The city of Elmhurst, Illinois, will pay a $25,000 fine, complete infrastructure improvement projects and conduct a focused study on sanitary system inflow to address system overflows as part of a consent order signed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Wednesday.
The city's overloaded sanitary system has repeatedly overflowed into a local tributary of the Des Plaines River, as well as local residences. The attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against the city of Elmhurst at the urging of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, alleging that the city had failed to address the overflow problems, which led to numerous water pollution violations. The consent order and fine is the conclusion of that lawsuit.
“This order will protect both public health and the environment by ensuring that the city completes the necessary improvements to its sanitary system to reverse the effects of what historically has been an overloaded system,” Madigan said.
The city has also agreed to provide annual progress reports to show that it's complying with the consent order, as well as install environmentally friendly infrastructure models and educational panels along the Salt Creek Greenway Trail.