Order filed to hold Chemtool responsible for explosion cleanup, environmental damage
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley announced Monday an interim and preliminary injunction order in their lawsuit against Chemtool, Inc.
The order, entered by the Winnebago County Circuit Court, lays the framework for the cleanup from the massive fire and explosions that occurred June 14 at the Rockton chemical plant.
The order contains several provisions that seek to require Chemtool to cleanup and remediate the site in compliance with state environmental laws and regulations.
“The order will ensure the cleanup process occurs in accordance with the law and holds Chemtool responsible for investigating the full extent of the environmental damage that has been caused,” Raoul said in a news release issued Monday.
Previously: Winnebago County's J. Hanley joins forces with Illinois attorney general to sue Chemtool
The order requires Chemtool to present a plan to identify, store and properly dispose of all remaining chemical products. The order also requires weekly documentation of how waste materials generated by the fire are being removed, as well as how daily inspections of the site are being conducted.
Chemtool must also prepare a schedule for demolition and decontamination of the site and a plan for the investigation of all on- and off-site impacts of the fire, including those to groundwater and private drinking water wells.
“As the cleanup and investigation of this fire continues, it is paramount that Chemtool is held responsible for the damage that has been caused,” Hanley said in the release.
Under the order, Chemtool must reimburse Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and Winnebago County for their costs in responding to the six-alarm fire, which burned for several days, caused explosions and resulted in evacuations of area residents.
'The smell is still there': Chemtool neighbors still reeling from devastation
According to the lawsuit, filed on July 9, the fire released ash, debris and other contaminants into the air, which landed on buildings, in residents’ yards and throughout the area. Raoul and Hanley also allege firefighting foam used to suppress the fire was found in the Rock River.
Chemtool’s Rockton plant manufactures grease, lubricating oil and fluids. More than 4 million gallons of crude oil were stored at the facility.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: State, county file joint order against Chemtool over explosion cleanup
