A Pond Filled With Dead And Dying Fish
Homer Glen, Illinois (United States):
Something stinks in the Crystal Lake subdivision. And Jeff Sesol knows what is causing the smell.
The retention pond behind his home is filled with dead and dying fish.
And he has theories about the source of contamination. But he's having a hard time getting any government officials to help him solve the mystery. Meanwhile, more fish keep dying. Raccoons that are feasting on the dead fish are dying, too. Birds have left the area.
And Sesol worries that a runoff pipe from the retention pond in his subdivision off chicago-Bloomington Road could contaminate the nearby Springbrook Creek. So far, Sesol, a self-employed management consultant, has contacted the Will County Health Department, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Will County Land Use Department, the village of Homer Glen and the Will County Sheriff's Department.
Although a few investigators have come out to view the scene, no agency has taken the lead in investigating what happened or told Sesol what can be done to remedy the situation."They're all pointing at each other," Sesol said.
The health department put up caution tape around the lake, but an official told Sesol the department doesn't have the money to fix the problem. He advised Sesol to get a politician involved.It wasn't until Sesol called county board member Ron Svara, R-Homer Glen, that someone came out to investigate at all."This has been going on for two weeks now," Svara said.Another investigator told Sesol he couldn't do anything unless someone higher up ordered him to.
Meanwhile, fish continue to putrefy on the banks of the pond. An Illinois Department of Natural Resources official told Sesol it's a total kill of the pond. Nothing survived.
Sesol said the problem started a few weeks after he hosted his sister-in-law's wedding in his back yard in late August. The next day, a flatbed truck came to pick up the one portable toilet Sesol rented for the event. But neighbor Steve Bulthius noticed something strange the next morning. The flatbed truck was accompanied by a tanker truck. Both vehicles were in front of Sesol's home for a long time that morning.
The next morning, when Bulthius brought his garbage to the curb, he noticed blue crystals on the pavement and grass near a storm sewer in front of Sesol's house.He didn't think much of it, Sesol said. Nothing much happened until there was a lot of rain in mid-September. Then suddenly the whole neighborhood started to smell.That's when the fish started dying.
Sept 25, 2005
Cindy Wojdyla Cain, Joliet Herald News, IL
Homer Glen, Illinois (United States):Something stinks in the Crystal Lake subdivision. And Jeff Sesol knows what is causing the smell.
The retention pond behind his home is filled with dead and dying fish.
And he has theories about the source of contamination. But he's having a hard time getting any government officials to help him solve the mystery. Meanwhile, more fish keep dying. Raccoons that are feasting on the dead fish are dying, too. Birds have left the area.
And Sesol worries that a runoff pipe from the retention pond in his subdivision off chicago-Bloomington Road could contaminate the nearby Springbrook Creek. So far, Sesol, a self-employed management consultant, has contacted the Will County Health Department, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Will County Land Use Department, the village of Homer Glen and the Will County Sheriff's Department.
Although a few investigators have come out to view the scene, no agency has taken the lead in investigating what happened or told Sesol what can be done to remedy the situation."They're all pointing at each other," Sesol said.
The health department put up caution tape around the lake, but an official told Sesol the department doesn't have the money to fix the problem. He advised Sesol to get a politician involved.It wasn't until Sesol called county board member Ron Svara, R-Homer Glen, that someone came out to investigate at all."This has been going on for two weeks now," Svara said.Another investigator told Sesol he couldn't do anything unless someone higher up ordered him to.
Meanwhile, fish continue to putrefy on the banks of the pond. An Illinois Department of Natural Resources official told Sesol it's a total kill of the pond. Nothing survived.
Sesol said the problem started a few weeks after he hosted his sister-in-law's wedding in his back yard in late August. The next day, a flatbed truck came to pick up the one portable toilet Sesol rented for the event. But neighbor Steve Bulthius noticed something strange the next morning. The flatbed truck was accompanied by a tanker truck. Both vehicles were in front of Sesol's home for a long time that morning.
The next morning, when Bulthius brought his garbage to the curb, he noticed blue crystals on the pavement and grass near a storm sewer in front of Sesol's house.He didn't think much of it, Sesol said. Nothing much happened until there was a lot of rain in mid-September. Then suddenly the whole neighborhood started to smell.That's when the fish started dying.
Sept 25, 2005
Cindy Wojdyla Cain, Joliet Herald News, IL
