McLean County, Illinois Construction Company Pleads Guilty To Burial Of Hazardous Waste

April 14 , 2008 -- Chicago – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today said that a Normal, Ill. construction company has pleaded guilty to its role in burying 55-gallon drums containing concrete sealer, hazardous waste and waste oil on property it leased in 2003.

Isaacson Construction, Inc. pleaded guilty on Thursday in McLean County Circuit Court to Reckless Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Criminal Damage to Property, both Class 4 felonies.

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Waste drums: Photo by smitys (CC)

Judge Charles Reynard placed the company on one year conditional discharge and ordered it to pay fines, costs, and restitution totaling $25,000. Two individuals associated with the company and this incident also entered guilty pleas to two related Class A misdemeanors: Criminal Damage to Property and Criminal Disposal of Waste and were ordered to perform community service and pay $12,500 in fines, costs and restitution.

In October 2006, Madigan obtained grand jury indictments against the company after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) investigated an October 2003 citizen complaint that detailed the location of drums of hazardous liquid buried at the Isaacson Construction site at 1300 Fort Jesse Road in Normal. During a November 2003 drive by inspection, the IEPA observed that the soil had been disturbed in the area described by the informant. In April 2004, more than 50 drums were unearthed. All the drums were crushed. However, some still contained liquids including used oil and concrete sealer. At least one drum contained a silver-gray liquid, which, following analysis, was found to have characteristics of hazardous waste.

Attorney General Madigan also has filed a civil complaint relating to this incident with the Illinois Pollution Control Board. That matter is pending.

The IEPA and, at the request of Madigan’s office, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Investigations conducted the criminal investigation. Assistant Attorneys General Colette Melhuish and Richard J. Powers are handling the case for Madigan’s Environmental Crimes Bureau.

Source: Illinois Attorney General