New posts to this webpage will be made as new information becomes available.

This is an update for the period Jun 30 – Jul 20, 2012. WMIL continues to monitor a subset of LFG monitoring probes – approximately 20 around Settler’s Hill and 9 around the Midway landfill, on a weekly basis.  From time to time, additional monitoring may be conducted on a smaller set of probes to support ongoing efforts evaluate the area influenced and performance of the SGE well system.  As required by IEPA regulation and permit condition, WMIL continues to submit regular notification letters to the IEPA whenever measurements at any monitoring probe not under vacuum exceeds 2.5% methane.  The County and FPDKC are copied on these submittals, which are also provided periodically via email to the Batavia and Geneva Fire Departments.

An abbreviated summary of results from the three July monitoring events is provided below. Methane continues to be detected, but in a fewer number of probes.  Methane has not been detected recently in any of the off-site probes.

Midway/Off-site Probe Readings:

Settler’s Hill/Off-site Probe Readings:

Again, the LFG probe monitoring results presented above does not represent all probes being monitored, just a subset that were of special interest over the preceding months.  Since the last update, methane has not been detected at any off-site probe.

Soil Gas Extraction System (Out-of-Waste LFG collection system):

South side:     System operations continue with minor adjustments made to operating conditions from time to time in order to evaluate system performance.

North side:     System operations continue.  No significant changes have been made to its operating parameters since the SGE wells were activated.

Other:

The LFG Migration Investigation Report was submitted at the end of June.  On July 19 the IEPA communicated that it has reviewed the document for completeness only and determined the application to be complete.  It now has until September 27 to complete its technical review, determine what additional actions may be necessary and issue a permit modification, unless it should request additional information or an extension from WMIL.

UPDATE: 04/16/2012 5:00 P.M.

The following information is a summary of the readings and work that took occurred over the last seven days. Readings of the probes along the north border of the landfill and the three probes installed south of the landfill were as follows:

North of the Union Pacific Tracks: April 9

Operation of the south side SGE system has become almost routine, with no significant changes to report.  Monitoring of the SGE wells has been scaled back to weekly.   

The north side SGE is fully installed.  The interceptor trench is under vacuum and the dewatering system is operating.  The SGE wells are connected and have been tested; full start-up will occur following some additional baseline testing.

As a part of the overall project a second flare has been installed in the approximate center of landfill site and will be used to burn off excess methane gas that cannot be used by the on-site gas-fired electrical generators. Contractors were on site this week to complete the final tie-in of the new flare. Additional pipe work will be completed in the next week or two, on the Settler’s Hill side of the flare, to allow the gas-to-energy facility to serve as a back-up system in the event of any operational issues at the new flare. The new flare joins the operating flare that has been onsite for the last five years and is located near the generation facility. Both are devices are common equipment found on a landfill site and the operation of which is regulated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

UPDATE: 04/06/2012 5:00 P.M.

The following information is a summary of the readings and work that took occurred over the last seven days. Readings of the probes along the north border of the landfill and the three probes installed south of the landfill were as follows:

North of the Union Pacific Tracks: April 2

Operation of the south side SGE system continues in typical fashion.  SGE02 and 10 continue to perform; however, the methane concentration at SGE02 remains low.  SGE01, 06, 07, 11 and 12 are contributing but at lower flow rates.  Methane was detected in all south side SGE’s today.  Continue to observe higher methane concentrations on the east end of the south side system (SGE10, 11 and 12).  Significant progress was made along the north trench line this week.

Completed installation of new GCCS header, force main and air line between the flare station sump and SGE18.  With this trenching complete, a temporary cart path was constructed between the 1st green and 2nd tee box.  Completed the tie-in of the new force main running between Tanks D and F.  Trenched across the 12th fairway to tie-in both SGE15 and 16 to the new GCCS header, backfilled both trenches. Made connections for the air and force main from SGE15 and 16 to Tank F.  Trenched from SGE 14 to the header and made all connections.  Back filled, installed vaults at SGE14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.  Expect to end the week with all north side header connections completed, pumps installed in the three trench sumps, all excavations closed, and some clean-up started.

