Remember when a St. Clair County creek turned white? Here’s the Illinois EPA report
One day last May, a portion of of Schoenberger Creek mysteriously turned white for several hours.
The source of the color change remains a mystery, according to a report from state environment officials.
A field inspector from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency explored a section of the creek near St. Clair Avenue and Illinois 157 on May 11 and 12, the day the creek turned white and the day after it cleared. The creek runs between Belleville and East St. Louis, parallel in parts to MetroLink light rail tracks.
Inspector Gregg Sanders rode the MetroLink to observe the creek, talked to residents, and inspected business properties and a wastewater pumping station, but never found the source that caused the creek to turn white, according to the agency’s report.
All the agency managed to determine was that the substance was not toxic according to the water test done by St. Clair County Special Services — a volunteer agency that assists first responders.
Sanders started his investigation by popping the lid off a manhole at the end of La Pleins Drive, which ends at the creek. The water at the pumping station there showed no signs of the white substance.
The inspector spoke with residents in the area who said they had pumped washing machine water with laundry detergent into the street during a remodeling project, but nothing else. They said no sewage had flowed into the street from their home, either.
The city of East St. Louis Fire Department and St. Clair County Special Services suspected the laundry detergent may have caused the creek to turn white.
Sanders said in an email he wasn’t sure that was the case and continued his investigation.
The creek was clear near the French Village Motel off Illinois 161, and it was also clear next to a nearby abandoned industrial site. Sanders examined property belonging to Warning Lites, a safety equipment supplier, but found no indication of a spill. The inspector looked up and down the creek from the business, but found nothing.
Sanders inspected Illini Environmental Inc.’s property as well. The waste management company stores and transports hazardous and non-hazardous waste, but all their indoor drains were sealed to prevent leaks, according to the report. The company solidifies milk that doesn’t meet quality standards, but leftover liquids are pumped into a tanker truck and hauled away.
The inspector didn’t find any signs of spills running off the property or leaking into drains.
“In conclusion, regarding identifying the source that showed up in the creek, there are no further recommendations as the source was not determined,” Sanders wrote in his report.
View the Illinois EPA report documents here.
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 10:40 AM.
