61 sites in the 22 southernmost counties of Illinois since 2006," Shasteen said. "We hire a contractor to come in and do the work. Metal pieces and tires get recycled."

IEPA spokeswoman Maggie Carson in Springfield said that since the cleanup process got under way, more than 26,500 tons of waste has been hauled to landfills from 150 different sites. Only a small percentage of those sites are forest sites.

"We plan these cleanups based on available resources," Carson said.

Becky Banker, spokeswoman with the Shawnee National Forest, said the forest service is glad to partner with IEPA to help remove as much debris from the forests as possible.

"We're pleased to get the help," she said. "The IEPA wants to see things cleaned up just as bad as we do. Some of our staff will work on site to assist in the cleanup process. Believe me, we all have an interest in getting rid of these types of eyesore sites."

The cleanup is being conducted as part of the I-RID (Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps) Program, which removes environmental hazards and protect Illinois' beautiful landscape.

Becky Malkovich contributed to the story.

john.homan@thesouthern.com

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