As mentioned earlier, connections have been made for SGE15 and 16.  Trenching will not be necessary at SGE17 and 18 as they are located adjacent to the GCCS header line.  The entire LFG/leachate interceptor trench that runs along the 12 th fairway is now installed and under vacuum.  The leachate/liquid removal system will be installed in the coming week.

Waste Management staff will continue to monitor all previously installed probes for any changes in methane gas levels, and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, the telephone hotline line remains available for residents who may have questions. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites

UPDATE: 03/30/2012 5:00 P.M.

The following information is a summary of the readings and work that took occurred over the last seven days. Readings of the probes along the north border of the landfill and the three probes installed south of the landfill were as follows:

North of the Union Pacific Tracks: Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri

The south side recovery system remains operational with vacuum applied to all wells and dewatering equipment operating as designed.  Methane was measured in all 12 on-site wells today; with the exception of SGE03 the concentrations have dropped of significantly.  Operation of the south side SGE system continues in typical fashion.  SGE02 and 10 continue to perform very well; however, the methane concentration at 02 remains below 1%.  SGE01, 06, 07, 11 and 12 are contributing but at lower flow rates.  Methane was detected in all south side SGE’s today.  Higher concentrations of methane are observed on the east end of the system (SGE10, 11 and 12), and continue to be significantly lower on the west end at SGE01, 02 and MGP6D. 

Significant progress was made along the north trench line this week.  The entire LFG/leachate interceptor trench has been installed and placed under vacuum; approximately 70% of the interceptor trench has been under vacuum since Tuesday.  The force main between Tanks D and F is 90% complete with only a stream crossing and tie-in to Tank D remaining to be completed. 

Waste Management staff will continue to monitor all previously installed probes for any changes in methane gas levels, and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, a telephone hotline line is available for residents who may have questions. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: 

www.geneva.il.us/midway and www.countyofkane.org.

UPDATE: 03/09/2012 5:00 P.M.

After another week of work Waste Management staff has reported the following activity and investigation work on and off the Midway Landfill-Settler’s Hill site. As reported last week two of the three probes along the south side of the Union Pacific rail tracks roughly between South Harrison Street and Esping Park continue to show indications of methane. Over the last seven days readings from two of the probes have varied from day to day but the methane concentrations continue to be in what is considered to be the low range.

The installation of three probes by Waste Management north of the Union Pacific tracks has been completed. The probes were installed along Simpson Street near the entrance to Esping Park, in the northeast corner of Esping Park, and at the corner of Kansas Street & Spring Street in the city parkway. To date, none of these sites has shown any indications of methane. This work is a part of the ongoing investigatory process the data from which allows Waste Management to make informed decisions about future mitigation efforts. Soil conditions in that area are markedly different from those found south of the landfill site. The area’s clay-like layer is as thick as 40 feet and acts as a barrier to impede the movement of the gas. There has been no evidence the gas has found any pathway that would allow it to move toward the ground surface.

Work continues on the installation of connecting piping that will transfer the collected gas to the on-site electrical generating facility and a new, second flare device which is used to burn excess gas collected by the system.  The primary flare has been in place for several years and is located near the on-site co-generation facility. The second flare will be located in near the center of the landfill property.

Waste Management staff will continue to monitor all previously installed probes for any changes in methane gas levels, and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, a telephone hotline line is available for residents who may have questions.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: 

www.geneva.il.us/midway and www.countyofkane.org.

UPDATE: 03/02/2012 5:00 P.M.

After another week of work Waste Management staff has reported the following activity and investigation work on and off the Midway Landfill-Settler’s Hill site. Two of the three probes that were installed along the south side of the Union Pacific rail tracks roughly between South Harrison Street and Esping Park continue to show indications of methane. Over the last seven days readings from two of the probes have varied from day to day but the methane concentrations have always been in what is considered to be the low range.

As was reported last week work installation of three probes by Waste Management north of the Union Pacific tracks continues. A probe has been installed on Simpson Street near the entrance to Esping Park and as of this date has not shown any indication of methane. A second probe was just installed in the northeast corner of Esping Park and readings will be available in the coming week. A third probe will be installed at the corner of Kansas Street & Spring Street in the city parkway in the coming week. This work is a part of the ongoing investigatory process the data from which allows Waste Management to make informed decisions about future mitigation efforts. Soil conditions in that area are markedly different from those found south of the landfill site. The area’s clay-like layer is as thick as 40 feet and acts as a barrier to impede the movement of the gas. There has been no evidence the gas has found any pathway that would allow it to move toward the ground surface.

Progress has been made on the installation of the recovery wells and work continues on the installation of connecting piping that will transfer the collected gas to the on-site electrical generating facility. Reading from probes installed south of the Settler’s Hill – Midway Landfill site are showing indications of a vacuum which may be a result of the new extraction system that has been installed around the Midway site. While additional data analysis must be done this is both positive and welcome news. Waste Management staff will continue to monitor the previously installed probes for any changes in methane gas levels, and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, a telephone hotline line is available for residents who may have questions.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: 

www.geneva.il.us/midway and www.countyofkane.org.

UPDATE: 2/23/2012 5:00 P.M.

Representatives of Batavia, Geneva, Kane County, and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 to review the activity and investigation on and off the Midway Landfill-Settler’s Hill site. Waste Management has reported that two of the three probes it installed along the south side of the Union Pacific rail tracks roughly between South Harrison Street and Esping Park have shown indications of methane. Over the last seven days readings from two of the probes have varied from day to day but the methane concentrations have always been in what is considered to be the low range.

As was detailed in the last update, additional probes will be installed by Waste Management in the coming week in the area of Esping Park and South Harrison Street. This work is a part of the ongoing investigatory process the data from which allows Waste Management to make informed decisions about future mitigation efforts. Soil conditions in that area are markedly different from those found south of the landfill site. The area’s clay-like layer is as thick as 40 feet and acts as a barrier to impede the movement of the gas. There has been no evidence the gas has found any pathway that would allow it to move toward the ground surface.

Progress has been made on the installation of the recovery wells and work continues on the installation of connecting piping that will transfer the collected gas to the on-site electrical generating facility. Some of the wells are now operating.  Waste Management staff will continue to monitor the previously installed probes for any changes in methane gas levels, and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, a telephone hotline line is available for residents who may have questions.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: 

www.geneva.il.us/midway and www.countyofkane.org.

UPDATE: - 2/16/2012 5:00 P.M.

Representatives of Batavia, Geneva, Kane County, and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 to review the activity and investigation on and off site. Waste Management has reported that the probe located on Orion Street, between Surrey and Nagel (behind Batavia Rehabilitation Health Care) is continuing to indicate the presence of methane gas in that area. Should gas be detected, and depending on the concentration level, Waste Management will work with the homeowner to develop a remediation plan for the home.

Work on the installation of additional probes and the recovery system on the Midway Landfill site is ongoing. Substantial progress has been made on the installation of the recovery wells and work is proceeding on the installation of connecting piping that will transfer the collected gas to the on-site electrical generating facility. Three new probes have been installed along the northern edge of the landfill site along the southern side of the Union Pacific tracks. One of those probes has shown a varying percentage of methane over the last week. Fire Department staff members have taken several readings from the catch basins and manholes located in Fox Run, Ridgewood and Chalmers areas with nothing found. Additional probes will be installed by Waste Management north of the train tracks in the coming week as suitable sites are identified and cleared for installation. Soil conditions in that area are markedly different from those found south of the landfill site. The clay-like layer is thick and acts as a barrier to the movement of the gas.

Waste Management staff will continue to monitor the previously installed probes and underground utility sites for any changes in methane gas levels and updates will appear here as information becomes available. Additionally, a telephone hotline line is available for residents who may have questions.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: www.geneva.il.us/midway and www.countyofkane.org.

UPDATE: - 2/03/2012 10:00 A.M.

The 22 utility locations in Batavia continue to be measured on a rotating basis and continue to show no readings for methane. Only 2 of the probes installed south of Fabyan have ever shown methane Raddant Rd (800 ft. south of Fabyan) and Orion Road. With the completion of the gas extraction wells along the south side of the Midway site these probes are no showing a slight vacuum the new system comes on-line. None of the other wells south of Fabyan are showing any methane. A total of 11 new gas recovery wells have been installed with 5 currently producing methane. Piping continues to be installed as part of the permanent system and three additional recovery wells will be installed along the north side of the site in the coming weeks.

The 23 homes in which monitors have been placed in Batavia continue to have no readings for presence of methane.

No new calls have been received by the WM hotline, Waste Management offices, the cities of Batavia or Geneva or Kane County. Waste Management continues to operate its contact telephone line for residents who may have questions. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 and is in operation 24 hours a day. An attendant will take information and a company representative will respond.

UPDATE: - 1/28/12 10:00 A.M.

Please read earlier posts for more details.

The 22 utility locations in Batavia were measured yesterday and no methane was found. Only 1 of the 2 probes south of Fabyan ever to have shown methane Raddant Rd (800 ft. south of Fabyan) is continuing to show presence of the gas.  None of the other wells south of Fabyan are showing any methane.

None of the 23 houses in which monitors have been placed in Batavia have reported any presence of methane. An additional house was inspected, no methane was found and no detector left because the house was far away from previous evidence of the gas.  

8 gas extraction wells north of Fabyan, installed into the deep formation containing the methane, are now under vacuum. Methane is being detected in 6 of them at this point so they are doing their job. 4 more will be in and under vacuum  by the end of the month.

More piping is being laid and welded as part of the permanent system.

No new calls have been received by the WM hotline, Waste Management offices, the cities of Batavia or Geneva or Kane County. Waste Management continues to operate its contact telephone line for residents who may have questions. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 and is in operation 24 hours a day. An attendant will take information and a company representative will respond.

 Future updates will be posted on this page when there is any new information to report. 

UPDATE – 1/18/12 6:00 p.m.

Please read earlier posts for more details.

The probes that have shown methane still do, but at stable, consistent levels as in the past. No significant changes have been detected and overall probe readings are down. Work continues on installation of the permanent connection points and piping system with the excavation of the sump near the tie-in along the 17th fairway of the golf course. No calls have been received by the hot line, Waste Management corporate or any of the governments involved. Nothing occurred in the last 24 hours that would slow progress on the planned work. Unless there is some development, the next update on this web page is expected to be on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

UPDATE – 1/11/12 6:00 p.m.

The following is today's status following the regular group conference call. Please read earlier posts for more details.

The 22 utility openings in and around the Highlands were tested today and show no methane. The 2 probes south of Fabyan that have shown methane still do, but at stable, consistent levels as in the past. The probe at Olympic and Kingsland still measures nothing.

No methane was detected in the remaining monitoring probes located south of Fabyan Parkway. Some wells north of Fabyan are under vacuum. One of them is drawing some methane, the other, none. One vacuum was moved to see if it could draw more methane at another well. More wells north of Fabyan continue to be drilled to ultimately form a line of wells across the south boundary of Midway and pipe the methane into the existing methane facility.

Work continues on installation of the permanent connection point and piping system with the excavation of the sump near the tie-in along the 17th fairway of the golf course. 

No calls have been received by the hot line, Waste Management corporate or any of the governments involved. Nothing occurred in the last 24 hours that would slow progress on the planned work.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding in this matter.

UPDATE – 1/9/12 5:00 p.m.

Today’s status report on the project to locate, capture and control methane found below ground in the area surrounding the former Midway Landfill (west of Settler’s Hills Landfill), which area contains parts of the Batavia Highlands and the industrial area to the east. Please read earlier posts for more details.

As was the case last Friday, progress is being made and all indications are that the methane levels remain stable.

The 22 utility openings in and around the Highlands (Batavia) were tested today and showed no methane. The only 2 probes south of Fabyan that have ever shown methane have been fairly consistent over the last several weeks. These are on Orion east of Surrey, and at Raddant south of Fabyan. The probe at Olympic and Kingsland still measures nothing.  

Waste Management continues to progress with drilling of probes, soil wells and trenches to connect the soil wells to the permanent system at Settler's Hill to evacuate the methane from below and to permanently keep it from leaving the footprint of Settler's Hill.

There have been no calls to the Waste Management hotline since last Friday, Batavia, Geneva or Kane County have not reported any contacts since that time as well.

Waste Management continues to operate its contact telephone line for residents who may have questions. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 and is in operation 24 hours a day. An attendant will take information and a company representative will respond. The public may also obtain information on the Kane County website: www.countyofkane.org.

The next update on this web page is expected to be on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 unless there is any activity to report in the interim.

UPDATE – 1/6/12 4:30 p.m.

Representatives of Kane County, Geneva, Batavia and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call today following on-going testing.  Representatives from Waste Management reported that there have been no significant changes in readings of the installed probes.   22 utility locations were tested, also with no methane readings detected.  Unless there is evidence of methane in the utility locations (located in both Batavia and Geneva), the testing will continue to take place every other day.   Additionally, no in-home monitors (located in Batavia only) have indicated any readings of methane.  Work continues on the installation of the gas recovery (piping system) along the south portion of the Midway Landfill site.  There continues to be NO indication of methane gas migration toward structures in Geneva.  Updates will continue to be posted here as we receive additional information.

UPDATE – 1/4/12 5:45 p.m.

The regular phone conference took place among Waste Management, the cities of Batavia and Geneva, and Kane County.

Consistent with the steady results of testing of utility openings in the Highlands, Batavia, no readings were taken today, but will resume tomorrow.

The only 2 probes south of Fabyan Parkway to have ever showed methane continue to do so at levels consistent with the past. That methane is below 30-40 feet of clay. The probe at Olympic and Kingsland in Batavia south of Fabyan still registers negative for methane. There is about 40-47 feet of dense clay in that area on top of sand and gravel which is almost totally saturated with water. 

A gas probe installed at Raddant Road north of Fabyan encountered some methane at the 40-foot level. This indicates a probable tie between the methane source to the north at the Midway Landfill and the methane found at the probe on Raddant south of Fabyan Parkway. This allows Waste Management to now focus on pumping from the northerly well to see the impact on the methane to the south of Fabyan.

Another well to be used for vacuuming north of Fabyan encountered some large stone, necessitating drilling a larger hole.  

There were no calls to the Waste Management hot line yesterday or today. A response to one of the letters left at a residence in the Highlands was received today, and a test will take place Friday and a monitor left there.  Waste Management technicians will be accompanied by City of Batavia personnel with City identification.

Waste Management  continues to operate its contact telephone line for residents who may have questions. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well.  The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 and is in operation 24 hours a day. An attendant will take information and a company representative will respond. The public may also obtain information on the Kane County website: www.countyofkane.org.

Regularly scheduled updates from this point forward will be posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, unless there are changes to report in the interim.

UPDATE – 1/3/12 5:15 p.m.

UPDATE - 12/29/2011

Representatives of Batavia, Geneva, Kane County, and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call today after another day of activity and investigation. Waste Management has reported that the probe located on Orion Street, between Surrey and Nagel (behind Batavia Rehabilitation Health Care) is continuing to indicate the presence of methane gas. To date personnel have checked 22 homes in Batavia, none of which tested positive for the presence of methane gas. Also, gas detectors were installed in several of the homes as an additional precaution. Should gas be detected and depending on the concentration level, Waste Management will work with the homeowner to develop a remediation plan for the home. At this time there has been NO indication of methane gas migration toward structures in Geneva.

Work on the installation of additional probes and the recovery system on the Midway Landfill site is ongoing. The company will continue to monitor the previously installed probes and underground utility sites for any changes in methane gas levels and updates will appear here as information becomes available.

UPDATE - 12/28/2011 - 10:00 p.m.

Representatives of Kane County, Geneva, Batavia and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call today after a full day of activity and investigation. Representatives from Waste Management were successful in checking six homes along Surrey Road, Batavia for methane today. None of the homes had any detectable gas levels and all were provided with a gas detector. Plans are in place to visit 7 additional homes on Thursday to check for methane and provide a gas detector. Two additional probes were installed south of Fabyan Parkway and were negative for the gas. At the same time work continues on the installation of the gas recovery system along the south portion of the Midway Landfill site. Construction of the piping system has started with fabrication work on the piping system. Installation will start after the New Year holiday. Waste Management continues to evaluate the data collected from the daily readings of the installed probes. The deep probes will be tested daily until further notice. Updates will appear here each day after the conference call has been completed.

UPDATE - 12/27/2011 - 7:00 p.m.

Representatives of Kane County, Geneva, Batavia and Waste Management held their regular joint conference call today after a full day of activity and investigation. Following the finding of methane in the probe on Surrey south of the Batavia Rehabilitation facility, seven homes to the east were visited today. Of the 4 that had people home, three were tested and no methane was found. Notes were left for the remaining residents to call Waste Management for testing. As a further precaution, Waste Management will begin contacting the homes on the west side of Surrey and offering to test in the basement and sump pits as well. Waste Management personnel will be accompanied by City of Batavia employees. If any methane is found, and depending upon the concentration, Waste Management will work with the homeowners to continue monitoring, arrange for remediation (which is the same process as used for radon remediation, or develop other options.

Here are the contents of a fact sheet being distributed to the residents in those homes:

Methane Fact Sheet

Why are we asking you to allow us to test your home?

We are asking to test your home as a safety precaution. Staff from Midway Landfill have recently detected methane gas in an underground probe south of Fabyan Parkway. Your home is being tested as a precautionary measure. We are working closely with City of Batavia Fire and Public Works officials as well as Kane County, the City of Geneva and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the methane gas poses no threat to your home.

What is methane and why may I need to be concerned?

Methane is a component of landfill gas. It is odorless and considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be harmless to health unless there is so much methane present that it displaces oxygen. However, methane is a flammable gas when present at certain levels in a confined space. For this reason, we want to make sure that it is not entering your home and creating a potential danger. The measurements that we are taking are similar to those that the gas company would take if you reported a natural gas leak.

What actions are you taking in testing my home?

We will be measuring the percent of methane in your basement. We will be measuring for the presence of methane in any cracks or joints in the basement floor, sumps, and in any other potential openings where landfill gas can seep into your basement. We will provide you with the results of the testing immediately and discuss those results with you. The results will identify where measurements were taken and the results of those measurements as they relate to safety levels. Should we detect methane, we will install a methane monitor similar to a smoke detector that will warn you before methane concentrations become dangerous. If we detect methane levels at a certain concentration, we will work with you to implement protective measures that will prevent the gas from entering your home. These are the same measures used for radon in the home.

What is being done to prevent landfill gas from migrating?

As you may know, we have increased our methane monitoring program around the landfill. We also are constructing an additional landfill gas collection system around the perimeter of the facility to recover landfill gas that may have migrated beyond the areas of disposed wastes in the landfill. The installation of this new collection system is under way and we expect the system to be completed in its entirety in February. This system will ultimately prevent the migration of landfill gas off site.

Who should I contact if I smell odors or have some questions?

Waste Management has established a telephone line for residents who may have questions. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 and is in operation 24 hours a day. An attendant will take your information and a company representative will respond. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva and Kane County websites: www.geneva.il.us and www.countyofkane.org.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), an additional probe will be installed Madison at the north end of Forest in Batavia. As before, all probes will be tested, and work will continue on the permanent well, vacuum and pipe system around the Midway Landfill site to retain all methane on the landfill campus. Until that time, the 22 utility test sites, none of which to date have shown any methane will be monitored on alternate days. The deep probes will be tested daily until further notice. Updates will appear here each day after the conference call has been completed.

UPDATE - 12/23/2011 - 1:30 p.m.

Information will be updated here each day as developments occur until this situation is resolved. Please read earlier updates for the background of the matter.

After the daily status conference call this afternoon, here is today's summary of the status of the methane issue at this time:

The 22 locations in Batavia Highlands were tested again today (Friday, December 23), with no showing of methane.

The single probe installed along Raddant Road south of Fabyan Parkway showed a much lower presence of methane as of today's testing. This probe is in the industrial park whose buildings are constructed on slabs that do not have basements or underground structures where methane may accumulate.

Monitoring on all sites continues and Waste Management is in regular communication with Batavia, Geneva, Kane County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regarding the results of the tests. Waste Management is providing daily briefings on the progress of its methane remediation program to Batavia, Geneva and Kane County.

Waste Management's telephone line for residents who may have questions will be manned 24 hours daily through the holidays. Bi-lingual personnel are available as well. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. An attendant will take callers' information and a Company representative will respond.

Additional test result information will be posted here next Tuesday, December 27, 2011 unless there are any changes to report in the meantime.

UPDATE - 12/22/2011 - 8:45 p.m.

Information will be updated here each day as developments occur until this situation is resolved. Please read earlier updates for the background of the matter.

After the daily status conference call late this afternoon, here is today's summary of the status of the methane issue at this time:

Waste Management (WM) is still coordinating with the cities of Batavia and Geneva and Kane County in an effort to detect and monitor methane levels in and around the Midway and Settler's Hill landfills. The 22 locations in Batavia Highlands were tested again today (Thursday, December 22), with no showing of methane. This is addition to the 220 tests that have been conducted in these locations over the last 2 weeks.

Another probe was completed today, Thursday, on Orion Road south of the Batavia Rehabilitation Center on Fabyan Parkway west of Nagel Blvd. No methane was found during drilling or afterwards. The three deep probes which were installed earlier in the week, in and around the Highlands residential area, as well as the probe at the east end of Douglas Road completed yesterday were all tested today with no signs of methane. Earlier in the week, two homes in the Highlands were tested with no methane detected. The indications remain that methane is not present in the Highlands community. However, as has been the continuing policy, if methane is detected, WM will expand its monitoring to additional homes in the Highlands.

The single probe installed along Raddant Road south of Fabyan Parkway continues to show the presence of methane. This probe is in the industrial park whose buildings are constructed on slabs that do not have basements or underground structures where methane may accumulate. Two industrial buildings in the Raddant-Fabyan area were tested Tuesday and no methane was found. Based on testing to date, the methane appears to be present east of Nagel Boulevard.

Monitoring on all sites continues on a daily basis and Waste Management is in regular communication with Batavia, Geneva, Kane County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regarding the results of the tests. As an extra public safety measure, Waste Management will be installing additional monitoring probes south of Fabyan Parkway. If methane is detected, WM will expand its methane monitoring to homes, industrial buildings or other facilities, working closely with officials of the City of Batavia Fire and Public Works departments. Waste Management is providing daily briefings on the progress of its methane remediation program to Batavia, Geneva and Kane County.

UPDATE - 12/22/2011 - 9:00 a.m.

Please read earlier updates for the background of the matter.

Regular communication among all concerned parties continues on a daily basis and the following is a brief summary of the status of the methane issue at this time:

Waste Management continues coordinating with the cities of Batavia and Geneva and Kane County in an effort to detect and monitor methane levels in and around the Midway and Settler's Hill landfills. With the exception of the site on Raddant Road, south of Fabyan Parkway, none of the off-site monitoring points have indicated the presence of methane. Over the last two weeks some 200 tests that have been conducted in these locations.

Monitoring on all sites continues on a daily basis and Waste Management is in regular communication with Batavia, Geneva, Kane County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regarding the results of the tests. As an extra public safety measure, Waste Management has installed two gas probes north of the Midway Landfill site and near the Fox Run Development in Geneva. As of late Wednesday, neither of these sites has revealed the presence of gas. The company is working closely with officials of the City of Geneva Fire and Public Works departments to identify suitable testing sites and design future improvements that will support the containment of the methane gas generated by the site.

A probe was installed on Wednesday at the east end of Douglas Road in Batavia. No methane was detected at this location. A dditionally, three deep probes that were installed earlier in the week, in Highlands residential area still show no methane. The initial indications are the gas is not present in the Highlands community.

The single probe installed along Raddant Road just south of Fabyan Parkway continues to show the presence of methane. This probe is in the industrial park whose buildings do not have basements or underground structures where methane may accumulate. Based on testing to date, the methane appears to be present east of Nagel Boulevard. Two industrial buildings in the Raddant-Fabyan area were tested Tuesday and no methane was found.

Waste Management continues to develop a long-term plan to resolve the methane issue completely. The company is expanding its monitoring and gas extraction systems by installing a series of deeper gas monitoring probes to detect methane in the deep geologic unit beneath the Midway Landfill. Construction has begun north of the former Kane County Jail building to install gas extraction wells, which will be used to capture any methane that has migrated beyond waste areas.

Waste Management has established a telephone line for residents who may have questions Bi-lingual personnel are available as well. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663. An attendant will take their information and a Company representative will respond. The public may also obtain information on the City of Geneva, City of Batavia and Kane County websites:

http://www.geneva.il.us/BulletinBoard/midway.htm
www.cityofbatavia.net/midway
www.countyofkane.org

ORIGINAL NOTICE - 12/21/2011 - 1:30 p.m.

As you may know, the former Midway Landfill is located north of Fabyan Parkway in the area of the former Kane County Jail and adjacent to the Settler's Hill facility. As part of the planning and operation of Settler's Hill, Waste Management provides constant monitoring of both sites because methane gas can be produced in large quantities by the decomposition that naturally occurs in landfills. On December 1 st, Waste Management notified the County that methane gas has been found periodically outside the footprint of the old landfill. These detections were found in a deep formation below the landfill under very low pressure, all north of Fabyan Parkway.

Over the weekend staff members from Batavia and Geneva were notified that a probe recently installed along Raddant Road, approximately 100 yards south of Fabyan Parkway in Batavia, had detected methane. This probe is in an industrial park whose buildings do not have basements or underground structures where methane may accumulate. Based on testing to date, the methane appears to be present east of Nagel Boulevard. This is the first indication that gas has traveled off the County-owned property. It is also important to know the gas is below a thick layer of clay that extends over a wide area but tapers in thickness as it extends to the south and west toward the Fox River. This acts to block the migration of the gas toward the surface. Gas probes installed in the Batavia Highlands area have not indicated the presence of methane. Additional readings will be taken over the coming days to establish a base of data for analysis.

There has been no indication of methane gas spreading toward Geneva. While there is a network of probes around Settler's Hill, additional probes have been installed between Midway and the Fox Run development to insure this is still the case. To date, neither the new or existing probes along the west and north boundaries of the site have given any indication of the presence of methane gas. Fire Department staff members have taken several readings from the catch basins and manholes located in Fox Run, Ridgewood and Chalmers areas with nothing was found. Monitoring on all sites continues on a daily basis and Waste Management is in regular communication with Batavia, Geneva, Kane County and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency regarding the results of the tests.

Waste Management has begun working on a longer-term plan to resolve the methane issue completely. The company is expanding its monitoring and gas extraction systems by installing a series of deeper gas monitoring probes to detect methane in the deep geologic unit beneath the Midway Landfill. It also is installing gas extraction wells, which will be used to capture methane that has migrated beyond waste areas. These improvements will increase the site's ability to collect the methane and convey it to the center of the facility where it can be used as fuel to generate electricity.

As an extra public safety measure, Waste Management will be installing additional monitoring probes. If methane is detected in any area with structures that have a basements, partial basements, or crawl spaces, the company will expand the monitoring into those buildings working closely with fire and public works officials in that community.

The company has established a telephone line for residents who may have questions. The toll-free number is 1-855-964-4663 . The public may also obtain information on the City of Batavia and Kane County websites. Updated information will continue to be posted on the City of Geneva website as it becomes available.